Maybe I should've lied and told Scar I got Saffron's stomach bug.
It would be better than sitting in Lit while Chloe Hale glares daggers into my back as we write a timed essay. If I thought it was rough being dyslexic and writing, being dyslexic and writing while fighting the urge to flip off the person I can't stand is even harder. However, I can't afford to piss my sister off when she's had no sleep in over 24 hours.
That would be me signing my own death certificate.
Instead I just force myself to write and ignore my newest pain in the ass.
The minutes feel like hours but eventually lunch arrives, and I manage to make my way to the cafeteria just for my mood to tank even lower. There's no one at our table.
Sage
Where are you guys?
Silv
Getting tutored in Geometry so Scar doesn't have a reason to kill me.
Smart choice.
Sterlz
Robotics club, the president asked if I was interested in joining their competition team
Sage
Good, I'm proud of you both
Sitting at the table for a minute in the hopes of Conner and Sam coming, I get another text that saves me from feeling like a complete loser.
Sterlz
Sam had a doctors appointment and Conner is taking a test, do you want to join me?
Sage
I forgot I had to work on my essay with Mel, thanks tho
Sighing, I stand to my feet, already playing my music at full blast. Halfway to the exit, a hand taps my shoulder. Prepared to tell Graham to screw off again, I find Zayne smiling.
"Sup, man?" I ask, trying to think of anything he could be wanting to ask.
Practice times are sent out every week, and I have no new news for the team.
"Do you want to sit with us?" He asks, somehow managing to make me feel better and worse at the same time.
I've never had to eat alone before. Then again, I've also never not had friends in school. His invitation is nice, we've honestly never talked much outside of football, but then I catch sight of the table he sits at. Wes smirks at me, an eat shit gleam in his eye as Chloe reads next to him.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna go get some essay help." I explain, knowing he was genuine about the invite.
"Are you su–" His voice dies out when he remembers who he eats with. "Not a fan of the company?"
I snort, "There's a thing or two I'd like to tell a few of them."
"That's fine, I can sit with you." He shrugs.
"Nah, man, I have work." I wave him off, as I silence out the world with music once more.
The halls are silent, and maybe it's because I've already listened to my depressing ass playlist four times through or the fact I need a break, but I listen to the quiet. It feels like a break from the chaos. The static in my mind stopping for me to take this in.
Stopping outside of Melissa's door, I hear voices.
"John, we're almost done."
"I don't want to jinx anything, Mel." My uncle's voice echoes down the hall.
"I know, but still... we should say something."
"I'm not getting others hopes up."
"Others or your own?" She counters and that's when I realize he's actually in the room and not calling her.
Knocking once, I walk in to find them eating take out from Chad's. "Hey."
"Hey, tater tot." Uncle John grins and I wince.
Unlike Scarlett's nickname, I've spent years bribing my uncle with any force necessary to not call me tater tot. For some reason naming us after colors and nature wasn't enough for my parents, they had to use food to reveal they were pregnant.
Scarlett was a bowl of beans, I was an order of tater tots, the twins were peas and Saffron was a pineapple, but my parents thought sea squirt was the better terminology to use.
I miss them but, damn, they were a couple of weirdos.
"Why?" I whine, pulling up a chair.
"Want me to call you spud instead?"
Glaring, I eat a few of his fries. That's not fair. "What don't you want to get your hope up about?"
John chuckles, not at all surprised that I asked, but I notice how Melissa gasps. God bless them both not being good liars. "A business deal. I'm trying to buy a hotel in Alabama, but I want it to be legit."
"I understand you don't like Scar visiting her boyfriend but buying a hotel just to spy on her? That's extreme, even for you."
"That's what I said." Mel chirps, eating her pasta while John glares at us.
"I'm not spying."
"I mean, do you even want to know what they're doing when she visits?" I push, knowing how grossed out he'll get. "Let's be honest, Uncle John, becoming a grandpa is one thing but knowing when you'll become one. That's just miserable."
"I'm not spying." He slams his to-go cup down. "It would be easier for everyone to stay at a hotel they wouldn't have to pay to visit the punk rather than paying those horrible game weekend prices."
"I take it back." I relent, that's smart.
"Now I need to call Scarlett." John pulls his phone out.
"Why?"
"To make sure she's on the pill and not giving me grandchildren before I can have my own damn kids." He panics and I die laughing.
Sometimes it's just too easy to get under his skin.
Mel reaches up and steals his phone, "Honey, I think the grocery store and hotel conversations have been more than enough sex ed from you."
"Too much, actually." I chime in, still scarred from the talk my uncle chose to give us after walking in on Ashton and Scarlett and me and... her less than 12 hours apart.
Some things you can never get over, your uncle finding you in bed is one of them.
