by Raathi Chota
“Dude, not cool,” Blake said as he checked out Levi’s car. I watched in amusement as Blake took out a cigarette and lit it, then took a drag and blew in Levi’s face.
“Well, then, tell your titan-ass friend over there to not block like a freaking granny.” Levi pointed at Ethan.
“That doesn’t mean you have to ruin my car!” Aidan yelled as he stood in front of Levi.
“Told you it’s a shit car.” Levi shrugged. Aidan was about to punch Levi, but Blake stopped him. I raised a brow as Blake slowly shook his head and glared at his cousin.
“Who are you?” Ethan piped up.
“You’ll find out soon, Eth.” Levi winked as Aidan rolled his eyes.
“Whatever. Come on, guys,” he said as everyone followed him toward the bistro. I tried to mix in with the crowd as they passed yet looked at Blake. He had a cold look as he gazed at Levi’s Mustang. They locked eyes as they gave each other a once over. They were similar in a way. Both had tattoos, leather jackets galore, and a nose piercing in the same place, undoubtedly giving the bad boy façade. The only difference was the color of their eyes…Levi had blue eyes, and Blake had brown. Blake gave a nod to Levi as he walked away. Once the coast was clear, I approached Levi and Keene. They leaned on the hood of the car as they smoked.
“I still got it!” Levi sang as he spotted me.
“You’re an ass.”
“Oh, come on. I spiced things up, didn’t I?”
“You’re not even here twenty-four hours, and you’re already making enemies.”
“Hey, at least that guy with the tattoos is cool.” He winked. “Remind you of someone?”
“One asshole recognizes another asshole.”
“You know him?” Levi asked as he tilted his head.
“Unfortunately,” I mumbled. Levi nodded liberally as he dumped his cigarette on the ground. Keene hopped off the hood and hugged Levi.
“Bye, Keene,” I said, then let his arms wrap around me.
“See you guys later,” he said and backed away. “And stay out of trouble, Radcliff!”
“Can’t make any promises!” Levi said as I chuckled. We got into his car and drove home. I was surprised he didn’t have a girl with him before we got home. When he won, he usually had a girl in the backseat, and they’d bang. Ugh. I’d be off with Keene in the bistro until he was done. The thought of him in the back with another girl made me cringe. “Man, I never thought Ethan Baxter would do racing,” Levi broke the silence. It was kind of interesting that Levi remembered Ethan and Aidan yet they couldn’t recognize him.
“What do you expect? He literally comes to school with a new car every week,” I said as Levi frowned.
“Sad they don’t remember me.”
“Well, you’ve changed. You have tattoos, a piercing, and you’re taller and muscular.”
“Hmm, so I’m muscular, hey?” he asked with a grin. I playfully punched him in the shoulder, and he laughed. I glanced at the time and saw that it was almost eleven p.m. If our parents were home, they’d be furious. Yet Levi was the eldest, so I’d blame it on hi—oh, wait, I’m in charge. I bit the inside of my cheek as we turned onto my street. My house was completely dark with only the porch light on. They must’ve piled into one car since Dad’s police car was in the driveway along with Richard’s car. Levi parked his car in front of the house, and we got out. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a light approach us.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered as I quickened my pace.
“No! You locked the whole god damn house,” Levi said as he gripped my wrist. “Let’s go around the back.”
He pulled me toward him as we ran around the house to where my window was. I glanced at the big tree in front of it and gulped.
“Come on, quick,” Levi said as he crouched down by the tree and held his hands out.
“I’ve never climbed a tree before. You know I’m afraid of heights!” I called out.
“Well, now it’s time to face that fear or our parents!” Levi hissed as he entwined his hands together. I let out a sigh as I stepped onto his hands so that he’d push me up. I grabbed onto the branch as I swung my leg over it and crawled to my window. The tree shook as Levi’s weight was put on it. I heard voices from the front. I let out a yelp as I felt him smack my butt. “Today still, princess!”
“Hold your freaking horses and don’t spank me!” I scoffed as I reached my window. Thankfully, it wasn’t locked as I pushed it up and open. I quickly snuck inside and immediately ran toward my closet. I heard voices downstairs as I hunted for my pajamas. I ripped the leather jacket off as soon as I could.
