No one was surprised when Demi and Trey walked into school, hand in hand, with Demi leaning against him for support. They did that more often than not, especially after game days, so everyone in the halls just shrugged and went about their business.
"I told you that you didn't have to come today," even though they went to a private school, the parent committee had voted against uniforms so they could practically wear whatever they wanted. Demi was wearing a white lace shirt with a pair of Miss Me skinny jeans and brown Sperry's. She had her glasses on again because her eyes had been too agitated this morning for her to put on contacts.
"And I told you that I can't miss school. I can't get a scholarship with crappy grades Trey. I'm not you," Demi reminded him. Trey couldn't even take offense to it because he knew that it was true. Demi prided herself on maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Trey's GPA wasn't terrible but it could always be better, even if that didn't matter because he was a shoo in for a basketball scholarship anyways.
"Well we can leave early," Demi shook her head and grabbed her calculus book from their locker.
"I have AP Lit for sixth hour and I definitely can't miss that. But you can leave early if you want to. I can walk to get food before practice," Demi shrugged because she was too tired to care. A day at home in bed all day sounded lovely because no one else would be there but she just couldn't do that, not if she wanted to go to UCLA for college. Not if she wanted to move out.
"Just talk to me? Okay? I just wanna make sure that you're good," Demi closed their locker and Trey's hands locked on her hips. He stared down at her and she kept eye contact with him while nodding.
"I'm okay Trey. I promise. But thank you so much," she stood on the tips of her toes to hug him and out of habit his hands palmed her butt. She giggled for the first time since yesterday and pulled away, but he didn't.
"Trey?" Demi craned her neck and noticed Jhene standing behind Trey. His hands left her butt and he turned around to face her with a sheepish grin on his face, like he had just been caught doing something wrong.
"I didn't see you at the party yesterday. You either Demi. What happened?" Jhene asked and Trey and Demi exchanged looks but Trey was the one to answer.
"My mom wanted to take me out for a celebratory dinner," Trey lied, but Jhene believed him. Why wouldn't she?
"Oh that's too bad. I guess you'll just have to make it up to me by taking me on a date. Saturday? Noon at the pier?" It was supposed to be an offer but it wasn't.
"Yeah that's cool," Trey rarely went on dates. Demi was always trying to hook him up with some of the girls on the team or in her classes but he declined them...unless they just wanted to skip the date part and have sex with him. But Demi couldn't judge. She wasn't the best at relationships either.
"Great. I'll see you there," Jhene flashed him another dimpled smile before walking off again.
Trey turned back around and saw Demi beaming at him.
"Shut up," he demanded but she shook her head and tackled him again.
"You're going on a date. You haven't gone on a date since freshman year. Oh my gosh! You have to let me dress you. Please let me dress you," Demi begged and he didn't answer her because she would end up doing it anyways, not that it bothered him or anything. He would do anything to cheer her up after what happened last night.
Demi was always late to lunch because she usually stayed after in her AP Biology class to get extra help. She had to pass all of the AP tests in May in order to get college credit so she was getting all of the help that she could before then. She was so focused on looking at her test to see what she had gotten wrong and why she had gotten it wrong that she didn't see Drake walk up on her.
"You gonna look up?" Drake questioned with that crooked smile on his face. Demi folded her paper in half and forced the corners of her mouth into a grin. It wasn't that she didn't like Drake. He was cool to hang out with and he was super nice, but he always approached her at the wrong times. Like today. She was starving and all she wanted was some honey cashew shrimp from the Panda Express kiosk and he was in her way.
"Hey Drake," she greeted before walking past him to get to the cafeteria. He was not about to waste her time when she could be eating.
"Can I at least walk with you to lunch?" Drake asked and Demi nodded, stopping so that he could catch up with her.
"So what's up?" Demi was trying to be nice and make conversation with him.
"You know how prom is coming up?" Demi stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. Prom wasn't for another two months.
"Drake, listen, whatever you're about to ask me, stop and ask yourself if you can handle rejection. I'm not going to prom with you. We'll probably go in the same group but I'm not going as your date. Sorry," Drake shrugged as if it didn't bother him.
