by Raathi Chota
“Morning,” he said in a raspy tone. I smiled, then looked around to see Blake awake, on the sofa next to us. Aidan was in front on the ground asleep with an empty box of pizza beside him.
“Morning,” I said to Blake, who smiled and waved. Carter stood up and stretched. He looked at Aidan, then flung a pillow at him. Aidan stirred and waved us off as he turned to lay on his stomach. I looked at the time and saw that it was almost twelve. I couldn’t even remember how we fell asleep, because after we watched Carter’s choice of movie, we talked.
“Aidan, wake up,” Blake said as he continued to throw pillows at him. One hit Aidan’s butt, and he farted.
“Really?” I whined.
“That woke me up,” Ethan said in his morning voice, which was thick and groggy.
“Oh no, I did it again,” Aidan said as he looked at the empty pizza box. “I ate in my sleep.”
I laughed as he placed a hand on his stomach with a cautious look. Ethan told us to stay for brunch, and it was superb. Aidan and I ate pancakes with Nutella. Afterward, we hung out in the basement. Aidan and Ethan played a video game while Carter, Blake, and I played pool. I’d never played it before, and I versed Blake, so Carter helped me out, but I still lost. Wow. Carter then took me home since Melissa texted me about a sleepover tonight.
I got home, and Dad was there. He asked where I was and I said to Ethan’s, which resulted in no further explanation. I showered and decided on a black pleated skirt and black floral top. Levi wanted to FaceTime, and I gladly accepted. I sat at the desk with my laptop open while music played.
“Yeah, every day when we’d walk home from elementary school, the old guy from down the street with one eye came out and yelled at us. It was shit scary, man.” Levi shivered.
“All the kids in the neighborhood were afraid of him.” I laughed at the memory.
“Yeah…hey why did you call the other night?” he asked. I knew that topic was bound to come up.
“Err…my finger must’ve slipped. Sorry for waking you,” I mumbled.
“Your finger slipped at three in the morning, and I heard your loud breathing. What’s wrong, princess?” he asked with a concerned look.
“Nothing. I’m all right.”
“I can see right through you. Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“Benny and I had a little argument, okay? No biggie.”
“No biggie? What the hell did he do?” Levi demanded.
“Nothing. Like I said, we just had an argument,” I said, then took out my phone.
“So I guess you haven’t talked it out?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, then went into Instagram since Miranda sent me a private message.
Miranda: Dis bitch tho.
I raised a brow to see that she sent a picture too that someone posted. I tapped it and saw Britney’s page and her recent post. It was of her and Benny at the diner yesterday, and the caption said: Besties.
Lana: The hell? She spoke to him once this year!
I shook my head and put my phone down, then saw Levi sitting in his car. He lit a cigarette, so I took a screenshot. We did it all the time to each other.
“Hey, what song is playing?” Levi asked as he exhaled the tobacco.
“Err…”Robbers” by The 1975.” I looked at my Spotify.
“Oh,” he said, then wiggled his brows as the song played. I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment because the whole album played in his car when I let him take my virginity. I removed my hands to see Levi sing along to the lyrics. I laughed as he belted out the words, and my cheeks reddened. Suddenly, the door flew open, and Blake entered, singing along. My eyes widened as he walked over to me. Levi stared wide-eyed as he leaned into the phone. Blake stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my neck. We swayed and went with the beat of the music. The song ended, and we laughed. I stood up and walked to my overnight bag. Blake sat down on my chair and greeted Levi.
“What are you doing here?”
“Heard you’re going to a sleepover. Melissa asked me to take you since you don’t have a ride,” Blake replied.
“Where’s my daddy?” I blurted out.
“Right here, princess!” Levi exclaimed, then laughed with Blake. My cheeks reddened, and I mentally slapped myself.
“You guys suck.” I pouted as I put on a sweater.
“You swallow,” they said in unison.
“You spit,” I stated with a smile.
“You choke.” Levi smirked as I stood beside the desk.
