by Raathi Chota
“Can I help you?”
“Y-yes…this naked dude is running around the neighborhood and knocking on people’s doors,” I said as he towered over us.
“You’ve seen him?”
“Yes! He came knocking on my door and stuff,” Melissa said as her eyes widened. Behind the security guard, I saw a shadow. I tilted my head and realized Miranda was on the other side of the gate. She ran to her car, then held out the remote. My eyes widened as the vehicle made a noise. The security guard turned around, but I quickly gripped his arms to look at us.
“You need to help! Before he goes off doing something crazy!”
“I’ll contact the other guards in the neighborhood. What were your names again?” he asked as he took out his walkie-talkie. Melissa looked over her shoulder as her eyes widened. I followed her gaze to see Miranda with the car as she neared the gate. While the guy spoke in the walkie-talkie, we watched Miranda. She pointed toward something, and Melissa and I turned. I spotted the button and pointed at it, since Melissa was closer. She let out a gasp, then pressed the button. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” the man yelled. As soon as the gates opened, Miranda sped through them. She stopped right in front of the booth, then opened the passenger and back door. “Hey, you girls!”
I ran to the car and climbed in the backseat while Melissa got in front. Miranda changed gears as we shut our doors.
“Go!” I laughed at the man who tried to chase us. Once he was a few yards away, I let out a sigh of relief.
Sunday was spent at the spa. Melissa got a discount from Jennifer, so she thought it’d be fun to go. After the spa, we went to the mall, even though I didn’t buy anything. The weekend was fun since I spent it with my girlfriends. I didn’t know if the guys got out of jail, but Dad came home Sunday night with a frown on his face. That must’ve meant something.
“You’re a big girl now?” Miranda grinned as I got out of my mother’s car. I decided to drive today since my dad took my mother to work.
“Sure.” I chuckled as we walked upstairs. I glanced around the school grounds and noticed none of the guys were here yet. “Have you seen any of the guys yet?”
“Nope, that’s a good thing.” Miranda hummed as we laughed. Before we walked into the building, we heard a yell and a screech of tires. I spun around and saw Melissa walk out of Nick’s car. She ran toward us with her eyes widened.
“Guys, who did that?” she asked as we stared at the damaged vehicles in front of us.
“N-not us.”
“Who the fuck did this?” Parker yelled as he kicked his car, which was covered in tomatoes, yet it was evident that he had tried to take it off.
“Speak for yourself!” Kelly shouted as she got out of her car. The whole school suddenly went quiet as we heard a familiar engine roar. In between Parker and Kelly’s cars, Blake pulled up. Everyone watched as he removed his helmet and got off. The look on his face intimidated anyone to talk. I tried to hold in a laugh as I looked at his pink polka dot bike. His leather jacket swayed as he walked. Parker snorted, and Blake snapped his head at him.
“What the fuck are you laughing at?”
“Your motorcy—”
“Oh yeah? What the fuck happened to your shit-ass car?”
Parker’s jaw clenched as he looked down. Blake laughed, then walked toward us. From the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan laugh while Liam took photos.
“Was this you two?” Kelly hissed. They raised their arms as they shook their heads.
“I thought you said it wasn’t permanent?” I whispered to Melissa.
“At least it’ll fade,” she said and gave an innocent smile. I watched Blake as he tramped up the stairs. I avoided eye contact as Blake neared me. Suddenly, he gripped my arm. I glanced up and noticed how his eyes darkened. His gaze shifted to my hand, and I bit my lip since I still had pink faded on it.
“Busted, my little nerd.”
“At least it’s faded,” Melissa whispered beside me. I looked at the boy who gripped my exposed pink hand. I’d tried everything to get it out!
“How dare you accuse me of doing that to your death machine?” I asked, then pulled my hand away.
“Then why is your hand pink?”
“Err…I wanted to dye my hair.” I laughed nervously. “And I am not your nerd!”
