by Raathi Chota
For the rest of the evening, we caught up with each other’s business. With the bet, I didn’t have time for Miranda, but since Them were out of my life, I’d go back to my best friend.
***
“Still the same car,” I mumbled as I crossed my arms.
“Well, good morning to you too,” Benny muttered as he opened the passenger door. Since the guys didn’t take me to school anymore and Miranda would be late if she took me, I had no other choice but to call him. A few weeks ago, I’d slap myself silly to call Benny Nielson for a ride to school, but I guessed things were perfect one minute, then suddenly falling apart the next. “I’m getting a new car tomorrow, so this is my last day with her.” Benny pouted as he hugged the wheel.
“What did your folks say?”
“Told them I needed an upgrade. Believe or not, this car has broken down once or twice.”
“What about the shoes?”
“Yesterday we literally watched them go through that machine where it was dumped, pressed, and burned; it was awesome!” Benny grinned as he started the car.
After that, we didn’t speak for a while as we drove. Benny turned on the radio to make it less awkward. I glanced down at my clothing, thinking this was me. My striped sweater, dark blue jeans, and ankle boots fit me correctly. Even though I missed the badass look, I knew it wouldn’t suit me; I tried too hard. I wanted to be me. “Do you think people will find this weird?” Benny asked after a while.
“I don’t know.”
“The bully and his nerd,” he mumbled as I raised a brow. “I don’t care anymore. If people can see you with Blake, they shouldn’t be surprised.”
“What will happen?”
“People will stare, tell each other, and then by lu—”
“No, I mean like would you still be the Benny you are now in public?”
“Yes, I said I’ll do everything in my power to let you forgive me, even if it means showing it to the whole school,” he stated. We stared at each other for a few seconds until a honk behind us broke our gaze. I took a deep breath as we reached the school. The bell hadn’t rung yet, which made me uneasy. Benny parked in his regular spot. As he hopped out, I gripped the handle and slowly opened it. Benny was right there with a smile on his face. “Come on.” He motioned me to follow him. I slowly followed as I kept my head down. I felt the stares as we walked.
“Hey, guys,” Nick greeted. I looked up to see his arm wrapped around Melissa.
“Why did she get out of your car? Did you find her on the way to school?” Melissa gasped as she stared at me.
“No, we’re all friends now, baby. We made up,” Nick awkwardly mumbled. Melissa did a double take as she looked at Benny and me.
“You two made up? As in you’re not going to make fun of her anymore?”
“Yeah,” Benny mumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Melissa stared in shock but immediately took out her phone and typed.
“’Sup, guys?” Liam yawned as he approached us.
“What happened to you?” I asked. Liam still had bed hair as he chewed on his stud; he wore a big hoodie, sweatpants, and Vans.
“Couldn’t sleep last night from the junkyard,” he said as he rubbed his eyes.
“What were you doing at the junkyard?” Melissa asked. Liam’s eyes widened as he only noticed her.
“Throwing junk…in the…yard?” Liam stuttered as we glared at him.
“See you guys later. I gotta get to Calculus,” I mumbled as I held the straps of my bag.
“I’ll walk with you. We do have Calculus together,” Nick suggested as he let go of Melissa.
“But you always walk me to Literature.” Melissa frowned as she gripped her boyfriend’s arm. Nick turned to me, then Melissa. I smiled, then waved him off.
“It’s okay, Nick. I’m heading to my locker anyway,” I said, then walked off. I felt the constant stares as I headed to the building. I stopped and spun to look at a pure sports car. They stared at me with sad looks. I glanced at Aidan and scowled. I bet he told the guys that I was at the diner on Saturday. I gained all the courage and approached them. Carter seemed taken back, as he avoided eye contact. Blake leaned off Ethan’s car as he stood up straight. My eyes locked with his as I stood right in front of him. Nobody spoke for a while as we stared at each other.
“You ditched us for your bullies? That’s low, Willson, even for you,” Blake muttered as he looked at me.
“Shut up, you jerk!” I yelled, then shoved him. Blake staggered backward but regained his balance quickly.
