“Everything’s okay with James right? You’re not gonna take it out on him?”
“No, don’t worry.”
I didn’t like to see him like this. Maybe I should’ve gotten a little more mental clarity and then talked to him. But it wasn’t easy. What if Will had a disproportionate reaction?
“Are you coming to Tropical tonight, June? They decorated a carnival for Christmas, the whole school will be there.”
I was puzzled by his suggestion.
“Christmas is months away.”
William smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes?”
After everything that had happened over the last few days, it would’ve been better to barricade myself in my house. But I could use the opportunity to talk with Blaze.
“Okay, but then I’m gonna sleep at my house.”
“Suit yourself, June.”
I leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips, but William pulled back. He turned around and slammed the door on his way out of the bathroom, leaving me to stare at my reflection in the mirror like an idiot.
>> <<
“I’m coming back tomorrow, is the house still in one piece?” my mom asked on the phone.
“I don’t know, I’ll let you do the honors of checking for people when you deign to come back home.”
“June!”
“Sorry, Mom.”
“What’s going on? Bad grade?”
Yeah, because in my boring life the worst thing that could happen was to get a bad grade, right?
“I’m going, Mom. Dinner’s getting cold.”
I hung up, and I was happy to see that Blaze had answered my text.
Blaze:Yeah, see you there June
After making a sandwich, I jumped into the shower and straightened my hair. After a half hour, I heard honking. Jackson was here.
I locked the door and rushed down the driveway.
“What do you want? It didn’t take me that long,” I grumbled when I saw James leaning on the door of the fire engine–red car.
He wasn’t wearing his usual studded leather jacket. Instead, he wore a dark button-down shirt checkered with different shades of gray. The first two buttons were open, and a little silver chain peeked out.
“You were so fast that I managed to smoke an entire cartridge.” He showed me the empty vape pen cartridge.
I shot him a look, then sat in the back seat squeezed between William and the car door.
“Sexy.”
Marvin leaned over to look at me, and William elbowed him.
James got into the car and fell silent.