I spun around and walked into the building. I went to my locker first and grabbed my Calculus book. As I gathered my things, a weird scent lingered in the air. I raised my head and sniffed as I shut my locker.
“That was pretty good, right?” Aidan was beside me as he turned his head. I followed his gaze to see Kelly’s and Parker’s glares. The bell rang, and we walked down the hall. I played the recent event in my head and chuckled as I turned to Aidan.
“Couldn’t you use eggs or toilet paper?”
“How do you know?”
“Know what?”
“Benny, Marcus, and Ethan’s cars got egged and then floured.” He smirked as we entered Mr. Bronx’s class.
“Really?”
“Yeah, and the sticky notes were a classic!”
“What happened?”
“Someone trashed Ethan’s house. It was awesome, if you ask me.”
“Wonder who could’ve done such rebellious things?”
“Don’t worry, GG, your secret is safe with me.” He winked. I rolled my eyes, then looked up at Nick. He sat next to me, and I noticed how he scratched his skin.
“You okay?”
“I’m great,” he quickly responded. Aidan spun around to look at Nick. A grin spread across his face as I sniffed the air again. Something smelled so familiar.
“All right, class, as we know, mid-terms are coming up,” Mr. Bronx said as everyone groaned. “We will be doing a lot of review, but first…” He trailed off as he held papers. “Pop quiz!”
“Sir, do you hate us that much?” Aidan groaned as he took the sheet from Mr. Bronx.
“I hate all of you, from the bottom of my heart.” Griffon smiled as he handed me my sheet. I rolled my eyes at his playful personality and got to work. I didn’t think I’d spend time with my friends because of the exams. I’d spend most of my time studying. One of the universities I wanted to go to was Yale. “Austin, you’re late,” Mr. Bronx stated. I glanced up to see Austin walk in, his nostrils flared. He sat next to Aidan as Mr. Bronx approached his desk. “What’s up with you? Got bitch slapped over the weekend?”
“More like Parker’s car,” Austin huffed then turned to Aidan. “And I bet it was you!”
“I wish humans would automatically shut up when someone tells them to.” Aidan ignored Austin, which only seemed to annoy him more. I shook my head and turned to Nick, who looked anxious.
“I know I’m beautiful, but please no staring,” Aidan spat as he looked at Austin.
“I’m trying to see things from your perspective, but my ego isn’t far up my ass, unlike yours, Rowley.”
“That’s because you’re full of shit!”
“Kiss my ass, baby!”
“Not until yo—”
“Both of you shut up!” Mr. Bronx shouted as he glared at the boys. We watched as he walked to the front of the class. He grabbed a paper from his desk and read it. I looked at the boys to see if they were still glaring at each other, but they kept their mouths shut, because nobody liked Mr. Bronx when he was angry.
***
“What is that awful smell?” Miranda asked as she sat at our cafeteria table.
“I don’t know,” Ethan and Aidan said in unison.
“I’ve taken ten showers, and I can’t get this stupid fish smell away,” Liam groaned as he sat between Nick and Benny. They scrunched their noses and shifted away.
“Fish?” Melissa asked as her eyes flickered toward Miranda and me.
“Some people thought it’d be funny to prank my house while we were gone Saturday. I walked into my room, and an egg cracked on my head,” Ethan muttered.
“At least you don’t have cactus thorn
s on your back.” Benny huffed as he rubbed his back.
“Hey, at least you guys don’t have bugs everywhere. I swear I’m itching like crazy!” Nick babbled as he scratched his arms.
“So what did you guys do?” I asked.
“We had to watch these two eat their way through the popcorn, and I thought that was the prank, but filling my basement with sticky notes made it worse!” Ethan groaned as he raised his arms.
“The popcorn was good, though,” Aidan said as he high-fived Liam.
“Well, at least you guys don’t have a pink polka dot motorcycle,” Blake growled.
“At least it’s not permanent,” I said with a tight-lipped smile. Blake raised a brow and opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “Who’s ready for mid-terms?”
“Ugh, don’t ask.” Marcus groaned.
