After a few seconds she sighed.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing. Just tired. It is going to be a long ass year, and you know, I’ve got to be nice, and stay out of trouble.”
“Your dad can’t make you do shit.”
“He can.”
“You could always emancipate yourself or something.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’d just love that.”
“Why not? It can be done.”
“I’m going to wait to even think of doing something like that. Anyway, I think something’s going on with my mom and dad. They looked scary last night. I’ve never seen them like that before.”
Her cell phone chimed, and out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she checked her phone.
“Rachel’s text. They’re all at school.”
“Great.”
“She says Wayne has gotten buffed up. Do you think he knows you’re going to be there?”
“Probably. Redgrave’s probably alerted him that I am. I don’t care. I’ll deal with him.”
“Don’t do anything stupid that can get you kicked out. I’ve already been without you for a year. We all missed you.”
Eli gritted his teeth. He didn’t care about the others. Still, at least she added herself in the whole “we” thing.
Pulling up inside the school parking lot, he spotted their friends, and also Wayne. He noticed the bastard didn’t look so tough the moment he caught sight of his car.
“Here we go. Last year of high school, and our future awaits,” Aria said.
He wanted them to have a future together.
Chris and Branson were round by his door by the time he got out.
“Is Wayne talking shit?” he asked.
“Don’t know. He’s doing all that preening, and bullshit stuff. Forget about him, and we’re all together, man,” Branson said.
“Hey, Eli, we’ve missed you.”
Eli turned to see Tiffany, one of the cheerleaders he’d fucked a year ago. She was fluffing up her hair, and when he looked toward Aria, he saw she wasn’t paying him any attention.
He pushed Tiffany’s hands off his chest.
“Don’t be like that.” She pouted.
“Didn’t miss you.”
When he continued to glare at her, she gave him a growl and stomped off.
“You won’t be getting any pussy from her,” Chris said.
“I thought you liked her because you didn’t have to work for it?” Branson asked.