"But–"
"No." She states firmly before turning her attention back to me. "When is your sister leaving?"
"She might not be." I offer, hating to say it.
"Why?" John demands.
"Saffron is sick and since you're out of town, she's afraid to leave." I spent two hours trying to talk her out of it last night. She deserves to see her boyfriend.
It will be good for everyone.
"I can cancel." He decides, already checking his calendar.
"No, but I can help." Melissa says.
That's what I said. "Scarlett feels guilty asking."
"Family shouldn't feel guilty asking family." She shrugs.
"Fair enough." I grin, a plan already forming in my mind. "We can trick her into going."
"How?"
Stealing another fry, I lean back. "Just leave that to me."
*****
Thursday morning, Scarlett finds me in the kitchen, packing lunches.
"Morning." I smile, tossing the trash.
"Tell the idiots to get out of my room so we can go to school." She demands.
"Your classes were canceled today." Something about a gas leak, I don't care but it helped move my plan right along.
"Perfect, then help me kick them out."
Laughing, I tidy up. "No can do, Scar, they're here to make sure you leave while we go to school."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Wrong." Gabe says, strolling into the kitchen.
"You're going to Alabama." Avery grins, a small, suitcase rolling in behind her.
"No." Scarlett shakes her head. "Saffron is sick and you guys play tonight and–"
"Excuses always sound so repetitive with you." Avery cuts her off.
"You'd think with years of practice she'd create some more." I offer.
"She could get worse or something could happen to you tonight." My sister panics, anxiety appearing way too early for my liking.
Walking over, I grab her shoulders. "We're fine. You need to go see your boyfriend."
"And get laid." Gabe says, raising his hand for a high five.
"If she wasn't dating my best friend, I'd high five you but I also can't disagree." Somewhere in our messed-up lives there is a line I've yet to cross.
She hesitates and I know the question she doesn't want to ask. Am I okay to be left alone? At least she's kind enough to not vocalize her concern.
"I'm fine." I assure her. Even if it's not true, there's nothing she could do for me.
If I could hear the debate going on inside my sister's head, I'd probably have a migraine, but eventually she relents. "Fine, I'll go.
We all cheer.
"But who's gonna sit with Saff today?"
We all groan, why must she do this? Just say thank you and leave.
"We are." Gabe smirks and my sister pales but it's too late, we're already dragging her outside.
*****
"Are you ready to wow the crowd tonight?" Sterling asks, shoving the camera in my face Friday morning. I regret allowing them to video this game.
"Is that even a question?" I counter, helping Saffron out of the car.
"Yes, that's why he asked." She hugs me and the twins before she and Ronnie run off to class. Thanks, Squirt. Apparently even my sister thinks I'm stupid.
"Do you find that being arrogant helps put you in the zone?" Silver questions.
"If you don't think you're the best, how will you ever be the best?" I laugh. "I'm not arrogant, I'm just sure of my actions."
Even if it pisses people off. I don't sell myself short, but I also don't build myself a throne I can't fill. "Rhodes, wait up!"
Stopping in the parking lot, I wave my brothers to go on into school as Zayne runs up to me. Taking in our matching Jerseys, I pull on my jacket. "Yeah."
"Do you want to eat lunch with us today?" He asks, fidgeting with his water bottle. "Wes won't be there."
"But Chloe will."
He hesitates, "Sadly, but she's not that bad."
I snort, "You're talking to the guy she's adamant is an ass for no reason."
"Well... you can be an ass but that's a fair point." He laughs and I almost want to join.
"I appreciate it, but I'm pretty happy with the twins." I assure him.
He seems inclined to argue but his phone rings. Fumbling for it, he swears. "Shit, Maggie needs the math homework."
Pretending he isn't talking about his girlfriend I wave him off, thankful I don't have to see them together.
*****
My day goes by in a blur. I can't tell if it's because I'm miserable or if it's because I'm ready to play. It could always be a healthy mixture of both.
After Lit, I walk to the hall just to walk right back into the room.
"Yo, Gigantor." A voice calls, yanking my arm back.
I ignore it.
"Asshat, I'm talking to you."
Cracking my jaw, I turn just so we don't cause a scene. "What?"
Looking down, I try my hardest to keep my cool as I take in the brunette glaring up at me with hate in her brown eyes.
"I'm finishing the redo of the lab report, I'll have it printed by Bio." She states, fiddling with the key hanging around her neck.
"And you'll be giving me a copy to at least read over?"
"No. I'm turning it in." She rolls her eyes like that's obvious.
"Why the hell would you do that?" I demand, the report isn't due till Monday.
"I get things done early." She snips and when I'm too busy trying to not yell she continues. "You may like to sit around scratching your balls, but I prefer to get shit done."
As she storms off, I finally snap. "I can scratch my balls and get shit done!"