“You blow,” I said.
“You gurgle,” Blake snorted.
“Not for free,” I said, and they laughed. Levi spoke about Jaden and his parties while I bent to sit down. I told Blake to shift up, but he shook his head and instead pulled me onto his lap. I tried to get up, but he locked his arms around my waist. “How are your parents?” I asked since Blake took out his phone.
“They’re good. My mom can’t wait to come back to Illinois again,” Levi responded as he ran a hand through his hair. Blake waved his phone in front of my face, and I saw the picture of Benny and Britney. I rolled my eyes and pushed his phone away. “I gotta go meet a friend soon, so I’ll check you guys later.”
I nodded, then looked down to see Blake’s left hand stroking my thigh while the other went under my skirt. I bit the inside of my cheek as I gripped his wrist.
“Don’t you want to make him jealous?” he whispered in my ear as his hand went in between my thighs. I got goosebumps as his hands touched my skin. My eyes suddenly dropped, and I leaned my head back on his shoulder as he caressed my thighs.
“Err…guys, I’m still here.” Levi’s voice snapped me to my senses, and I pushed Blake off the chair.
“Love you, see you. Bye,” I said, then shut the laptop. I turned to Blake with a glare, but he smirked.
“You know…your dad just left when I arrived.” He bit his lip. “You can make Benny so jealous; he’ll be on his knees begging for your forgiveness, baby girl.”
I eyed Blake up and down, then walked toward to him. I rested my palm against his chest and looked up at him while the corner of my mouth twitched up.
“Really?” I asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Yeah.” He smirked, and I felt his hand go down toward my skirt. When he was about to go under, I raised my hand to slap him. With his quick reflexes, he took my hand and pulled me forward so that our chests were against each other. “Even I saw that coming, baby girl.”
I huffed and pushed myself from him. I put on a black cardigan and combat boots, then grabbed my phone and bag. We walked out of the house, and I hopped onto Blake’s motorcycle so that he could take me to Melissa’s house.
***
Blake
I walked down the hallway on a Monday morning even though I didn’t want to be here. I was pissed, which meant I’d be pissed the whole day. Momma came back from Greece yesterday, and she wasn’t happy with the place, so we had to eliminate any whiff of drugs, sex, or alcohol. I turned the corner to see Carter and Lana by her locker. Friday was fun with her; it’s been a long time since the five of us spent time together. She had to fall asleep on Carter’s shoulder. Ethan said he should take her to his room, and we’d sleep in the cinema room, but he insisted that he didn’t want to wake her. For crying out loud, she’s a heavy sleeper. Carter could’ve left her on the sofa, but instead, he positioned her on him. I approached them and took in Lana’s appearance. She wore a big black crewneck that looked familiar, blue ripped jeans, and ankle boots with her glasses. She looked beautiful in anything, and I was glad that one day she’d dress like a cutie, then a badass.
“Hi, Blake.” She smiled, then hugged me. I returned the gesture and wrapped my arms around her. I loved it when we hugged.
“Hey, man,” Carter greeted, and I forced a smile then shoved my hands in my pockets.
“Did you guys do the Physics homework?” Lana asked as she went through her book.
“Nope,” I said.
&nbs
p; “Yep,” Carter replied. She gave me a look, then turned to Carter. I leaned against the locker and blocked them out as they spoke about the answers. The bell soon rang, and we strolled to class. We took our seats with Carter next to me and Lana opposite by the window. The teacher annoyed me. His ways and how he’s so carefree.
“All right, class, take out your homework!” Mr. Gorton announced as he came into the classroom. I leaned back in my seat and sighed.
“I have your pop quizzes from last week, and most of you did well,” he said. “Oh, and Liam. It’s 2017. Quit writing 2016!”
“Sorry, Mr. Gorton, still have to get used to it.” Liam shrugged as he took the paper.
“You are the stupidest person I have ever met,” Austin stated as he stared at Liam.