“What the hell are you doing, hanging out with them?” Ethan barked.
“At least they want to hang out with me, unlike some people who do it to get laid.”
“Lana, let us explain—” Carter sighed, but I cut him off.
“I don’t wanna hear it. Now what must I do?” I asked. They looked at each other with confused looks on their faces as I rolled my eyes. “I cracked. I lost the bet, and if I lost, I agreed to be your puppet for the rest of senior year. I am a person of my word, so what must I do?”
Chapter Seventeen
Lana
“Lana, you don’t have to do this.” Carter sighed as we walked along the hallway.
“No, I lost the bet, fair and square. It’s fine,” I muttered. With our little argument outside, they saw I wasn’t in the mood, so they let me carry their bags. I took Aidan and Carter’s backpacks, Ethan’s gym bag, and my own, since Blake didn’t have a bag with him.
“Can we at least help you?” Ethan begged as he tried to take one of the three bags on my back. I turned to him and raised a brow.
“Are you implying that I am not strong enough to carry four bags?”
“No, no, I just…”
“Well, look who we have here. Geeky Lana back in her natural habitat, serving her purpose in life,” Austin announced as he stood in front of me.
“I thought the bet was over. Well, now we know the results.” Parker laughed as he stood next to Aidan. Word got out by last Wednesday about the bet. So far, I’d been told I was going to lose. It turned out that everyone was right.
“Told you she couldn’t last. Pay up.” Austin grinned as he looked at Parker.
“You guys bet on me?” I yelled, then dropped the bags; I saw a crowd forming around us.
“Yeah, if anything, you’re just an attention seeking wh—” Austin laughed as he towered over me. He’s tall, probably Blake’s height, but he was skinnier. I cut him off when I gripped Ethan’s bag and hit him. “You bitch!” he yelled as I continued. I felt two arms around my waist pull me away from Austin. I saw Aidan approach us as he tried to get the bags from me.
“Lana, just leave him!” Blake growled in my ear. I looked down to see his tattooed arms around me. I glanced up again and noticed Austin used his arm for protection. Flashbacks of when I hit Jack with my heel entered my mind as I stopped. I froze and looked around me; everyone stared at us as looks of horror filled their faces. I dropped the bag into Aidan’s hands and fell to the ground.
“They’re assholes,” Blake whispered. I realized he still had a good grip on me. I jumped up to see everyone’s stares. Phones and cameras were out as the hallway went quiet. I looked around to see Austin pressed against the lockers. I cautiously stepped closer, which frightened him, but eventually, he straightened. Off to the side, I saw Aidan glare at him. I stood right in front of Austin, his heavy breathing making me sigh.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked out and waited for an answer as we stared at each other. His eyes pulled away from mine as he looked around for help. I didn’t know what happened behind me as I looked at him, but he slowly nodded then returned his gaze.
“Me too. I’m sorry, Lana.” I gave a firm nod then turned; all the bags were still on the ground as I picked them up. As I collected them, I felt everyone’s eyes on me. I walked to Aidan, who held the gym bag. I looked at him, then the bag. He didn’t say anything as he handed it to me. A sad smile formed on his lips, yet I wished it w
ere the one that made the corner of his eyes wrinkle. The bell rang, which signaled the first period, but nobody moved; after the bell, it fell into a profound silence. I began to walk down the hall, and people cleared the path for me as they watched Lana Willson fulfill her side of the bet.
***
I sighed in relief because it was finally lunch. I’d carried the guys’ books for the day, but only if we had a class together. Each time we’d have a class together, they’d try to talk to me, but I ignored them.
“If you’re mad at us for using you to do our homework, then why are you doing our class work?” Ethan asked as I took his books. For the first few times, they said they’d carry their books, but I insisted, so they finally gave in.
“Because I thought I was doing it out of kindness, and y’know, I thought that’s what friends do, but now I must do it,” I stated as we walked to his locker.
