Chantel. I don’t know anyone who lives downtown, and I want nothing to do with that gross area, ever.
She grabs my hand. “I know it’s not what you want, but we’ll make it work. I promise.”
She sounds like she’s talking about my life to a T. I didn’t want what I had before, and now I’m not sure I want what I have or what’s coming. But that’s how things work, right? Damn Newton. “I know, Mom. Thanks.”
She squeezes me tight and then leaves. “I’ve got pizza if you’re hungry,” she says as she’s leaving my room.
“From where?” I ask, but I know.
“Please. The only place in town to order from, your lovely establishment.” She walks away.
I pick up my phone to text Ricky and find out what the hell’s up, but I have a text from Alexia: Party tonight. I owe you.
I scramble online and sure enough, Danielle Thompson is throwing a rager. I stare at my phone and the options to send a text or to call. I look back at the screen and pull up our severely edited video. My life no longer resembles anything it used to. I don’t know if this is good or bad, or something that just happens senior year. But I do know one thing, I want more. And the only part that feels right at the moment is Alexia. Which, in itself, is ridiculous. But these dares may be gone, and maybe what Ricky and John and I had, so I might as well salvage what I can.
I close out the screen and text Alexia.
CHAPTER 12
T he beer is buzzing in my head and the party is rocking. Someone screams, “One more time!” and the chant ensues. Danielle screams and flips her giant plasma TV to display the Internet. Our latest video is waiting for the replay. She clicks the tab and the event unfolds again.
It’s surreal, standing in a room of kids, drunk and smiling, watching us on the screen when none of them know who the hell we really are. The footage rolls and the room reacts the same way as it did earlier, laughing at John’s blunder, cheering for me, and then losing their shit over Ricky’s acrobatics. When it’s over, they applaud and scream and “cheers” one another and drink.
I turn away and take a big swallow of my beer. Ricky and Trevor do the same. It sucks without John, and having them here instead doesn’t feel right. I didn’t even want to bring them, but Alexia brought it up when we texted, and since she was calling the shots, I didn’t want to seem rude. And I know I’m only pissed at how Ricky behaved. It was John, and he was hurt, and Ricky wasn’t there for him, wasn’t concerned.
Most of the room was watching our bridge jump when Alexia ushered us into Danielle’s. Heads turned, but only briefly.
“I gotta go check on things,” she said after we all got beers. “Have fun.” Then she disappeared, and I haven’t seen her since. So now I’m stuck with these two, and I need a stiffer drink.
“We need to talk.” Ricky leans closer to me, not drunk, but not steady either. Trevor bites on his cup, as if he’s nervous for what Ricky’s going to say.
“About what?”
“O. P.”
I take a deep, calming breath, not caring what either thinks. I don’t give a shit about our business partner at the moment.
“He’s not happy.”
“Why’s that?” I ask.
“The dare. It didn’t exactly go off as planned.”
“That’s an understatement. But what does he care about that?”
Ricky looks at Trevor, only for a moment, but it’s enough for me to suspect what I figured was right.
“We’re not getting paid,” Ricky says.
“What? How is that? We completed the dare.”
Ricky turns to the side, directing our conversation away from the crowd and into the wall. “Not technically.”
I skip the deep breath. “What do you mean? We just watched it.”
Ricky sighs. “Not all of us.”
I think I understand but play dumb. “Huh?”
“In the contract, it states that all three of us have to complete the dare or none of us gets paid.” I don’t remember seeing this, but I didn’t read it
She grabs my hand. “I know it’s not what you want, but we’ll make it work. I promise.”
She sounds like she’s talking about my life to a T. I didn’t want what I had before, and now I’m not sure I want what I have or what’s coming. But that’s how things work, right? Damn Newton. “I know, Mom. Thanks.”
She squeezes me tight and then leaves. “I’ve got pizza if you’re hungry,” she says as she’s leaving my room.
“From where?” I ask, but I know.
“Please. The only place in town to order from, your lovely establishment.” She walks away.
I pick up my phone to text Ricky and find out what the hell’s up, but I have a text from Alexia: Party tonight. I owe you.
I scramble online and sure enough, Danielle Thompson is throwing a rager. I stare at my phone and the options to send a text or to call. I look back at the screen and pull up our severely edited video. My life no longer resembles anything it used to. I don’t know if this is good or bad, or something that just happens senior year. But I do know one thing, I want more. And the only part that feels right at the moment is Alexia. Which, in itself, is ridiculous. But these dares may be gone, and maybe what Ricky and John and I had, so I might as well salvage what I can.
I close out the screen and text Alexia.
CHAPTER 12
T he beer is buzzing in my head and the party is rocking. Someone screams, “One more time!” and the chant ensues. Danielle screams and flips her giant plasma TV to display the Internet. Our latest video is waiting for the replay. She clicks the tab and the event unfolds again.
It’s surreal, standing in a room of kids, drunk and smiling, watching us on the screen when none of them know who the hell we really are. The footage rolls and the room reacts the same way as it did earlier, laughing at John’s blunder, cheering for me, and then losing their shit over Ricky’s acrobatics. When it’s over, they applaud and scream and “cheers” one another and drink.
I turn away and take a big swallow of my beer. Ricky and Trevor do the same. It sucks without John, and having them here instead doesn’t feel right. I didn’t even want to bring them, but Alexia brought it up when we texted, and since she was calling the shots, I didn’t want to seem rude. And I know I’m only pissed at how Ricky behaved. It was John, and he was hurt, and Ricky wasn’t there for him, wasn’t concerned.
Most of the room was watching our bridge jump when Alexia ushered us into Danielle’s. Heads turned, but only briefly.
“I gotta go check on things,” she said after we all got beers. “Have fun.” Then she disappeared, and I haven’t seen her since. So now I’m stuck with these two, and I need a stiffer drink.
“We need to talk.” Ricky leans closer to me, not drunk, but not steady either. Trevor bites on his cup, as if he’s nervous for what Ricky’s going to say.
“About what?”
“O. P.”
I take a deep, calming breath, not caring what either thinks. I don’t give a shit about our business partner at the moment.
“He’s not happy.”
“Why’s that?” I ask.
“The dare. It didn’t exactly go off as planned.”
“That’s an understatement. But what does he care about that?”
Ricky looks at Trevor, only for a moment, but it’s enough for me to suspect what I figured was right.
“We’re not getting paid,” Ricky says.
“What? How is that? We completed the dare.”
Ricky turns to the side, directing our conversation away from the crowd and into the wall. “Not technically.”
I skip the deep breath. “What do you mean? We just watched it.”
Ricky sighs. “Not all of us.”
I think I understand but play dumb. “Huh?”
“In the contract, it states that all three of us have to complete the dare or none of us gets paid.” I don’t remember seeing this, but I didn’t read it
Similar Books