“Well, you’re eager,” Levi said as he saw my underwear. I rolled my eyes as I slipped on my pajamas and put my hair up into a ponytail. I heard footsteps from outside my door as I turned to Levi. He was there a second ago. I glanced at my bathroom and noticed a shadow underneath it. My room door flew open as Dad and Jade came into the room. My eyes widened, as the first place they looked was the bed.
“Where’s Levi?” Jade asked as I plopped down on my bed.
“He’s in the bathroom.”
“Okay, well, err…goodnight, honey,”
“Goodnight, Dad, goodnight, Aunt Jade,” I responded. As soon as they were out of the room, my bathroom door burst open with Levi in a white tee and jeans. His hair was in all directions as he grinned at me.
“Wasn’t that fun?”
“Sure, even though we almost got caught,” I muttered as I crawled into the warmth of my bed.
“Uh huh…there’s more where that came from.” He winked then walked out of the room. I rolled my eyes for what seemed to be the millionth time today as I turned on my side. I turned the light off, and somehow, I fell asleep faster than any other night.
***
It’s weird that on Friday night everyone came to sleep over and we ended up in the living room, thus allowing me to sleep. On Saturday night, I slept in Benny’s basement like a baby. Now I’m up in my room, and it’s the first night in weeks that I’ve gotten real sleep in this room. My eyes fluttered open as I stared at the ceiling. I haven’t slept so well in a very long time. The sun shone through the window. The sweet cologne lingered through the air as light snores filled my ea—wait, what? I turned my head to see black hair beside me, my eyes widened as I glanced down to see his tattooed arm wrapped loosely around my torso. I flicked Levi’s hair, and he groaned. I let out a huff as I pried his arm off me and got up. I literally groaned as the thought of school entered my mind.
“What the hell are you doing in my bed?” I demanded as I got up. I folded my arms over my chest as I stared at him. He turned over so that he was on his back as he rubbed his eyes. Once he was done, he stretched his arms and placed them behind his head as he watched me.
“It’s cold down there.”
“And you couldn’t ask for more blankets?”
“I didn’t want to wake you up, plus you looked so warm and cuddly I couldn’t resist.”
I shook my head as I walked to my closet and took out an outfit for today. As it was a Monday, I didn’t want to play dress up, so I decided on a black and white striped sweater with blue jeans. I gathered my things and went into the bathroom. I showered as quickly as possible and slipped on my clothes. Levi was nowhere to be found, so I figured he was downstairs. I put on my white Converse and grabbed a jacket along with my backpack. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen where Mom made coffee and Levi casually sat by the small table.
“This is new.” He gestured to the pair of glasses in his hand. They were the Ray Bans that Ethan got me after Benny destroyed my others.
“Give them back,” I demanded as I plopped down on the seat opposite him and reached over. He pulled the glasses away. He continued to laugh at my failed attempts but soon handed them to me.
“How did you sleep on the sofa bed, Levi?” Mom asked as she placed a cup of coffee in front of me.
“Lovely, Angie. It was so comfortable and warm.” He sent me a wink.
“Enough blankets?”
“Uh huh, I snuggled into them, making it even warmer.”
“I’m glad,” Mom commented as Dad entered the room.
“Morning, Bobby!” Levi belted out as Dad groaned.
“Not in the mood, Levi.”
“Honey, why don’t you take the day off? You’ve been quite busy these past few days,” Mom suggested.
“Even if I wanted to, I can’t. We have to do a follow-up, and I have a short meeting with Detective Kale,” Dad said as I quietly sipped my coffee. A familiar honk broke the silence as I stood up. I chugged down the coffee and approached my parents.
“Well, good luck, Dad.” I kissed his cheek, then hugged my mom.
“Don’t I get a hug and a kiss?” Levi cooed as he opened his arms and pouted. I slowly shook my head as I waved, then dashed out of the house. Benny flicked through the channels on his radio as I heard footsteps behind me.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Levi hissed as I walked toward the car.
“He’s my ride to school,” I said as Benny glanced up.
“You’re not riding with him!” Levi ordered, then squinted his eyebrows. “Shit, that came out wrong.”
