The Good Enough Friend (YA)

Chapter Three - July 09, 2019 [✔]

The light wind was refreshing compared to the unbearable heat of last week. Dad's sunflowers towered over my 5-foot 7 frame.

I walked to Zeriah's car while Jodie bounced in the pocket of my jean jacket. Henry was off on Tuesdays.

She set up the dashboard phone holder. I typed in the address to Barnett Theater and twisted the AC knob to 65 degrees.

Seven billion souls that move around the sun

Rolling faster, fast and not a chance to slow down

I swayed to the music.

Rows and rows of gated family homes blurred into one mountain of brick and mortar. Cedar trees decreased in number as apartment complexes and buildings came into view.

"Wyatt's dad owns the theater?" Zeriah asked.

"Mhmm."

"Why do you need me?" she scrolled through UpTo at a red light.

Why did they give her a license?

"Rated R."

"Sooooo, I'm a chaperone,"

"The trailer was good."

"You said that about Sausage Party! Dawn can't see hot dogs the same anymore."

"Don't mention that..." It took days of Adventure Time to erase that orgy scene from my head. Everyone knew it was an adult cartoon but me.

She turned right on Grisham Avenue, "Do you know a girl named Kenna? In your year?"

Who didn't?

Kenna Toclavi, I flicked through the index cards in my mind's eye.

Gold Lister, Yacht Partier, Influencer Pretty. She was the apex predator. Untouchable.

"Mhmm," I replied.

"Mark dumped her over Bloqi,"

Which Mark? There's a bajillion of them.

"Markeese Peters, Denmark Larsen, Mark Cahill or Marcos Cazador?" I asked.

"Cahill. You memorized the entire class of 2021?"

"Irrelevant."

She didn't need to know that she was right. It would give her a big head.

Cars were bumper to bumper. Downtown traffic was horrible.

"Go in my camera roll," She switched lanes.

"Password?"

"Four. F. F. Exclamation mark. R. M. Four. T. Exclamation Mark. Zero. N. Five."

The most recent image was a screenshot of a screenshot of a screenshot of Mark's private story. Him and Kenna with a broken heart emoji.

Caption: If she can give 5 star handjobs than she's circled the block too many times.

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief.

Shouldn't he be happy she knows what she's doing? Would he prefer she didn't know? Did he want her to be inexperienced?

"Chivalry found dead," she hit the dashboard, "in a ditch."

"W-why?" I stammered.

"Zay, guys are crazy."

"You said crazy was an ableist slur."

"Fodd!" she cursed, "he radiates Little Dick Energy."

***