My brother's Mafia best friend✔

CHAPTER 43

Adriana's pov

Wednesday afternoon

"I don't get why I gotta be here," I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Quit complaining and start running!" Miss Donovan snapped, clearly annoyed with my attitude.

"I don't feel like running around the field for no reason," I sighed.

"This is PE, Adriana. Run five laps or I'll make it ten!" she scolded before blasting that darn whistle right in my ear.

"Fine! But you didn't have to deafen me!" I yelled before reluctantly heading out to run.

Yeah, today was just not my day. I was feeling extra grumpy.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the bell rang, and we could finally hit the cafeteria for lunch. You know, lunch after PE feels like a reward – you've sweated it out running those laps, and now you get to fill up on... cafeteria food, I guess? Not my top choice for a meal, but it'll do. I'd much rather have Chick-fil-A or McDonald's.

So, let's go find Kayla and Sophia for now, yeah?

I took my stuff and went to the girls room to change clothes, after that I went to the cafeteria, bought my lunch then sat with the girls, and Ashton AND jerk face, great.

"Hey guys" I greeted as I settled into the seat next to jerk face simply because it was the only spot available.

Mhm, it felt like I was walking right into a setup

"How did practice go?" Kayla inquired from my left.

"About as lousy as it gets," I grumbled.

"I'm sure it wasn't all that terrible," Sophia countered with a touch of optimism.

"Running five laps feels pretty rough to me," I shot back. "Anyway, any plans after class?" I added, extending the invitation to both Ashton and, reluctantly, jerk face, not wanting to be impolite.

"Like what?" Ashton queried.

"Mhm, not entirely sure. How about hitting the movies?" I suggested.

"Sure, why not," Kayla readily agreed.

"Sounds good," Sophia nodded in agreement.

"I'm in," Ashton confirmed.

Turning to jerk face, despite my strong urge to engage differently, I asked, "Would you care to join us?"

Suppressing my frustration, I maintained a respectful tone, waiting for a dismissive response. Instead, he surprised me. "Yeah, okay," he murmured softly.

"Well, that settles it then. 7 o'clock, everyone?" Ashton confirmed.

With nods all around, the bell rang, marking the end of our conversation, and it was time to head back to the classroom.

Time just seems to play tricks whenever I'm at school. Once I'm through those gates, it's like entering a time vortex. The hours stretch on and on, each class feeling like it's dragging its feet, almost as if they're in slow motion. It's a struggle, watching the clock tick by so slowly while I'm there. But the moment I step out of school, it's like a switch flips. Suddenly, time speeds up again, zipping by like it should. It's a weird feeling, like there's a bubble around the school that messes with time. And I'm sure that I'm not the only one who notices this bizarre time warp effect.

I'm grateful that school flew by today, but to be honest, it's not something I'm quite used to, you know?

"Finally out, Kay?" I teased, waiting for my best friend to join me outside the school gates.