“Hey, you got a little bullshit on your lips,” Liam said as he pointed at Austin’s mouth. Everyone laughed as the two glared at each other, and I shook my head in amusement. I turned my head to look at Lana, but the teacher cut off the view.
“Where’s your homework, Blake?”
“Didn’t do it.”
“Is this going to become a regular thing? If so, I’m going to call your mother again.”
“Again? Why the fuck did you call her the first time?”
“She called me because she wanted to know about your grades. But I think I’ll call her again because you just swore at a teacher.”
“You’re not even a proper teacher. You let people fight and cuss in class. I’ll rather be in Mrs. Singleton’s classes instead of being taught by an inexperienced teacher,” I hissed and watched as Mr. Gorton’s eye twitched. I smirked because I knew I’d pushed a button. Like the first day, he placed a hand on either side of my desk and crouched down so that we locked eyes.
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion, but since we’re sharing how we feel…I think you should get out of my class and come back when you’ve dropped the attitude, Gunner.”
As soon as those words came out, I shot up from my seat and walked out of the class. I walked down the empty hallways and decided what to do for the rest of the period. I saw movement at the periphery of my vision. I looked over my shoulder to see Parker with a girl. I squinted my eyes as I slowly approached them. She frowned and furiously shook her head. I watched as Parker pulled her arm and turned his head. I followed his gaze and saw the janitor’s closet. My jaw clenched because the little fucker still hadn’t learned his lesson. The thought of him doing it to Lana once broke me. I wish we met earlier in life and I’d be the one who saved her. As he opened the door, I walked over and pulled back on his collar. When Parker spun around, the girl ran off, and I took the chance to shove him in the closet. He landed on a shelf. I huffed as I pulled off my leather jacket and nicely hung it on a hook.
“B-Blake, come on. You know we’re cool, right?”
I let out a bitter laugh as I approached him. I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall next to us.
“I’m fucking pissed, and you’re the right person to take it out on, Parker Collins.”
***
I decided to ditch the rest of the day and went to Rodney’s store. Since Axel worked there after his classes, I went there mostly to listen to music and chill with them. As I entered the store, music played. Axel was behind the counter busy with a customer while Keene sat by a table. He was on the phone when I sat next to him.
“Hey, brother…what happened to your hands?” Axel asked. I looked down at my bruised knuckles.
“Oh, I was just beating the shit out of Parker.” I shrugged.
“Cool—wait, the asshole who did those things to pumpkin?” Axel asked as he walked around the counter.
“The one and only,” I muttered.
“Blake’s here too,” Keene said as I turned to him. Keene placed the phone down and pressed the speaker. Levi spoke, and I immediately rolled my eyes.
“Where are you?” I asked because the background was noisy.
“I’m driving, and there’s a shit load of traffic,” he answered.
“Listen, I can’t do this anymore,” Axel said. “Every time I talk to pumpkin, I just feel sorry for her, and I just want to tell her.”
“Same,” Keene replied, then looked down.
“Dude, we all agreed that we’d tell her everything after she graduates…when I see her this summer. So just fucking wait and think before you speak,” Levi said.
“We’re hurting her even more—you know that,” Axel mumbled as he slumped his shoulders.
“We’re only doing it to protect her. The truth hurts like shit. We don’t want something like that to happen again,” he said, referring to when James came out of nowhere and shot that guy.
“What if someone snitches?” Keene asked as he looked at me.
“The fuck. I won’t.” I squinted my eyes at him.
“I’m not saying you. I mean your friends, Carter, Ethan, and Aidan. They know too.”
“They won’t tell. We kept cocaine a secret for two years; I’m sure we can do this for a few more months,” I said, then gave Keene a fake smile.
“My battery is gonna die soon…Axel?” Levi asked, and I looked at my brother to see him stare at the phone.
“Yeah?”
“When you see Lana again, tell her I love her,” he said as I balled my fists even though it hurt like a bitch.
