Not All Spider Bites Are Deadly; Heartbreak High

Chapter Seven

Spencer and I arrived at the cemetery right as Ant and Dusty arrived. It had been a quiet afternoon between Spencer and I, I dropped things off, showering separately and getting ready at his house. His dad still wasn't home. I wonder how much he is left alone. We were out the door walking to the cemetery once we were ready. We didn't converse too deeply--It was actually kind of sweet. He asked me how my day went, my classes, and how I got my stuff from my moms house. Made us something to eat before we drank too much alcohol and whatever Ant might have. I didn't tell him that I sent mom a text saying I was staying with a friend or that she read it and never responded. I haven't told him about Allen, nor what we could mean to each other.

"Cunts" Spencer called out clutching Dusty's hand and then slapping him on the back. Ant and Spencer did some kind of handshake with a snap. Boys were obnoxious. I chuckled at their antics.

"Gemma" greeted Ant with a pat on my shoulder when he came over.

"Ant." I greeted back, matching his smile. I wonder if Ant's new inclusion of me into the fold was because of something Spencer told him or if he decided that since Spencer was including me, that meant I was okay to be nice too. Dusty was another issue altogether.

"Dusty, are you going to say hi?" Ant probed as Dusty was purposely ignoring me. At Ant's words he looked at me and nodded hello and shrugged his shoulders a little at Ant. He quickly went away to grab a box from his dad's SUV, Spencer went to help unload the speakers, and another some for the packs of booze. I stood with Ant not knowing what I could do to help.

"Oi, come collect some wood with me. We'll start a fire." Ant waved as he walked forward walking down the cemetery path.

"Sure." I called him, shuffling to catch up. When I caught up with him I asked "Ant. Why are you including me?" I wanted to know. I was hoping there weren't any ulterior motives. I needed to know what Ant's motives were by being nice to me.

"Oi, way to come right out and ask." He chuckles to himself. "Well, Spider likes you, and you are both whatever you are to each other, and if he likes you then there must be something right with you. If that makes sense? Plus, I feel like an ass cause I realized I never told you. I know you are not the one that snitched on Dusty, and Dusty knows you aren't either. I do not know what is up his ass lately. But anyway, my mom found out because she overheard Dusty mentioning it when she was waiting on the other side of the front door, and then shit went down. I only found out a couple months ago, when she started ranting about it in one of her lectures about the friends I keep." I never heard this one talk this much before, I let him just talk because the more he started to get out the more I was discovering pieces of the Year 9 drama puzzle and him. I am shocked to say the least. How did no one tell me?

"Thanks for telling me what you know now." I sighed. "I wish you would have told me sooner, but we weren't on talking terms, so it's fair." I shrugged. He gave me a small smile as we reached a clearing of trees and dry sticks and larger pieces of branches, and started to gather some. I gathered my own pile, and we met up again to walk back to the hill-top of bricks.

"I know Spencer likes you. What do you feel about him?" He asked as we walked back. I noticed he was trying to hide his curiosity by not looking in my direction.

"I am attracted to him. I just do not know what I want from him or he wants from me. The version we get at Hartley is very different from who he is, and I like the version of him when it's just the two of us. I'm worried that I won't fully like the school version, the masked version. Ya know?" I shared. Why was I sharing this with Ant? Why did I feel like I could trust him? I was only just suspicious about him. Something in my gut is telling me that he is safe, and I can tell him things going on.