I slam her body into the fence, making her wail in surprise, giving me enough time to pin her hand and lock her into the waiting handcuffs.
“You never know when to shut the fuck up,” I snarl. “I was just going to kick you out of the car and make you find a ride home, but now I’m going to make you work for it.”
She thrashes on the ground, attempting to yank her hand out of the cuff. “You can’t fucking leave me here,” Samantha shouts.
I turn, grabbing her face and squeezing. “That’s where you’re wrong. You haven’t seemed to figure it out yet. I can do whatever the fuck I want—wecan do whatever the fuck we want. It’s you who has no control over anything,” I seethe, dropping my grip and storming back to the car.
“Be happy I left one hand free and your phone so that you can dial a ride. Hopefully, they get to you before the landfill opens or an animal comes,” I say without looking back.
Once I’m back in the car, I grab my phone, snap a picture, and then send it with the caption ‘taking out the trash’ into our group chat.
Because where else would you take garbage on a date but to the dump?
Then I put my car back in drive and head to see my heart.
38
ARIAH
As Thomas pulls up in front of Lev’s house, my hand wrings my wrist. We’re supposed to meet to go over our final presentation for civics.
After he and Wes grabbed me in class last week, I’ve been a nervous twit around them.
“Ariah, are you getting out of the car?” Thomas inquires.
When did he get out of the car?
“Ye-yeah,” I mumble, stepping out of the backseat and making my way to the large ornate door.
“Welcome, Miss Bishop, Master Lev will be with you shortly,” a voice says as the front door slowly opens.What the fuck?Rich people and their rich people shit.
I step inside and look for the person, but see no one. Then, the voice sounds again, making me jump. “Can I get you anything?”
“She’s all set, Geoffrey. I’ll take it from here. You scared the poor girl.”
Turning in the direction of the person speaking, I’m met with the gaze of a beautiful woman. She walks with a grace only seen in high society, but her smile is welcoming, and her resemblance to Lev is apparent. I’m just not sure if she’s his mother or sister.
“Sorry about that, Ariah. Levi and his dad are all about their damn high-tech toys. I’m Calista Washington, Levi’s mother.”
I begin to stretch out my hand when she envelops me in a hug, her petite frame towering over me.
“Uh, hi. I’m Ariah,” I start, then remember she said my name. “I’m here to work on a, um, project with Lev and Wyatt.”
She pulls back from the hug, “Yes, I remember him mentioning that. He’s in the shower. I’ll take you to where the boys always meet when they come over.”
I follow behind her until we reach the end of the hall. Lev’s mom opens a door on the left, and my mouth falls open.
The place looks like the lounge of a club, not some hangout spot. At least ten monitors are mounted to the wall, a blue neon sign is lit that says ‘Monsters at Play,’ and every gaming console known to humankind sits at designated spots around the room. PacMan and Mrs. PacMan machines sit on the far side, next to air hockey and foosball tables. My eyes keep scanning, and I land on a six-lane bowling alley. A fucking bowling alley.
Jesus.
“See what I mean about their toys,” Mrs. Washington whispers in my ear, knocking me from my stupor. “You can put your bag over there on the table and help yourself to some snacks until Levi arrives. Maybe he’ll even cook for you. That will be a real treat,” she says before turning and leaving me in a daze.
Cook?Lev cooks? I mean, I guess I don’t really know much about him other than he can be a dick when he’s ready. Well, he used to be a dick. He hasn’t been one lately.
I walk to the large table and place my bag down before making my way to the kitchen area with the snacks. First, I grab a bottle of hibiscus pineapple ginger iced tea and my favorite brand of chocolate-covered Oreos, trying not to overthink that either Lev and I have similar tastes or he has my favorite foods in his house. Then, I head back to the table and sit down, pulling out my work while waiting for him or Wyatt to arrive. I don’t have to wait very long before I hear someone approach, causing my attention to shift toward the sound in time to see Lev walk through the door with a hesitant smile on his face.
“Oh good, you saw the snacks I got you,” he says, answering my question as his hand reaches up to put his still-damp hair into a bun.
