Chapter Thirteen
Layla
After practice, I notice my sister coming down from the stands. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I … um … I was invited.”
I smile at her. “Yeah? By who?”
Her cheeks turn cherry red. “Mark.”
I cast a glance at the boys running laps. “Good for you. Are you hanging here for a bit, or are you heading back to the house?”
Adaline comes up behind her, a deep scowl set on her face. “Please, Juliet, can we leave this hell hole? He waved at you like three times and he helped earn the team laps.”
“Knock it off, Addy. God, why are you constantly ragging on him?” my sister snaps.
Adaline looks down at her shoes then sighs. “He’s not a good person, Juliet. He’ll hurt you.”
“How do you know that? He doesn’t have a rep like most of the guys on the team,” my sister says. She looks back at me. “Right?”
“I haven’t heard anything.”
Adaline glares at me. “You know what, Juliet? I didn’t want to do this, but if you date him, do not bring him to our lunch table. Do not even try to ask if I want to go hang out with you two for a double date or something. I refuse to take part in this.” Then she plows past me.
My sister stares off at her friend with her mouth hanging open.
“What’s up with her?” Rachel asks as she sidles up next to me but motions toward my sister.
“Nothing,” I say.
Rachel glances over at me. “Are you giving me a ride today?”
“Yeah.” I hand her my keys. “You can listen to the radio, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Yep.” She skips off.
Juliet glowers. “I still can’t believe you’re friends with her.”
I can’t believe it some days either but Rachel has always been there in my corner. “Hey, don’t judge. I don’t get on you about your choice of friends.”
“What’s wrong with Addy and Chase?”
We start walking to the parking lot. “Chase is one of three things: First, he’s really super into Addy and stays near you so he can hide his feelings. Second, he’s gay and trying not to let on. Third, he’s super in love with you but won’t risk telling you so he settles for friendship.”
“He’s not gay, Layla! Even if he is, who cares?”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing, Juliet.”
“He isn’t in love with me, either.”
That leaves the other scenario. But Juliet doesn’t comment on it and I don’t bring it up. We reach my car. Rachel already has the windows down and the music blasting. Juliet narrows her eyes. “Really? You let her listen to that bubbly pop crap?”
“What’s wrong with this song?” Rachel yells over the boys singing about love and wanting a girl to stay.
“Their voices are terrible,” Juliet says loudly.
Okay. My sister did have a point. They were awful sounding.
“Hey, Juliet? Listen to this,” Rachel says, and she flips my sister off.
Juliet snorts. “Real classy.”
“Are we ready to blow this popsicle stand?” Rachel asks.
“Yeah.” I look back at my sister, who is retreating to her Jeep. “See you at home.”
“Um … Yeah. I have to stop at the library for something. Tell Mom, will you?”
I nod and slide into my front seat. I turn the radio down a few notches and Rachel smacks my hand. “What?”
“That’s a great song,” she protests.
“No, it kind of sucks.”
“Hater.” She sticks out her tongue. “Wanna hit the mall?”
“Can’t.” I pull out of the parking spot just as some dumb silver SUV blocks my path. I blow my horn at Tyler Richardson.
“Wow! Hating on a lot of people today I see. What did Tyler Richardson do to you now?” she asks.
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. “Existed. He’s the one who said I couldn’t drive.”
“Well. In truth, you do kind of suck. I mean you’ve taken out how many trash cans? And remember that parked car in the mall?”
In all fairness, my view was blocked by these boxes of crap my mom put in my backseat. Yes, I was supposed to take them out before I went to the mall but there was a huge sale that had a special time when it started and ended. When we were leaving, it was really dark and I may have tapped a bumper pulling out of my parking space. “Hey! We swore never to mention that again.” I shoot her a look of disapproval.
“Right. I’m just saying maybe you might want to go a little easier on him. You’re the one who almost creamed him in the parking lot at school. You did totally slapshot his phone out of his hand. No offense Lay, but you’ve been kind of a B to the boy.”
“He’s not innocent. How would you like to be called Princess all the time? The way he says it makes me want to backhand him. Remember when he put a toad in my lunch box?”
Rachel giggles. “That was in first grade. You need to calm down.”
I roll my eyes. She thinks Tyler is cute and can do no wrong. I, on the other hand, disagree.
His window lowers. I honk at him again, and he sticks his head out and blows me a kiss. Then he proceeds to sit in my freaking way. “Oh. My. God. I’m going to maim his precious Grand Cherokee!”
“Breathe, Layla,” Rachel warns.
As if the whole universe is against me today, Adam comes strolling up with a blond sophomore named Selena in tow. “Whoa. What the hell is that?” Rachel snaps.
Tyler doesn’t move, so I’m stuck watching Adam make out with Selena right in front of my car. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Rachel reaches over and blares my horn, then she pops her head out of the passenger side and shouts, “He has STDs!”
I cast a look at Rachel. “Why would you say that? Now people are going to think I have diseases!”
“Shit. Sorry. It was a knee-jerk reaction.”
The sophomore jumps away from Adam. They both look over at Rachel and me. Adam’s the first to mouth “What the hell?” Selena crinkles her nose and sneers at Rachel, then me.
“Oh, Thot is so getting kicked off the squad,” Rachel says.
I press my forehead to my steering wheel. “I just want to go home.”
“Tyler finally moved. Looks like he was waiting on Jared and Austin.”
I lift my head, and sure enough Tyler is finally pulling away. What a jerk!