Simple As A Song (School of Rock)

seven - did you have your fun?

THE FOUR OF US sit in a circle like we're summoning a ghost in Summer's summery pink room. Tomika sits in front of me, and then it's Summer on one side and Riley on the other. A phone sits in the middle of us all, but I still don't know what we're doing. Glancing over at Riley, I see that she also has a confused look on her face, her braided hair falling down her back as she leans toward the phone. 

"What are we doing?" I ask. I'm met with an immediate shush by Tomika and Summer. Riley and I share a weird look, and I wonder what I got myself into. Leaning back against Summer's bed, I let out a sigh, watching the phone. "Seriously, though. What are we doing?"

"Tomeeks and I have this tradition," Summer says softly, her gaze still on Tomika's phone. "Whenever we have a sleepover, one of the boys finds out and texts us, asking what we're doing. We're watching for their text right now."

"Zack obviously knows that I'm here," Riley says, laughing. "He's my twin brother, so I told him I was coming over here." She shakes her head, her eyes sparkling. "He didn't care. I also told Freddy, so he knows as well."

Summer freezes in her spot, and her eyes glide over to Riley, who doesn't look that bothered. If I were Riley, I would've been afraid to say anything about my relationship in a friend group this big. I don't know how I would tell people I was dating someone in the group. Maybe I'd just keep it to myself, sort of like Riley has done so far. "You told Freddy?" Summer asks, her voice higher-pitched than normal. "Why?"

"Because he's my boyfriend." A beat passes, and nothing happens. Another beat passes, and Summer's face fills with reds and pinks. A final beat passes, and Tomika blinks. Riley shrugs, her own cheeks tinted with pink. "We just got together a week ago, and we didn't know how to tell you guys, so . . ."

"Who asked who out?" Tomika asks. "Because he plays up his game, but I don't think he's that cool."

"He asked me out," Riley says, laughing. She shakes her head, a wide smile on her face. She looks so happy, but looking over at Summer, I know that this is a double-edged sword. It's hard being a teenage girl, especially when two friends like the same boy. "He asked Zack if it was alright if we went out together, and then Zack helped him set up these signs outside my window, asking me out."

"I so cannot see Zack helping a boy ask out his sister," Tomika says, giggling. "He's overprotective."

"No, he just knows what I deserve. The same goes for him, so if one of you girls wants to date my brother, you have to go through me first."

Suddenly, the phone in the middle of our circle dings and lights up. Tomika screams, snatching it from the ground. Quicking scrolling through it, her happy smile soon turns sour. "God, why do I have bad luck?" She pulls her backpack closer to her, grabbing her wallet. Sliding a twenty-dollar bill out, she hands it over to Summer. "You were right. Lawrence texted first."

Summer slowly grabs the dollar bill, her eyes wide. "How did he hear about our sleepover?"

"Probably from the other boys," I say, shrugging. "If Zack and Freddy knew, then they would definitely tell Lawrence. Speaking of him," I say as I remember something that happened, "Lawrence was mean to me when I told him I didn't know about that superhero he was talking about."

"It is hard to not know who Dr. Timewarp is," Tomika says, giving me a funny look, "but I'll give it to you. He gets touchy about his favorite nerdy subjects."

"Let's prank the boys," Summer says, her eyes flashing intensely. "Now that Harlow is here, there are more girls than boys, which means we have a leg up on the competition." She gives me a quick grin, and I smile back, but deep down, I feel bad for knowing that Riley and Freddy were dating since she really likes him. "They usually prank us, so we need to get them at their own game."