by Raathi Chota
“Didn’t you hear? They kissed.”
“Bullshit.”
“Bull fucking true!”
“And what do you mean she never forgot them?”
“Oh, you know what I mean,” he said, then looked down. I followed his gaze to see the pack of cigarettes in my hands.
“She’s buying from you?”
“You’ll have to pay,” he sang. I rolled my eyes and walked away, but Parker wasn’t finished.
“She’s got a killer body, though…love to bang it ag—”
I pushed the doors open to block the rest of his comment as I walked. I scoffed as I walked out of the school and into the parking lot. I took a cigarette out of the box, lit it with my matches, then stood next to my motorcycle. Axel took my lighter, so I was stuck with matches. I’ve learned over the past few weeks that cigarettes have gotten quite expensive; Aidan introduced me to Parker, so I go to him. This Parker dude gave off a weird vibe. Not saying that because he came up with the bet and sold stuff, but something else. Like how he knew things and how Lana reacted when she found it was him who started the bet. He spoke about a guy I’d heard about quite a few times. Parker knew something or at least did something. Yet it explained how Lana knew how to smoke when I first offered her a cigarette. It must also demonstrate her love for rock and alternative music.
“Hey,” a soft voice interrupted my thoughts. I glanced up and saw Lana. I noticed that she wore a leather jacket, black jeans, and black Converse. She must’ve noticed when she spoke. “It was cold, and this was the only clean thing I had in my closet.”
“What brings you here?” I asked as she leaned against my motorcycle. A weird sound came from the bike as it tilted to the side and fell.
“Oh, crap, sorry,” Lana mumbled as she hurried to the other end of the vehicle. I watched as she tried to pick it up but hopelessly failed. She stood up and let out an exasperated sigh. Without a word being said, I reached down for my bike and swiftly picked it up, then kicked the side stand out. Lana rolled her eyes as she sat on the damp curb. “Thank you,” she mumbled after a while. I turned to look at her a gloomy expression as she stared at the building. “Miss Rosa told me on Thursday, and I figured it was you.”
Not knowing what say, I stared at the cigarette in my hand and took a drag. I exhaled the smoke and noticed her stare when I sat down beside her. “Why? I thought you and Kel—”
“Because it was the right thing to do. Why do you always want an explanation? Maybe I did it because I wanted to.” I cut her off.
“Well, thanks.”
“Rumor’s going around that Nielson and you kissed.”
“Yeah,” Lana said, then turned to me. “Heard you and Kelly are going out.”
“Yeah.” I looked into her dark blue eyes; she had circles under them as she pushed her glasses up. “It’s depressing to hear that you’re hooking up with your bully.”
“We’re not hooking up! And he was my bully, Blake. Everyone deserves a chance.” Lana groaned as she pushed herself up.
“You’re giving them too many chances.”
“Ugh, please, Blake. How many chances have I given you?”
“Exactly!”
“Ugh, just go back to being a narcissistic bad boy player.” She huffed and spun around.
“There’s a difference, you know,” I called after her. Lana froze, and I noticed how she clenched her fists as she spun around. “Between a player and a bad boy,” I said then stood up.
“And you’re a combination of both.”
“Take Carter and Ethan for example.” I ignored her, tilting my head. “How many girls do they flirt with in a day?”
“I don’t know…eight, maybe.”
“And if you ask half of the juniors and seniors in this school who they lost their virginity to, your answer will be…”
“Them.”
“Uh huh, and since we’ve met, how many girls have you seen me with? Besides you, Miranda, and Melissa.”
“One.”
“That is correct! Now, like a bad boy, they don’t go for any chick; they observe and watch. Once they have their prey, they go for it!” I let out a dry laugh. “Besides, bad boys are much more fun when it comes to riding a motorcycle, jumping off a cliff, getting a tattoo, and don’t forget to go to prison with one.” I winked, and she rolled her eyes. “Players, on the other hand…you’ll always need to watch them like little kids. They see a toy and immediately drop the one they have to get a new one.”