“At least Thanksgiving’s next weekend. So we have three weeks until we write.”
“Yeah, what are you guys doing for Thanksgiving?” Carter asked.
“Eating,” Liam and Aidan cheered.
“What about you, Willson? Going anywhere?” Blake asked as he nudged my shoulder.
“Nah, I have to study,” I said as I thought of Yale.
“Boring,” Miranda groaned.
“I am so going to fail Physics,” Benny mumbled.
“I can lend you my study book,” I suggested.
“Last time I took your book, Lana, I stared at it like it was another language,” he replied. Blake snorted beside me, and I elbowed him. AP Physics was hard, but I got through it with the help of Mr. Bronx coming over on the weekend and explaining it to me. The rest of the students didn’t have that advantage, so it was understandable.
“I can tutor you,” I mumbled. Benny turned to me as he bit his lip.
“Okay.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to Debate,” I said as I stood up. I felt their eyes on me as I walked out, yet I didn’t care because I had to focus on school. I’d do anything to get into Yale.
Miranda offered Melissa and me a ride home, and I gladly accepted. I wished I could’ve taken it back. They talked and talked about their boyfriends while I spaced out in the passenger seat.
“What do you think, Lana?” Melissa snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?”
“Do you like Blake or Benny?” Miranda smiled. “I think you and Benny are cute. I mean, in the cafeteria when you offered to tutor him…”
“Yet Blake is hot, and I sense a connection between you two,” Melissa spoke up.
“What? I’m not even dating any of them; I want to graduate single because of Ya—”
“Yale is the perfect college, and once I get my degree, I’ll look for a man,” they said in unison as I raised a brow.
“We know you’re a nerd and all, but sometimes you need to chill, have some fun being a teenager,” Miranda whined as she turned into my neighborhood.
“I do! I’ve done it all!” I argued as I balled my fist. I remembered similar words from Blake.
“Even it?” Melissa gasped as she looked at me. I looked away, too annoyed to answer her question, but with the look on my face, she knew better. “Oh my God, with who?”
“An asshole, that’s who,” Miranda answered as she parked in front of my house.
“There’s a lot of assholes at our school, and many of them wou—”
“Thanks for the ride, bye.” I cut Melissa off as I stepped out of the car. My pace quickened as I walked up the porch. I didn’t turn back as I opened the door. As the door creaked, I heard a shout, followed by footsteps.
“Well, maybe they shouldn’t come!” The voice belonged to my father as I shut the door. I quietly walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where I saw my mother.
“Mom?”
“I’m fine, dear. Don’t worry.”
“Is this about the Radcliffs coming?”
“Yes, apparently something happened with Levi. They don’t know how lon—”
“Wait—what happened to Levi?”
“Don’t you guys talk anymore? I assumed he told you.”
“We sometimes do, but we don’t talk for long,” I lied. Levi and I only spoke once a few days ago.
“Well, it’s better if he tells you.”
“How does this affect us?”
“Well, it mostly concerns them, but I think you’ll be glad if he tells you.” Mom smiled as she stroked my shoulder.
Breakfast was awkward. Dad barely spoke while Mom tried to lighten the mood. I still didn’t talk to Levi. It was weird to ask him something that I wasn’t aware of. I had a lot of questions to ask him. I walked out of the house and looked down at my phone. Benny was supposed to pick me up, and sometimes he’d come early so that we’d study.
“Washed it like a thousand times.” I turned my head and saw Blake against his motorcycle as he stared at it. The pink faded, but with a few more washes, the pink would be out.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m your ride for today,” he said, then threw his helmet toward me.
“I’m not gonna ride with you,” I said, then shoved the helmet in his chest as I approached him. Blake chuckled as he put the helmet on and got onto the bike. Once he was on, he turned to me.
“What’s going on with you and Nielson?”
“Nothing, why?”
“Will anything be going on between you two?”
“You know, I can walk if you’re going to interrogate me every time we talk.”