“I thought Levi Radcliff doesn’t believe in love,” I interjected before Axel said anything.
“Dude, you know what I mean,” Levi scoffed. “That night in the jail cell, I told you I can’t give her the life she deserves.”
The other side of the call went quiet, but I heard the traffic. I glanced up at Keene, who tapped his fingers against the table.
“Besides, love is a weakness. It’s like a game,” Levi added.
“Yeah.” Keene nodded as he stared me dead in the eye. “And you two keep playing with her heart.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lana
It’s been two weeks, and in those two weeks, Benny and I communicated. Even though it tore me, we decided to give each other space and see other people. Not because of the argument we had, but because of everything from school, the James situation, the Jack situation, and what we wanted to do after high school. When he told me that we should see other people, the first thing that went through my mind was Britney. I asked about her, and he said they’re friends. In my mind, I found ways to rip her face off, then when he left, I cried myself to sleep that night. I didn’t want to see other people, and I saw in his eyes that he didn’t want to either, but it was for the best. I told the guys, and Blake said we should go out and celebrate. I didn’t know what he meant by celebrate, but we ended up at one of Jaden’s parties.
As I walked down the dimly lit hallway, guys eyed me up and down and smirked. I put the thing to my lips and inhaled as I closed my eyes. I entered the kitchen, slightly dazed as I looked around. A couple made out on the counter, and I wanted to gag. Ugh, they looked so happy. Wait till shit hits them. It was the guys, Tiffany, and me here. I invited Miranda to come, but she didn’t want to go to another one of Jaden’s parties ever again since she lost her virginity to Keene. It was understandable because she had Marcus, and it’d be awkward if she bumped into Keene.
“Lana?” I spun around to see Ethan. He looked hot in his sleeveless muscle top, black jeans, and Nike shoes. A lazy smile filled my face as I locked my arms around his neck. I almost fell but felt his hand on my back. I laughed, then inhaled the smoke. He narrowed his eyes at the thing between my lips. “Are you smoking a joint?” he asked, and I nodded. “No, no, this is not how you should be getting over him.” He frowned as he leaned against the counter. I leaped forward as he caught me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Then how? It’s probably better than Benny, who’s getting a blowjob from Britney,” I mumbled. “I’m just casually smoking a joint, waiting for some guy to screw me…so where’s Blake? Or even Carter?” I stated, then glanced around. I
had a few drinks before Jaden gave me the joint. I depended on dangerous things to take my pain away.
“You’ve been drinking, and now you’re smoking. Don’t do this to yourself,” Ethan said as he took the joint away. I watched as he dumped it on the ground and crushed it with his foot. “I know you’re sad about this whole Benny thing, and I know that you two really care about each other.”
“Sad doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel, Ethan.” I laughed. “About everything.”
“Do you wanna go home?” he asked. I frowned because that’d be the best thing to do. I told my parents I was gonna stay with Tiffany, but both of us were invited to Ethan’s house.
“Yeah, I’ll get Tiffany and Aidan. You find Carter and Blake,” I stated, then walked off. I went into the living room—it was packed with people. I pushed into the crowd with people’s sweaty bodies. It was congested in here, and my head ached. A catchy song came on, and everyone danced. I smiled as I swayed my hips to the beat. I felt someone’s hand on my waist and looked up to see a guy with dirty blond hair, brown eyes, and stubble. He sent me a wink as we danced. I turned around to lean on him but looked up to see…him. And another one who looked exactly like him a few feet away. The one I danced with gripped my hips as he forced me to grind against him. I tried to let go, but he was stronger than me. His twin walked toward us with a smirk. I spun around and pushed the one off me, then walked out of the crowd. I saw the bar not too far ahead, and I quickly walked toward it. When I reached the bar, I felt a hand grab my waist to pull me around. As I spun around, I grabbed the vodka bottle that was on the table and swung my arm. A glass shattering echoed in my ears as I realized I hit the guy in his temple. My eyes widened as he staggered a bit.
