It was sweet.
In a weird sort of way.
Allison’s conversations had me thinking, though. I mean, regular college would never be for me. But I also didn’t want to work at the grocery store for the rest of my life. If I wanted to really chase a dream, I’d chase character design. I’d apply for schools that cared more about artistic talent than grades, and I’d submit a portfolio. Granted, it wouldn't be a professional portfolio. Just shit I’d done in my art electives. But the thought made me smile.
Being able to do graphic and character design for the rest of my life genuinely made me smile.
Or maybe I could start my own comic book line.
I sighed as I slid down into my chair. Unlike Allison and Michael, however, I’d have to work full time in order to save up the money. I didn’t have the grades for scholarships, and being poor only got someone like me so far with federal grants and shit like that. I sure as hell wasn’t taking out loans, either. Not without some sort of guaranteed way to pay them back. Which meant me working in the grocery store full-time—or working another job full-time—until I saved up the money for my first few semesters.
Which meant Mom couldn't drink my money away.
Which meant I’d have to move out.
Which would cost money for rent and bills and shit like that.
Which I wouldn't be able to afford on an hourly paycheck of minimum wage.
Fuck.
I didn't want to let those things stop me, though. Because every time I walked into my house, it reminded me of the kind of life I didn’t want. It reminded me of the kind of legacy I didn’t want to leave behind. Every time I went over to Allison’s house or Michael’s place, the kind of life I wanted slapped me in the face. And not just the money, either. It was the happiness. Having a loving family that gave a damn about each other. Having mouth-watering food on the table for every meal. Having every kind of drink I could have ever possibly wanted spilling out of the fridge at any given moment.
I didn’t want to just survive, like my mother.
I wanted to thrive, like Allison and Michael.
Shit takes money, though.
Why the fuck did good things always take money?
“Detention dismissed.”
The teacher’s voice caught my ear and I gathered up my things as quickly as I could. I had to work from seven to close at the grocery store tonight. But Michael said he was treating Allison and me to soup and sandwiches. I dashed out of the room, heading straight for the front doors of the high school. I shoved myself out of them, ready to race home to find my bike so I could get to the bistro quicker.
Until a horn honking caught my ear.
“Come on, Rae! Get in!” Allison exclaimed.
She waved her arm out the window to catch my attention and I smiled. I trotted over to the SUV Michael’s parents had bought him and climbed in back, happy to be with my friends. He blazed a trail away from the school, heading into town as Allison craned her neck to look back at me.
“So, how’s the time you’re doing? What’s it like? Does it remind you of prison?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not jail time. It’s just detention.”
Michael snickered. “And we’ve never had detention. You have to fill us in on everything that’s happening. What’s it like? Does it smell? How’s Clint been?”
I sighed. “You know damn good and well Clint Clarke doesn’t show up to things like detention.”
Allison paused. “Wait, he’s not showing up?”
Michael chuckled. “Doesn’t shock me one bit. What do you think they’ll do to him if he doesn’t go?”
Allison scoffed. “The nerve of that jerk. Sticking you in detention by ruffling your feathers, then skipping out on the punishment he deserves. Selfish little—”
I grinned. “Careful, now. You might ruin that pristine outfit of yours.”
Michael sighed. “I mean, he’ll probably get expelled. Which would give us all a nice break.”
Allison fell back into her seat. “Well, I for one hope it happens. Everyone’s tired of that knucklehead.”
I smiled. “Allison, your insults give me life. You know that?”
Michael grumbled, “I can’t stand that guy. Someone needs to beat some sense into him.”
Allison gasped. “Michael. I’ve never known you to be a violent person.”
I snickered. “He’s not, until he is. I’ve seen him come close to punching someone in the face. Remember that guy that kept teasing you sophomore year?”
Allison thought about it. “Oh, my gosh. I completely forgot about that. The foreign exchange student from Germany that we had. Timmy?”
Michael frowned. “Tommy.”
