straps of her backpack again.
“I’m not making fun of you,” he added. “I genuinely want to know. I don’t know about this kind of stuff. Does it really make a difference if someone is there?”
In that second, Lauren could have kicked herself. She felt so stupid and selfish, complaining that her parents would miss one meet, when Michael’s parents had been missing out on things his entire life.
She shrugged nonchalantly, trying to belittle the situation. “It’s not that big of a deal. I just feel like I do better when I know someone I care about is watching me. I guess it’s like… motivation to make them proud or something.”
She looked over at him and saw that his expression had turned thoughtful. “Yeah, I get that. But what about just doing it for you?”
She smiled. “You’re right,” she said, trying to look away before he could see it was forced.
She should have known he wouldn’t buy it.
“Alright, that’s it,” he said, jumping down off the wall and turning toward her. “Let’s go.”
“Go?”
“Yep. Off the wall,” he said as he turned and walked toward the parking lot.
“I have to catch the bus,” she called after him, and he waved his hand behind him dismissively.
“I’ll take care of it. Let’s go,” he said, not even turning to see if she was following him.
She watched him for a second before she rolled her eyes and jumped off the wall with a huff.
“Where are we going?” she asked when she finally caught up to him.
“For a ride,” he said, waving his hand like a game show hostess in front of something that looked like it used to be a car a long, long time ago.
“Whose is this?” she asked, looking over the black hatchback that was missing two hubcaps and covered in scratches and rust spots of varying sizes and colors.
It looked like a Jackson Pollock.
“Mine,” he said matter-of-factly, walking around to the driver’s side.
“Since when?” she asked.
“Since now.”
Lauren lifted her eyes to his. “Did you steal this?” she asked, and he tilted his head.
“Come on now, Red. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“So you paid for this? That’s actually worse than stealing it.”
He laughed out loud, flipping her off over the top of the car. “Quit being such a bitch and just get in the car,” he said through his smile, opening his door. “Wait,” he said suddenly, holding his hand up to stop her. “You’ve had a tetanus shot, right?”
Lauren tried not to laugh as she pulled open the passenger door, cringing when it made a sound like a dying whale.
But it was nothing compared to the sound the car made when he started it.
As she put on her seatbelt, she flinched again. “That sounds like a broken blender,” she yelled over the noise.
“It’s great, isn’t it? This guy down the road from me was gonna junk it. Sold it to me for a hundred bucks,” he added before he switched gears, and Lauren cupped her hands over her ears and hoped it was a short drive to wherever they were going.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, she couldn’t help but notice the stares they were getting from the other students. She told herself it was just the eyesore of a car and the deafening, metallic clanking it made as it chugged out of the lot, but the truth was, she knew they’d be getting that look even if they’d been merely walking together.
She didn’t understand how people hadn’t gotten over it by now.
They’d been friends for almost four months, and still people acted shocked when they were spotted talking in the halls, or sitting together at the pizzeria.
Or driving off campus together.
Fine. She could recognize the hint of controversy in that last one, but nevertheless, it didn’t make sense that they were still fodder for gossip. Lauren Monroe had befriended Michael Delaney, and she hadn’t ended up dead, or on drugs, or been arrested, or joined a cult. The whole thing should have been pretty boring, actually.
After about
“I’m not making fun of you,” he added. “I genuinely want to know. I don’t know about this kind of stuff. Does it really make a difference if someone is there?”
In that second, Lauren could have kicked herself. She felt so stupid and selfish, complaining that her parents would miss one meet, when Michael’s parents had been missing out on things his entire life.
She shrugged nonchalantly, trying to belittle the situation. “It’s not that big of a deal. I just feel like I do better when I know someone I care about is watching me. I guess it’s like… motivation to make them proud or something.”
She looked over at him and saw that his expression had turned thoughtful. “Yeah, I get that. But what about just doing it for you?”
She smiled. “You’re right,” she said, trying to look away before he could see it was forced.
She should have known he wouldn’t buy it.
“Alright, that’s it,” he said, jumping down off the wall and turning toward her. “Let’s go.”
“Go?”
“Yep. Off the wall,” he said as he turned and walked toward the parking lot.
“I have to catch the bus,” she called after him, and he waved his hand behind him dismissively.
“I’ll take care of it. Let’s go,” he said, not even turning to see if she was following him.
She watched him for a second before she rolled her eyes and jumped off the wall with a huff.
“Where are we going?” she asked when she finally caught up to him.
“For a ride,” he said, waving his hand like a game show hostess in front of something that looked like it used to be a car a long, long time ago.
“Whose is this?” she asked, looking over the black hatchback that was missing two hubcaps and covered in scratches and rust spots of varying sizes and colors.
It looked like a Jackson Pollock.
“Mine,” he said matter-of-factly, walking around to the driver’s side.
“Since when?” she asked.
“Since now.”
Lauren lifted her eyes to his. “Did you steal this?” she asked, and he tilted his head.
“Come on now, Red. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“So you paid for this? That’s actually worse than stealing it.”
He laughed out loud, flipping her off over the top of the car. “Quit being such a bitch and just get in the car,” he said through his smile, opening his door. “Wait,” he said suddenly, holding his hand up to stop her. “You’ve had a tetanus shot, right?”
Lauren tried not to laugh as she pulled open the passenger door, cringing when it made a sound like a dying whale.
But it was nothing compared to the sound the car made when he started it.
As she put on her seatbelt, she flinched again. “That sounds like a broken blender,” she yelled over the noise.
“It’s great, isn’t it? This guy down the road from me was gonna junk it. Sold it to me for a hundred bucks,” he added before he switched gears, and Lauren cupped her hands over her ears and hoped it was a short drive to wherever they were going.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, she couldn’t help but notice the stares they were getting from the other students. She told herself it was just the eyesore of a car and the deafening, metallic clanking it made as it chugged out of the lot, but the truth was, she knew they’d be getting that look even if they’d been merely walking together.
She didn’t understand how people hadn’t gotten over it by now.
They’d been friends for almost four months, and still people acted shocked when they were spotted talking in the halls, or sitting together at the pizzeria.
Or driving off campus together.
Fine. She could recognize the hint of controversy in that last one, but nevertheless, it didn’t make sense that they were still fodder for gossip. Lauren Monroe had befriended Michael Delaney, and she hadn’t ended up dead, or on drugs, or been arrested, or joined a cult. The whole thing should have been pretty boring, actually.
After about
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