Real Girl (Aston Creek High 4)

“What?” I choke on a laugh. “I did want to bail ages ago but I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. You put so much effort into this.”

She cringes as she pulls her shirt over her head. “Yeah…so, I didn’t put all that much effort into it. I hijacked all my mom’s appointments for the day. This was supposed to be her girls’ day. It was all set up so I figured, why the hell not?”

My mouth drops as I fasten the button of my jeans and reach for my bag. “Your poor mom,” I gasp. “I feel bad now. We’ll have to make it up to her. If I knew they were her appointments, I never would have allowed you to drag me along to them.”

Nessa scoffs. “Don’t feel sorry for her. She took advantage of the missed appointments and took her girls out to a Botox party instead. Trust me, she’s in her element, sipping on cocktails through straws because she can’t move her face.”

I shake my head, hating how much that reminds me of Maria. Rolling my eyes, I scoop my bag up from the bench and throw it over my shoulder, trying to cover up the fact that her comments made me flash into the past. “Come on. We should go otherwise we’ll miss the start.”

Nessa’s eyes bug out of her head. “Shit. If Damian caught me walking in late to one of his games, he’d probably call a time-out just so he could demand answers while the whole crowd watched on.”

“You’re probably right,” I laugh. “But you knew that when you agreed to be his girlfriend.”

“Damn it,” she groans, grabbing her things and following me out the door.

We get out to her car and as she drops down beside me and hits the gas, I start rifling through her bag until I have my phone tucked safely in my hands. Her bag is tossed into the backseat while I check over my messages.

Slade – You doing okay?

Slade – Yo, Virago? You alive?

Slade – Fuck, babe. Don’t make me come over there.

Damian – Dude! Just send the guy a fucking message before I have to sedate his stupid ass.

Well…shit.

I get busy hashing out a text.

Skylah – Chill out, bruhhh! Nessa hijacked my Netflix and chill day. I’ve suffered through a girls’ day instead. We’re on our way to your game. Love you…Oh, Nessa stole my phone by the way so you can blame her for my radio silence. Not me.

Slade – For fuck’s sake! About time! See you soon.

Slade – Oh, um… FYI, your bedroom window might be a little broken but for the record, it was Damian who put the idea in my head. I’ll get that fixed after the game!

Damian – I had nothing to do with your fucking bedroom window!

I laugh and read the texts out to Nessa, realizing the boys must be fucking around in the locker room together. I start hashing out a reply to both of them.

Skylah – You’re both morons! We’ll be there in ten with the foam fingers, air horns, and smoke bombs. I’ve always wanted to do a nudie run at a game as well…I’m thinking tonight is my night!

Damian – Fuck yeah! I’ll have my camera waiting.

Slade – If you take your fucking clothes off for the whole school to see I’m going to spank your ass right there on the court.

Skylah – Promise you’ll make it sting?

Slade – Fuck me!

Slade – See you soon, babe. Love you too.

I smile down at my phone. No matter what the circumstances, he always has a way of making my world so much brighter.

By the time I slip my phone back into my bag, Nessa is pulling into the student parking lot of Aston Creek High. I look up at the school before me. It all seems so trivial. Going to school and sitting in the classroom day in and day out when there’s so much going on in the world.

While my life has always been dictated by someone else, I never quite understood just how bad it could be until the past two weeks happened. Hell, if the faculty of this school knew that over the past two days I had killed a man in cold blood, burned down a multi-million dollar mansion, and watched a woman shoot down her husband only to stand above him and watch the fucker die, they’d march me straight back out and make sure I never returned.

Nessa and I clamber out of her car and make our way up to the busy gymnasium. People are piling in. There are only a few more games left of the season and the crowds are anxious to see how it’s all going to play out.

I usually like to arrive at a game a little earlier to get good seats and as I walk through the door and see the packed stands, I’m reminded of that. There are people everywhere. It’s crazy. Random girls wear my man’s jersey with his number on the back. There are even a few girls wearing my brother’s number, which is honestly kind of weird. I guess if he’s going to make it to the top that’s probably something I should start getting used to now.