“Lana, please, let us explain—”
“There’s nothing to tell, Ethan. I heard you guys loud and clear that night. See you in P.E.” I sighed as we stopped by his locker. He frowned as I walked away, but I didn’t care. I got my lunch from my locker then walked to the cafeteria. Miranda and Marcus sat at our regular table in the middle of the cafeteria. I slammed my lunch on the table and took a seat.
“Are you okay? I heard what happened earlier. Parker and Austin are assholes,” Miranda mumbled as she looked at me from across the table.
“I’m okay, Miranda. Please, can we not talk about any of them for once?”
“Sure…how was your weeke—oh, never mind.” Miranda cut herself off as she remembered our conversation from last night.
“You don’t have to be their puppet, Lana. They already feel bad. Heaven knows why, but don’t do this to them,” Marcus added as I looked at him. Marcus Sanders was the only one who didn’t know the full story. He knew about the bet, but he didn’t know everything. I was glad I had Miranda as a friend; she wouldn’t tell him until I was comfortable with it. I felt a weight on my side of the bench, and two figures plopped themselves down on either side of me, then one next to Marcus.
“Bonjour,” Liam sang.
“Jock table is that way,” I grumbled and turned my head to see a confused Marcus in front of me. Nick sat next to him while Benny was on my left.
“Take a chill pill, girl,” Liam replied as I rolled my eyes.
“Plus, why would we want to sit with him?” Benny hissed as he looked at the jock table. The rest of the team sat there, but I thought he motioned to Ethan and Austin. “Can’t believe you’re their puppet.”
“I lost fair and square, Benny. Lana Willson is a girl of her word.”
“Still, after what they’ve done to you—”
“What did they do?” Marcus demanded as he looked at us. I glanced at Miranda and gave her a nod.
“Babe, we need to talk,” Miranda mumbled as she took Marcus’s hand. We watched the couple walk out of the cafeteria. As soon as they were out, Nick sighed.
“Have you watched the news this morning?”
“The news comes on at six in the morning. Who the hell in their right mind would wake up that early for news?” Liam asked.
“Well, considering we were almost on it!” Nick spat as he glared at Liam.
“Wha-what happened?” I asked.
“At first they thought it was a suicide, but then the tire tracks and the many footprints led to more questions. I saw your dad there too,” Nick mumbled.
“That’s why he left early this morning. He didn’t say anything because my mother doesn’t like it when Dad has that kind of business to attend to,” I mumbled.
“Why the heck was he there? He better not be taking this on. He’s a damn sheriff, not a detective,” Liam scolded.
“I’m going to pick up my new car tomorrow. Nick, you come so you can drive the old one to the junkyard, and we can dispose of it,” Benny explained as his eyes shifted around the cafeteria.
“I’m coming too.”
“No, Lana. It’s too ris—”
“Please, I don’t want you guys to get into trouble.”
“And we won’t. You can stay and watch Liam practice. By the time we come back, he’ll be done.” Benny gestured to Liam’s football practice. I nodded, then ate my chicken salad. As I glanced around, my eyes locked with his. Even though they sat in the corner of the cafeteria, I knew Blake had his eyes on me. His eyes filled with mixed emotions as I sat with my past tormentors.
***
“What do you think we’ll do in Phys Ed?” Carter asked as we walked to the gym.
“Coach is in a bad mood, so guess we’ll be doing laps,” Ethan replied.
“So what’s been going on with you and Benny?” Aidan asked. I turned to look at him and noticed his jaw tightened.
“We made up.”
“You made up with those assholes, yet you can’t forgive us?” Blake asked.
“I’m giving them a second chance! Unlike some people, who just blew theirs.” I rolled my eyes as we got to the locker rooms. Blake stared at me as he opened his mouth, but Carter beat him to it.
“How can you give them a second chance? They basically ruined your life!” Carter yelled as he raised his arms in exasperation.
“Like you didn’t already!” I screamed, then tossed the bags by the door. They stared at me with guilty looks. I almost gave in, but thankfully I didn’t. I knew I was a softie, but they influenced me, and to get hurt by them was the worst feeling in the world. “You don’t know what the hell I’ve been through after that night!”