“You’re really something, aren’t you, Blake?”
“A special something,” I said as she laughed, but it was gone when she sighed.
“I’m sorry about—”
“No, it’s me who should apologize. I’ve been a dick these past few weeks because I was silly and immature. Not really good with apologies, so yeah.” I trailed off. We studied each other as we stood there. Her blue eyes were full of mixed emotions as she stared into my dark brown eyes. After a while, she broke her gaze and laughed.
“What?”
“We’re always fighting…it’s so weird.”
“Well, that’s just us and our weird friendship.”
“One question: is it true that you sold your kidney for an upgrade on your motorcycle?”
“Wha—No.”
“So you got all your organs?” Lana raised a brow as I laughed. Before I answered, a familiar voice rang through the parking lot. I looked over my shoulder to see Miranda. “Coming! See you in class,” Lana said as she jogged toward Miranda. I forced a smile but thought back to her question.
“Not really, someone stole my heart.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lana
Mid-term examinations weren’t so great. The past few days had been exhausting. I stared at my locker and sighed because we’d have Calculus in a few minutes. At least I had a pill with me, but I needed a refill. I gulped down the pill then shut my locker and threw the empty bottle in the trashcan. The sound of the bell deafened me as I groaned. As I strolled to class, I saw Parker approach me in his camel-colored coat and lace-up boots.
“Hey, Lana.”
“Err…hi, Parker.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I just…ran out. I need more.”
“You sure? It’s like the fourth bottle you bought.”
“Please! Just a few more days and I’ll be out of your hair,” I begged. Parker anxiously bit his lip as he thought. He looked down the hall, over his shoulder, then took out two bottles. “I’ll pay you as soon as I get cash.”
“How can I trust you?” He squinted his eyes as his grip tightened on the bottles.
“Come on, we’ve known each other for a while. You should trust me by now. Plus, I’m friends with Aidan, so…”
“Okay,” he sighed. I quickly snatched the bottles and twisted a lid open. I popped one in my mouth and swallowed. From the corner of my eye, Parker bit his lip as he gazed at me. “Lana, I’m sorry for what happened junior year. I’m really fucking sorry, and I get that you hate me.”
“Whatever, Parker.” I rolled my eyes. “No one must know, okay? It happened. It’s in the past.”
“Heard that Radcliff is coming.”
“Yeah.”
“He’s gonna cause shit, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“Him and his friend are gonna find out.”
“Yeah…Levi Radcliff always finds out.”
“Just go easy on those…”
I ignored Parker as we went our separate ways. I stuffed the bottles in my bag before I entered Mr. Bronx’s classroom. Everyone sat at their desks as they got ready for the test. Mr. Bronx was in the middle of the classroom as he spun around.
“Lana, you’re late.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, then walked to the back of the class. Everything seemed so blurry as I approached my desk.
“Whoa,” Nick mumbled as I tripped over my feet.
“Sorry,” I apologized as he gently pushed me up. I stumbled to my seat
and sighed.
“You okay?” Aidan whispered as Mr. Bronx handed our papers. I gave him a short nod as I took the test paper. The words seemed to jump around the page as I groaned. I felt agitated as I tapped my fingers against the desk. I noticed Austin’s gaze. For the past few days, he watched me, in the classroom and the hallways. I raised a brow at him, and he looked away.
***
“How was the test?” Miranda asked as I came out of the classroom. She held hands with Marcus as they gave me warm smiles.
“Fine, I guess.” I shrugged because I wanted to sleep.
“You okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I snapped. Miranda rolled her eyes at my behavior and spoke with Marcus. We walked into the noisy cafeteria, and I immediately regretted it. My head pounded as I took my time to walk to our table. I lost my balance and almost fell, but someone caught me. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Ethan Baxter, secured in his arms.
