None of the Regular Rules by Erin Downing Page A

still play with Barbie dolls,” Ella piped up quietly from the backseat. I grinned, realizing she was defending her crush. As if Peter needed defending. I glanced over at Grace in the rearview mirror and caught her yawning. She smiled sheepishly at me before pulling out her phone to text Ian—probably to fill him in on her exact coordinates. Since school started, Ian liked to know where she was at all times, to keep watch over her or something. I thought that sounded really tiring, and somewhat codependent-bordering-on-obsessive, but she didn’t seem to mind. I had a feeling Ian wouldn’t be happy if he knew we were out on a joyride with Johnny Rush. He didn’t respond well to Grace being in the company of other guys.
    Johnny shrugged. “Barbie dolls or not, I have a score to settle with that guy. Peter Martinson is on my list. Ladies, we are going on a bit of a scavenger hunt.”
    I felt my stomach tighten. “What kind of score?” I asked. “You don’t want to fight him or anything, do you?” I pictured myself in a mug shot, an accomplice to a beating of some kind. I’d checked my hair before we left, and it looked okay. I’d learned that you’re supposed to tilt your chin down and fluff up your lips in mug shots—that’s what all the celebrities do. What if I had to call on that know-how now, tonight? But Johnny wasn’t the kind of guy to beat someone up. At least, I hoped not. That was more of a Trever German and crew thing—the beefy, ugly guys who wore trench coats and challenged one another to the modern-day equivalent of duels behind the middle school.
    Johnny laughed—that short, almost angry-sounding burst of a laugh that I’d heard on so many nights down below my open window when he was hosting parties. “No, I don’t want to fight him. Jeez, what kind of guy do you think I am? I’m just looking for a little payback.”
    “Okay,” I said reluctantly. Johnny didn’t say anything more, so I just kept driving toward Peter’s house. “But you’re going to have to give me a few more clues as to where we’re going first. Or I can just drive around all night. But that’s not going to get us the pizza you promised.”
    Johnny tapped his knees and said, “Okay, go right. Here.” I followed his instruction and turned right, cringing as my car whined in protest. “What do you feed this thing? It sounds terrible.”
    “It came like this. It’s old,” I said, shrugging. “It has a few quirks.”
    “I hear that.” Johnny opened his window and leaned his head out to look at the side of the car. I slowed down, unwilling to watch him plummet from the window and go rolling down the street. “I can take a look at it for you, if you want,” he offered, sliding his body back into the car.
    I shrugged. “Sure. Do you know anything about cars?”
    “Not really,” he said, laughing. “But I’m great at pulling stuff apart. I can usually get it back together again. I don’t offer a money-back guarantee, though, just in case I can’t.”
    We all laughed. “I think I’ll just let it be, then. No offense.”
    “Probably a wise choice,” Johnny said, and looked over at me with a smile. I felt my stomach flipping again, and my mind jumped to Mackenzie. What would she say if she knew her boyfriend was out with three other girls? Was she the kind of person who got jealous about stuff like that?
    I suddenly realized something. “Hey, what are you doing home from school anyway? Are you home for the weekend or something?”
    Johnny shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Not exactly.”
    Grace poked her head between the two front seats eagerly. “Did you drop out?” she asked.
    “Not that either.” Johnny’s lips were pressed into a thin line, and I could tell he wasn’t enjoying the conversation anymore.
    “So—where exactly are we going anyway?” I asked, trying to change the subject. It wasn’t any of our business to know what was going on with Johnny and school, and I didn’t want to