In the morningI get Jacob up, make him some breakfast, then head to the bus stop. My car broke down a few weeks ago and I can't afford to get it fixed so I have to take the city bus to school. Jacob's school is just a few blocks from the house so he walks or takes his bike.
"Sanders!" Josh yells, getting out of his car and meeting up with me in the school parking lot.
"What's up, man?"
"They cancelled practice today. Coach isn't feeling well."
"We could still have practice."
"He wants us to take a day off, then do a longer practice tomorrow." Josh smiles at a girl as we pass her. "Hey."
"Hey." She smiles back.
"So you just going home?" I say. "After class?"
"I was thinking of having some people over. A kickoff party for the new year." He looks at me. "What do you say? You in?"
"I can't. I have to keep an eye on Jacob. I don't want him getting in trouble. He's already slacking off on his homework."
Josh opens the door to the school, the familiar stench of the old dusty building hitting me as we go inside.
"C'mon, Dean, it's senior year. You can't spend it babysitting your kid brother. You gotta get out and have some fun."
"Wish I could but I can't," I say, heading to my locker. "I don't trust Jacob enough to leave him alone all night."
"It's not all night. You could be home by midnight."
I stop and turn to him. "Just drop it, okay? I can't go."
"Yeah, got it," he says, fighting an eye roll. "See ya later."
He walks off. He's annoyed with me but I don't care. Right now, Jacob's my priority, not some high school party.
"I didn't choose this," I mutter as I open my locker.
"What?" a voice says.
I look to my left and see her deep brown eyes staring back at me. She has more makeup on today. Thick black eyeliner and several coats of mascara. Her cheeks have a pinkish tint and her lips are rose-colored and glossy. It looks good on her but she doesn't need all that makeup. I don't think she was wearing any yesterday and she still looked beautiful, not that I was looking.
"Nothing," I say, forcing my eyes back to my locker.
"What didn't you choose?" she asks. "This locker?"
Locker?That's what she thinks I was talking about? I decide to go with it.
"Yeah." I turn to her. "I didn't choose to have this locker but since I'm stuck with it, I need you to back off."
"Back off?" she says, her hand landing on her hip. "What's THAT supposed to mean?"
Closing my locker door, I lean toward her. "It means you need to stop talking to me."
She doesn't back away. She stands there, staring me down with those dark, intense eyes.
"I WASN'T talking to you. I thought you were talking to ME. But I guess you were just talking to yourself." She huffs and turns to her locker. "Crazy bastard."
I slam her locker door shut and place my hand on the other side of her head, trapping her. "What did you call me?"
She sucks in a breath, and I watch her neck move as she swallows. "I wasn't talking to you."