I ignored his protests as I climbed into the car and shut the door. Once I was buckled in, I told Benny to drive and ignore Levi’s protests.
Chapter Three
Lana
There were a few people inside as Mr. Bronx rested behind his desk with his legs propped up on the table. I walked past him as he sent me a mischievous smile.
“The devil has arrived,” he said, and I only thought of one person, Levi Radcliff.
“Uh-huh,” I said as I walked to the back of the class and sat in the corner. Aidan hopped into the classroom and waved at Mr. Bronx as he passed. Mr. Bronx raised a brow at Aidan’s weird actions but gladly waved back. He plopped himself in front of me with a big grin spread across his face. “You look happy.”
“Well, I’m not!” Aidan said with a tight-lipped smile. “My car is freaking damaged, so the only way to feel better is to do something stupid.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be angry?” I asked.
“Lana dear, people let out their anger in different ways,” he assured me as he stood up and glanced at the window. “I need your help. When I say go, you must open the window but make it look as casual and good girl as you can make it, okay?”
“Err…okay,” I said as he went to sit at another table, not too far for him to talk to me. As everyone else piled into the classroom, I glanced at the window. Nick sat in front of me, and I greeted him. Mr. Bronx took the attendance as I took out my stuff for Calculus. Aidan turned to me and then mouthed a go. I squinted my eyes as I glanced at Mr. Bronx. He was busy with a student, so I took it as a chance and walked to the window, then opened it. Out of nowhere, a bottle was thrown into the class, yet I ducked in time.
“Ouch!” a familiar voice roared. I scurried back to my seat as I searched for the bottle. It must’ve landed on Austin’s head, as he held it in one hand and rubbed his head with the other. It looked to be a spray can, but there was nothing written on it.
“Okay, we’re doing the warm-up sheets first,” Mr. Bronx announced as he walked to the chalkboard. From the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I snapped my head to see Liam climb in; he must’ve thrown the bottle. Nick glared at his friend as we watched Liam rise into the classroom. He landed with a big thud on the floor as Mr. Bronx turned around. Liam lay flat on the ground as I watched Mr. Bronx scout the classroom.
“Austin, if you’re going to have water bottles in the classroom make sure they don’t distract you,” he said, because Austin still held the bottle with a puzzled look.
“Mr. Bronx, this isn’t a wate—”
“Drink your water, then set it on the table so you can get on with your work.” Aidan let out a snort as Mr. Bronx watched Austin. As soon as Austin opened the bottle, an odd smell filled the air. Mr. Bronx scrunched his nose up as he waved his hand in front of his face.
“Eww, what’s that smell?” Austin gagged.
“All right, who was that?” Mr. Bronx demanded as he grabbed a stack of worksheets.
“Whoever smelt it, dealt it,” Aidan said as he pointed to Austin. It must’ve been a fart can. Austin spun around and glared at Aidan as he threw the bottle in the trashcan at the back of the classroom. The odd odor still lingered through the air as people covered their noses.
“If I throw a stick, will you leave?” he asked Aidan.
“Is the stick from up your ass?” Aidan shot back. Everyone watched as the two glared at each other, but my focus was on Liam, who crawled behind my chair. He slowly sat in the desk behind Aidan and winked at me. Austin and Aidan continued to bicker as I rolled my eyes. Mr. Bronx approached the two with the stack of papers in his hands.
“Both of you shut up, or I’ll send you to the office and Principal West can deal with you.” He gave all of us a paper, including Liam.
“Ugh, not this again,” Aidan groaned as he looked at the Pythagoras sheet. “Mr. Bronx, I could’ve sworn we did this in like seventh or eighth grade.”
“That’s why it’s called a warm-up sheet, Mr. Rowley. To wake up that thing you call a brain,” Mr. Bronx replied.
“Why can’t we get work that’s our grade level?”
“I did at the beginning of the school year, but you were the one who said, and I quote, ‘Bronx should give us easy work since it’s so freaking early in the morning.’ Remember?”
“Nope,” Aidan replied as he stared at the sheet.
“Wait, so we’ve been doing seventh grade work all along?” Liam piped up. “And here I thought I was a freaking genius since I was getting them all right!”
“See? Even Mr. Sanchez gets it right. All you need is a brain and a calculator, right, Lana?” Mr. Bronx asked as he turned to me.