“Lana, are you okay?” he asked. I squinted my eyes.
“Yes! Stop asking me that!” I hissed, then pushed myself up. With an annoyed look, I slumped down on the seat. I placed my bag on the table and rested my chin above it. Blake no longer sat next to me; he sat opposite me. Benny was perched on the right side of the table, while Miranda was on my left, and Ethan was on my right. Everyone else slid in wherever there was space. Melissa explained and apologized for Kelly. Even though I forgave her, she always said sorry. Benny and I returned to normal; not once had the topic about the kiss come up. Nothing felt the same. There’d still be the awkward tension that surrounded us. We no longer studied together since it was the actual exams.
“So we’re gonna be together, Willson,” Blake stated as I glanced up.
“What?” I asked.
“After winter break, all the classes will be changed,” Ethan said beside me.
“Why?” I asked.
“Mr. Bronx’s tired of you,” Carter joked.
“How do you know that we’ll be together?” I squinted my eyes at Blake.
“I just know. I’m in Mr. Hill’s Physics class, so I might join you guys.”
“How fun…more players in the class,” I grumbled. Ethan and Carter glared at me as I gave a fake smile.
“There’s a difference,” Blake sang. I rolled my eyes. He raised a brow, and I flipped him off. Some people at our table noticed, yet no one said anything. A shiver went up my spine as I felt a pair of eyes on me. I looked up and glanced around the cafeteria to see Austin. He was the only one at his table who looked at me.
“You coming to the game on Friday?” Ethan snapped me out of my gaze.
“Maybe.”
“Hey.” He nudged my arm. I looked into his chocolate brown eyes as he smiled at me. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m here, okay?”
I gave a curt nod, then turned to Aidan. He had a cheerful smile on his face as he shared his fries with Carter. I sighed, then turned back to Austin. No surprise there that he still stared. Aidan turned his head and followed my gaze.
“What’s his problem?” Aidan glared at Austin, who turned away.
“I don’t know. He’s been staring at me a lot. It’s creepy,” I replied. Aidan shook his head and dropped the fries he was about to eat. We watched as he stood up and stared at Austin’s table.
“Dude, stop staring. It’s creepy. Chicks don’t dig that!” he yelled from across the room. The cafeteria suddenly went silent as they stared at the two boys. Austin let out a dry laugh as he stood up.
“Nothing to see here. Nobody will be punching anyone,” Austin shouted, and the cafeteria returned to normal. “Not today at least.” He muttered the last part as he approached our table.
“Quit being a stalker, dude,” Benny hissed as Austin, and I locked eyes.
“What do you want?” Melissa asked, yet he ignored her and smirked at me.
“Do they know?” he questioned.
“Know what?” Blake demanded.
“Ah, you’ll find out soon, Gunner.” Austin winked, then strolled back to his table.
“Know what?” Nick repeated as everyone turned to me.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled as I avoided eye contact.
“We should have a party,” Miranda piped up. Everyone at the table chatted as if it were going to happen. I sighed and buried my face into my bag.
“Count me out.”
“Do you sleep?” Carter asked. “I swear, every day you’re like this. Even in class after you do work, your head hits that desk, and you’re out cold.”
“So?” I growled then rose to my feet. “If you guys are going to pick on me the whole time, then don’t even bother talking to me,” I grunted, then grabbed my bag. I must’ve left my zipper open, because all my things fell out. I crouched down and threw things into my bag as fast as I could, yet someone decided to help me.
“Lana, what the hell is this?” Miranda asked. I whipped my head to see her with a bottle in her hand. Everyone stared at us as Miranda glared at the bottle like she wanted to crush it.
“Nothing,” I said as I snatched the bottle from her hands then ran out.
***
The following day, I decided to take my mother’s car to school since I didn’t speak to anyone after the incident in the cafeteria. I had to focus to get into Yale even if I didn’t have a test today. Miranda knew how stressful I got with school, so she left me, but I don’t know now since she saw the pills, as well as everyone else. I was early at school and thought to go to the library before the bell rang.