Mel sticks her head out of her room, "Do you need to go to a doctor?"
My skin burns as I realize what I just said. Out loud. In a crowded hall. "I'm gonna go."
She just laughs and I storm down the hall. Stupid know-it-all brat and her stupid pretentious attitude like she's so much better than me with a magic wand of a stick shoved up her ass.
"What?" I demand, answering my ringing phone before a teacher takes it away.
"Hey, Bubs, is everything going okay?"
Shit. It's Scarlett. Taking a moment to collect myself, I even fake a smile in the hopes it helps sell the act. "Scar, I'm so sorry. I'm fine. Just my stupid lab partner is being difficult, that's all."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Will you ever stop asking that question?
"No, I'm better. Everything's been wonderful here so don't worry. I dropped Saff's project off and the twins did study for their English test." I report, leaving out how the twins and I almost killed Gabe for eating all the chocolate cake yesterday.
She'd drive home just to finish the job.
"How's Ashton?"
"Ash is fine. He has a class starting in a few minutes. I can't thank you guys enough for surprising me. It honestly means the world to me." She says, believing me.
"Of course, sis, we all miss him." It's like we're missing a part of the family. "You just deserve to see him more than anyone else."
They're soulmates. Letting someone else go in her place would be selfish, even if it would be good to see him.
"You're honestly the best brother in the world."
I'm not sure if I should smile because I'm happy someone still deems me worth loving or if I should feel guilty for hiding how much of myself has seeped out of the hole in my heart. It's a bit of both and it makes me sick.
"I'll be sure to tell the twins that." I laugh as the bell rings. "I got to go, Scar, love you."
"Love you too, call me–" I hang up, hurrying off to my next class.
*****
"Sage, what does a winner eat for lunch?" Sterling asks, zooming in on me from across the table.
"My ass." Wes offers, slapping the back of Sam's head as he winks at the camera.
Pretending that never happened as he continues to his table, I focus back on them. "Winners always have haters, don't forget it."
They laugh but I move on.
"And I'm eating the same thing you two losers are, except I've been gifted a special brownie." I tease, waving Saffron's sacred baked good in the air.
"No way." They pout.
"How come Saffron loves you more?" Silver presses.
"Apparently I'm just lovable, Scar told me I was the best brother in the world." I laugh. "It ain't easy being amazing."
"Asshole." They mutter, eating a bite of their sandwiches at the same time.
Taking the camera, I film them. "What do freshman benchwarmers eat to keep themselves full?"
"Not a special brownie." Sterling mutters.
Taking a bite out of my brownie, I gag on the chocolate. Tossing it to them, I wipe my tongue. "Gross."
"Hey, do you remember that time E–" Silver starts before stopping himself.
Sterling slaps his arm, but I carry on. "Do I remember the time Ella made us brownies and threw them at me when I wouldn't eat one?"
He nods.
Sighing, I try to repress the memory. "Brownie takes forever to wash out."
They laugh and it's for my sake. The bell rings and I smile, heading for Bio. All thoughts of Ella vanish as Chloe takes her spot next to me. My mind can only allow so much torture at the same time.
We stay silent, sitting as far a part as possible, all of class.
"Do I at least get to sign my own name?" I break the silence.
"No, it's been typed." She snips, throwing her pen in her bag.
"So you expect me to let you do the all the work?"
"I think that's the best bet for your grade." She sneers, storming out of the room.
Fuming, I approach our teacher.
Taking a second to appreciate his Superman bow tie, I clear my throat. "Mr. Withers, is there any way I can switch lab partners?"
"Is there an issue?" He asks, cleaning his spectacles.
"Chloe isn't very pleasant and I'd prefer to work with someone who was."
"Mr. Rhodes." He sighs. "These last few weeks you've been rather unpleasant yourself."
That's not fair.
"Ms. Hale is a good student and I believe she might not be as unpleasant as you believe."
"What makes you think that?" I scoff, she's as bitter as they come.
"Because you're nowhere near as rude as everyone likes to believe you are." He reasons with me and my voice dies in my throat.
We're not the same person.
My eyes fall on a typed document on his desk. "Is that our lab report?"
"Ah, yes." He grins. "Being early is never a bad thing."
No, I suppose it isn't. "Chloe turned in the wrong copy, do you mind if I take this and bring the corrected one on Monday?" He hesitates. "I'd hate to turn in nothing but the best in my favorite class."
"Very well, but you won't be receiving a scratch and sniff sticker for promptness." He relents, handing me the report.
"Very understandable." I nod, grinning as I walk to my next class.
Sometimes it's just too easy.
*****
Finally, a chapter under 3k words!
Also, I hit 9k followers and I just wanted to say thank you guys so much for supporting me and loving my work. Maybe I'll try to do something exciting for 10k!!