Allison patted his shoulder. “That’s right. Tommy. He was teasing me about my braces, and you stepped in to shut him down. What was it you said to him?”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you don’t remember this. He said—”
“—If you ever decide to look her way again with anything but admiration in your eyes, be prepared to lose them,” Michael supplied.
Allison giggled. “Aww, my hero. We can always count on you, can’t we?”
The pride in Michael’s face warmed my heart.
We rode in silence until he pulled the vehicle into the parking lot of the bistro. I looked across the road and sighed, already dreading my four or so hours of work. But it was necessary if I wanted to eat lunch. Or put away any money for my future. Or generally not piss my mother off with not having any money she could mooch off me.
Michael craned his head back. “You ready to go eat? It’s on me.”
I smiled. “I appreciate it, but you know I can—”
Allison cleared her throat. “Let the man pay, Rae. Sometimes, paying makes them feel powerful. Right?”
Michael smiled brightly. “Right.”
I rolled my eyes and giggled as I got out of the car. The three of us walked into the sandwich shop and I ordered as much food as I could without seeming selfish. A full-size sandwich, since Michael got himself one. A bowl of soup, since Allison got herself one. A dessert, since all of us wanted one, and a large drink. Which I could refill and take with me to work.
“I’m proud of you, you know.”
I whipped my head around, staring up into Michael’s face.
“What was that?” I asked.
He grinned down at me. “For standing up to Clint. I’m proud of you. People don’t do that with him, and they should. Someone needs to teach his arrogant ass a lesson one of these days. Maybe they’ll be inspired by how you stand up to him and actually do it.”
Allison slipped between the two of us. “Oh, yeah? And who do you think is going to put the school bully in his place?”
He shrugged. “Anyone, really.”
I sighed. “He’s not worth it, guys. Trust me. Bullies like him feed on the rise he gets out of people. For all we know, he’ll go home and orgasm to it later.”
Allison gasped. “Rae!”
Michael threw his head back, laughing. “She’s got a point.”
And as our food got handed to us, I debated whether or not to save half of my sandwich. After all, it would make a very good breakfast.
If Mom didn’t steal it from the refrigerator first.
6
Clinton
I smashed the buttons. “Come on, you can’t go faster than that? He’s getting away!”
Roy tilted to the side. “You’re the one who decided to modify your car at the last second. I would’ve been fine had you not pulled some shady shit.”
“Shady shit! It’s not shady when I’m making last minute tweaks to my car. The fuck’s wrong with you?”
“Well, how about we agree to disagree and smoke the asswipes?”
Our cars raced around the track on the projection screen television. I’d decided to have Roy over instead of going to detention. Playing Forza 4 sounded a hell of a lot better than sitting in some smelly, nasty, stinky room with Rae fucking Cleaver. And we had a good race going, too. I shot up from my chair, walking closer to the projector screen as we came upon our competition.
I pointed. “Go off the track. See that ditch? Fly over it and meet me on the other side.”
Roy snickered. “The fuck? Are you trying to get me thrown—”
“Just do it, dickweed! I’m trying not to cost us our rank in this damn game!”
I kept pressing buttons and fiddling with the modifications I’d made to my car. This damn thing was my pride and joy. I’d been grinding until the early hours of the morning over the summer, winning races and getting enough in-game cash to buy what I wanted to for it. Its speed was unmatched. The engine horsepower was out of this world. The car fucking screamed around the track, smoking these newbies like it was a fish fry.
Then the front door slammed out.
“What the—?”
My eyes peeled away from the screen, and I watched in shock as my father walked through the front doors. He was followed by my stepmother, who looked like her head was about to explode with fury. The horrific sound of my car crashing into a tree caused Roy to groan.
Roy stood up quickly. “Mr. Clarke. Mrs. Clarke. How was the safari?”
My father leveled his eyes with me. “Roy. Go home.”
“Right away, sir. See you tomorrow, Clint.”
Pussy.
I tossed my controller onto the couch as the race came to a close. We almost had it. We almost had those idiots! And now our ranking would fall. We wouldn't have the money we needed to fix our cars. And I’d have to deal with my parents ranting and screaming for a while so they could make themselves feel like decent people.