“You’re early.”
I spun around to see Parker and Austin, who held mischievous grins.
“What do you guys want?”
“We know,” Austin stated.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I demanded. Austin’s eyes darkened as he darted toward me. He took both my arms and trapped me against the nearest wall. I looked around for help, but there was barely anyone at school; the sun wasn’t even out yet.
“Don’t act dumb, Lana.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I stated as he neared me. Austin let go of my one arm, and it hung loosely. He squeezed the other one as I cussed and looked at the ground. I saw combat boots in front of me. Parker took his index finger and thumb and gripped my jaw, so I was forced to look up at him.
“If you tell any of this to Aidan or the other guys, we’re coming for you,” he warned.
“Like you’re going to get away with it!” I yelled as Parker backed away.
“You think just because you have the team captain, co-captain, and jackass bad boy for friends along with the other idiots, you think people like you now.” Austin laughed dryly as he dropped my wrist.
“There are still people in this school who wish to be in your position, Lana,” Parker stated.
“And being the innocent sheriff’s daughter, you use it to your advantage and do dru—”
“No!” I cut Austin off. He and Parker shared a look as I rested against the wall. Austin twirled his wrist, then looked over his shoulder to see if anyone witnessed us. Once he spun around, he gave me one hard slap.
***
“Is it safe to enter the personal space of Lana Willson?” a recognizable voice asked as I shut my locker. I turned my head to see Carter, Blake, and Ethan.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, then turned my back to them as I walked.
“What was that stunt you pulled yesterday?” Blake asked as he caught up to me.
“Nothing,” I muttered, because I wasn’t in the mood to talk after being slapped, even though I thought I deserved it.
“What happened on your cheek?” Carter stopped me in the middle of the hallway as he caressed my cheek.
“Nothing,” I replied, then swatted his hand away.
“What crawled up your ass and died?” Blake asked, but I ignored his question and continued to walk.
“So are you coming to the game tomorrow night? Could really use your encouragement,” Ethan asked. I turned to look a
t him with a sad smile.
“Sure,” I said as I slowed down. I looked down each hallway but saw Austin and Parker at the end of the second hallway. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“All right, and if you’re not there in five, we’re sending our troops!” Carter joked as they walked the other direction. I watched as they took their time to walk down the hall then turned the corner. When I turned my head, I was met by an empty hallway. I crept down the hall and looked over both shoulders. A door opened. Everything happened so fast as Austin pulled me into the janitor’s closet and pinned me against the wall. I looked into his dark eyes as a shiver ran down my back. The room was dim but bright enough for me to see his face.
“I know about the drugs,” he stated. I looked over his shoulder to see Parker, who seemed pissed. A familiar feeling whirled inside of me since we were in the janitor’s closet. I swallowed the lump in my throat as a million scenarios ran through my head as to what someone like Parker Collins would do to me again. I was snapped out of my senses when Austin stepped aside and made way for Parker. His jaw tightened as he approached me.
“Where’s my fucking money?” Parker demanded. The exact same words Parker asked me the last time ran through my mind. I feared what he’d do next. Yet he wouldn’t do anything with Austin in the room. Last time Parker asked once, and that was it, then he used me. Did Austin even know what a monster Parker was?
“It’s in my locker,” I whispered. Parker let out a groan as he spun around and walked toward the door. Austin eyed me up and down, then followed. “Wait…” I trailed off before Parker reached for the doorknob. Both turned back to me as I squinted at Austin. “What do you mean you know about the drugs?”
“We know that you know about the cocaine we stole,” Austin grunted.
“I knew it!” I said, then raised a brow. “But how? Why?”
“Money,” Parker replied with a grin.
“But Aidan’s your friend! How could you do that to him?”
“Because we wanted in!”
“In what?”