“What are you talking about? What happened?” Blake asked.
“Lana, come on, we’re gonna be late,” Miranda called from the girls’ locker room. I sighed as I walked into the locker room to change.
“Thanks for that.”
“No problem.” Miranda grinned. “Now hurry up.”
For the whole period, I ignored them. No way I’d tell them what happened. For the next few days, it was the same. Benny was my ride to school, me carrying the boy’s bags and doing their work, then driving home with Miranda. Things got back to normal as days turned into weeks. None of us started a conversation because we knew the regular routine. Marcus got comfortable with Benny, Nick, and Liam. It wasn’t hard since Marcus recently became captain of the soccer team. Jack August’s body was never found, but the case was always open. It still frightened me to think I killed him. Every time someone touched me, I’d flinch as I thought he wasn’t dead and came back to get his revenge. Benny got a Toyota 86 that was spacious so we’d all hang out. We were at the cinema with Liam, Miranda, Marcus, Nick, and Melissa.
“Are we being third wheeled?” Liam asked as we watched Nick, Melissa, Marcus, and Miranda walk into Me Before You theater. The past few weeks when we hung out, Nick had to bring his girlfriend, Melissa Singe. Obviously, Miranda and I didn’t like it, but we got along with her because we wouldn’t want to be a killjoy. She was the less bitchy out of the three girls, but she always gave us sneaky glances.
“I think so. Besides, who wants to watch a boring romance movie anyway?” Benny groaned as we walked.
“Me,” I mumbled.
“Ooh, let’s watch Finding Dory!” Liam cheered as we stood in line for the tickets.
“We already saw that last week,” I groaned. His eyes lit up as he bit on his stud excitedly. The first week Finding Dory came out, Liam and Miranda dragged us to watch it.
“Fine, who’s up for a little action? Purge anyone?” Liam smirked as he glanced at Purge: Election Year.
“I’m down.” Benny grinned as he turned to me.
“Yeah, have you guys watched the first two?” I asked as we approached the ticket booth.
“Yeah, I was hooked from the moment those masks came out.” Liam smiled as he took out his wallet. I quickly fished out the money that Mom gave me and placed it on the counter. They’d paid for the past things we’d done or eaten, so it was my turn.
“Three tickets to The Purge: Election
Year.” I smiled at the lady behind the counter. She could be in her mid-thirties, curly blonde hair with bright red lipstick. A look of boredom spread across her face as she looked at the three teenagers.
“Yes, please,” Liam said as he waved the money in front of my face. We argued for about five minutes while the lady stared at us.
“Liam, you pay for the tickets, Lana pays for snacks, and I’ll pay for pizza afterward,” Benny suggested.
“Well, now we know who’s the smart one here,” the lady behind the counter commented.
I rolled my eyes as Liam teased me the whole way of how Benny was smarter than me. We entered the theater and sat right at the back so that we got a view of everyone.
***
“How was your guys’ movie?” Marcus asked as we entered the pizzeria.
“Eh, the first one is always the best.” Benny shrugged as he gestured to Nick to help push tables together to make one long table. After we rearranged the furniture in the restaurant, we finally sat down. Miranda sat on my left with Liam on my right and Benny in front of me.
“Me Before You was amazing! Lana, there was this par—” Miranda gushed.
“Don’t spoil it for me!” I cut her off as I took my glasses out of my pocket and put them on. We got into our own conversations while we waited for the pizza to arrive. The most prominent topic was that today was Halloween.
“Hey, anyone going to the party tonight?” Nick asked.
“Heck yeah. Parker throws one of the best Halloween parties ever.” Marcus grinned as he whispered something into Miranda’s ear that made her giggle.
“Do you guys have costumes already?” I asked. I’d heard of Parker’s awesome parties but didn’t bother to talk about it since I was never invited. Even if I was, I’d never step foot in Parker Collins’ house ever.
“Yeah, can’t wait to see you, cat woman.” Nick smirked as he kissed Melissa.