"I was gonna ask you if you could give me Kiana's number. You're friends with her, right?" Kiana was this super pretty Latina chick who was known as being a freak in between the sheets. Demi only talked to her because she had a class with her but she figured she could be nice and get her number.
"Yeah...I guess I could do that. But I'm hungry as fuck so I'll catch you later," Demi giggled and waved to him before nearly sprinting to the cafeteria. She didn't even go to the lunch table first. She went straight to the Panda Express kiosk, ordered her Honey Cashew Shrimp with a side of fried rice and an eggroll, and then she went to her usual table with a majority of the basketball players, their girlfriends, and the cheerleaders.
She usually sat in between Chris and Trey but Jhene had taken her seat. She was in the middle of having a conversation with Naya and Demi scanned the table for an empty seat but there wasn't one.
"Hey," Demi walked around towards Trey and set her plate down. He wiped his mouth and looked up at her.
"I'm sorry I thought you were staying in for lunch," Trey apologized. He honestly didn't think that she was coming because sometimes she did end up just staying in for lunch with one of her teachers.
"It's fine, I should've texted you."
"But you can sit on my lap if you want to," Jhene observed the way that Demi made herself comfortable on Trey's lap. They were the oddest set of best friends that she had ever witnessed. They just seemed so comfortable and open with each other. How were either of them supposed to date other people when they already treated each other like boyfriend and girlfriend?
"Okay so Jhene is actually like super cool," Naya stated with a roll of her eyes, just because she hated being wrong.
"I told you she wasn't bad. And she doesn't even like Sean because her and Trey are going on a date this Saturday! I'm so excited!" Demi squealed, slipping on her cropped uniform practice top. It was supposed to be easier to move around in but Demi didn't think that it was.
"And you're okay with that?" Naya halted her actions and Demi did the same. Why would she be bothered by Trey going on a date?
"Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Demi asked and Naya shrugged and continued to brush her hair into a ponytail.
"Naya..."
"Okay it's just that," Naya popped the piece of gum that she was chewing and folded her arms over her chest. "Everyone knows that you and Trey are meant to be together. Everyone. And it's just a bit irritating because both of you are so blind to it."
"Naya," Demi breathed out with a deep roll of her eyes. She was tired of this. Ever since they all had started going through puberty together, their little group of friends just expected her and Trey to be together. They literally seriously kissed one time when they were six and it didn't even go anywhere because April had yelled at them. That was when she had suggested that they sleep in separate beds as well but that didn't happen.
"But whatever Demi. You and Trey could make each other really happy but you're trying to fight the norms and the cliche and remain friends," Naya explained, heading towards the locker room exit.
"Yeah just like you and Sean are meant to be together but you're both too busy whoring around to realize that," Naya slammed the door to the locker room as Demi huffed and finished tying her shoe.
She heard footsteps and turned around just in time to see Jhene walk towards the locker room exit. Jhene didn't say anything so Demi kept her mouth shut and finished getting ready.
"Nigga, why do you get all the hot girls? Can't you just send one my way? Help a nigga out," Chris shot the ball from the three point mark and rolled his eyes when he missed it but went back to dribbling.
"What are you talking about?" Trey asked, doing a quick layup before taking a break. He wasn't feeling practice today. He hadn't been feeling basketball lately. Maybe it was because he played too much or maybe it was because it just wasn't fun anymore, but he was just tired of basketball.
"You got Demi. Now you got the new girl Jhene. A nigga didn't even get a chance to say hello and she was already making googly eyes at you," Chris complained. Trey knew that he was just joking around but he didn't find it funny.
"I'm not with Demi. Demi is our best friend," Trey argued. He was sick of hearing about how him and Demi were a couple but didn't want to admit it, because they weren't and they never would be.
"Yeah if that's what you wanna believe," Trey shrugged it off and ran off the court to get a drink of water. He looked towards the gymnastics room where the cheerleaders practiced. There was a little window for everyone to see in and Demi was standing against the far wall watching Jhene do a full layout. She turned and saw Trey staring so she stopped and smiled, offering him a wave. Demi was his best friend. That's it. And that's all that she would ever be.