“Wha—that’s not fair! You’re asking the smartest girl in the class! She even remembers how she was born!” Aidan said before I could reply. I sent him a glare. “I can’t even remember how I got to school this morning. Do you wanna know why?” he asked Mr. Bronx, who stared at Aidan with a blank look.
“Why, Mr. Rowley? Please tell me because I’m so interested.”
“Thanks for asking! Some douche who looks oddly familiar decided to dent my freaking car with his black vintage Mustang!” Aidan exclaimed. When Aidan said black vintage Mustang, I felt Mr. Bronx’s eyes on me. “So I had to get a ride with this guy and his girlfriend.” Aidan pointed at Nick.
“Great life story!” Mr. Bronx cut off Nick before he’d argue. “Now finish the warm-up sheet then we’ll move on to today’s work.”
I watched as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he walked back to his desk. Before he sat down, Mr. Bronx spun around and squinted his eyes at Liam.
“You’re not even in this class!”
Liam shot up in his seat as he looked around the classroom with a dumbfounded look on this face. “Wait, so this isn’t Social Studies?”
***
The rest of the day was spent with people fooling around. Especially Aidan and Liam. Thanks to them, we had a ton of homework for winter break, but I was going to start on it when I get home. I walked with Miranda and Melissa to the locker rooms.
“So is Levi keeping his dick in his pants so far?” Miranda asked as we entered the locker rooms.
“Uh huh,” I hummed as the thought of him almost kissing me entered my mind.
“Oh, sweet Jesus, Lana, he is hot,” Melissa said as we got undressed.
“Good to know,” I mumbled as I slipped on my polo shirt. Once we were done, we walked out and into the corridor to join the rest of the class. I watched as Ethan and a few other guys helped Coach Harris get a few things out of storage.
“Since I’m in a good mood today, we’ll be playing badminton!” Coach yelled as he motioned for us to follow him. We followed him into the gym. Once we arrived, I stood with Melissa and watched as they
set up.
“What am I? Flypaper for freaks?” a familiar voice screeched. I turned my head to see Jennifer’s glare at a guy who tried to give her a shuttlecock. He threw his hands up in innocence and backed away.
“What’s up with Miss Gold-digger?” Miranda asked as we watched Kelly try to comfort her. I noticed Kelly dyed her hair again since the ombre highlights faded. She now had red tips.
“Her brother got arrested again,” Melissa muttered as we watched the two comfort each other. No family was perfect, that’s for sure. Jennifer Brighton might be rich, but she had many problems in her family. Her dad had a mistress, and her brother was a huge drug addict.
“What are you three posing here for?” Coach Harris voice roared as he passed us rackets and two shuttlecocks. “Get practicing. There will be a short game later in the lesson.”
I let out a huff as we walked to the other side of the court and practiced. I hit the shuttlecock with my racket and watched it make its way toward Miranda. She effortlessly hit it back, but me being lazy, I never thought it’d pass me. I groaned to get the shuttlecock and looked over my shoulder to see that she played with Melissa.
“Looking for this?” a deep voice asked. I turned my head to see Blake sitting at the end of the stands while Carter leaned against it. I let the racket hang loosely by my side as I held my hand out. Blake shook his head as he observed the shuttlecock.
“Aren’t you guys playing?”
“Badminton isn’t my thing,” Blake said as he tossed the shuttlecock up in the air and caught it. I let out a huff as I marched to him and crouched down for the shuttlecock. He leaned back and caught it behind his back. I tried to reach over him and bent down.
“Come on, Blake, just give it to me!” I demanded as I stretched out even further and dropped my racket.
“Oh, so you want this shuttlecock?” he asked as Carter laughed. I cursed under my breath as I tripped over his foot and fell on top of him. His light dog chain was in my mouth, so my face was buried in his chest. I let out a groan as I glanced up with my glasses falling to my nose. He smirked then pushed them back up. “I like this position,” he said as my cheeks flushed. I quickly grabbed the shuttlecock, ignoring his smirk. I pushed myself and straddled him, looking at the shuttlecock. He lay there on his back as if he were on the beach. I stared at him as he placed his hands behind his head and winked at me.