He stared at me with a blank expression. I folded my arms and watched as he kicked the side stand. Ever since I started tutoring Benny, Blake’s been moody and distant.
“Then walk!” Blake yelled as he started his motorcycle. The engine came to life as his grip tightened on the handles. I backed away as he drove out of my driveway.
“Screw you!” I shouted, but I didn’t think he heard me. Blake drove off, and I let out a round of swear words as I began to walk. Then it started to rain.
***
I was ten minutes away from school, and I bet Blake was in class with a smirk plastered on his face. From the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar Subaru approach me. I smiled at Aidan as he opened the passenger door.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. I thought Blake was going to get you?” Aidan asked as we began to drive.
“I never want to drive with that asshole again.”
“What did my cousin do this time?”
“He’s like my dad, questioning me every time we talk! It’s just—he’s the worst!”
“Well, you have been spending a lot of time with Benny.”
“I’m tutoring him!”
“Okay, geez! Don’t get your panties in a twist, love.”
“Blake Gunner is the biggest asshole on the planet,” I muttered, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan fiddle in his pocket. I turned to see that he held out his cigarettes.
“Looks like you need it,” Aidan said as I took one. He gave me his lighter—I lit two cigarettes for us.
“Thanks,” I said, then inhaled. I looked at the road and realized we’d passed the school. “Where we going?”
“I got a Chemistry test which I am going to fail.”
“So we’re gonna ditch?”
“Uh-huh. Don’t worry, we’ll be back for your little tutoring. Is there a problem?” Aidan asked as the corner of his mouth rose. I looked at Aidan, then at the cigarette between my fingers. A smile appeared on my lips as I looked at him.
“Nope. Not a problem at all,” I said, then inhaled the only thing that exhaled all the stress.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lana
“Hope you got a killer excuse, Willson,” Aidan mumbled as we walked through the school doors. It was the period before lunch, and I was nervous. I looked over my shoulder and raised a brow at Aidan.
“How do I know you’re not just using me again?”
“Well, we just had Phys Ed, and I heard we played dodgeball again. Y
ou do not want to be in the same room with my cousin when we’re playing that.” He chuckled as we walked down the hall. “Ouch!”
I spun around to see that a door opened and hit Aidan in the face as he walked. I disguised my inner laugh with a cheekily hidden grin, yet that reaction disappeared as Parker Collins walked out.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here,” Parker sang as he shut the door. He wore a reasonably long coat with combat boots. Since every guy had his purpose in high school, Parker was the “go-to guy.” If someone needed sold-out concert tickets, matches, knives, fake ID cards, or even condoms, Parker was the guy. Yet everything came with a price.
“What do you want?” Aidan glared at his ex-friend.
“You missed Chemistry.”
“Does it look like I care?”
“Since you have such a clever mouth, I’ll just tell Mis—”
“No!” I cut him off as I placed a hand on his chest. Parker looked down at my hand with a familiar grin as I stepped back.
“Dude, come on, it’s Friday,” Aidan whined.
“Well, I won’t shut up for free.”
“Name your price…”
“How can I when you haven’t purchased anything?”
“You got gum?” I asked. Parker raised a brow as he approached me. I stiffened when he leaned in, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan’s glare.
“Wow, next time can I come?” Parker asked as he sniffed me.
“Do you have gum or even mints?” I groaned.
“Of course, I do!” he exclaimed and pulled out a box of mints from his pocket. I reached for one, but he slapped my hand away. “Being quiet comes with a price.”
“Yet I ask again, what’s your price?”
“You and Austin are fighting like cats and dogs, but we’re still cool, right?” Parker asked as he looked at Aidan. He didn’t reply, so Parker licked his lips and continued. “So I’m willing to give you guys a discount.”
“How much?”
“Fifty dollars.”
“Fifty just for mints?”
“And for keeping quiet. I’m nice. It’s a generous discount,” Parker said with a shrug. “But if you want to smell like tobacco for the rest of the day, I unde—”
