“How did I do?”
“Um, you’re a terrible driver, but you have room for improvement.”
“So you could . . .”
I turned around. His blue eyes lit up.
“Your words, White: Keep your eyes on the road.”
“I don’t know, maybe . . .”
“Oh no, no.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw him gesticulate.
“I still haven’t said anything!”
“You want driving lessons? From me?” He raised his voice with a hint of incredulity. William would die, but maybe now wasn’t the time to think about revenge. Then after a string of curse words and comparing me to Jackson’s grandma around eight times, we got to the front of my house. I hit the brakes hard, causing him to groan in disappointment.
At the end of the day James wasn’t so bad when he was alone with me. I didn’t understand why he insisted on treating me like crap in front of the others.
“I set goals for myself, and I didn’t even achieve half of them,” I admitted, my eyes glued to the steering wheel.
He put the vape pen away. “Like?”
“I wanted to talk with Will, and I didn’t. I wanted to avoid drinking alcohol, and I didn’t, then—” I craned my neck enough to get a look at him. “I wanted to stay away from you.”
“So?” he asked gruffly.
“Like it’s impossible. Don’t flatter yourself, James.”
I saw him narrow his eyes as his full lips parted to blow out the smoke.
“I let you drive my car, White.”
“Uh, thank you.” For a moment, James seemed almost surprised by my answer.
“You shouldn’t hold it against Will,” he then said, aggravating me instantly.
“Don’t start again with your life lessons about how we have to put up with everything he does!”
“I’m not saying that. He cares about you.”
His assertion floored me. How could he say something like that?
“Clearly he cares about me! As soon as he got locked in a closet with a girl he couldn’t not jump all over her.”
“What the fuck does that have to do with it. He really does care about you.”
“Meaning?” My sneer didn’t affect him at all. We were speaking two different languages.
“Wake up! Friendship exists, White.”
James kept blowing whitish smoke out.
“He cares about me like a friend? Should that console me?”
“So what? Are you in love with him?” The pause didn’t last long.
