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﹂‧ ♪ ° ‣ ‧ ⋆﹁
Mel waves us off on her front porch and I settle on the passengers seat of JK's truck. I immediately remember that I was intending to give him back the hoodie he lent me a few nights back.
"I washed it." I pull it out of my bag and hold it up for him to see, at which he briefly glances over.
"Throw it in the back," he says and a few seconds pass before a faint smirk rises on his lips. "So why'd ya pull that stunt with Mel's place? Mario still don't know 'bout you joining my team?"
"Nah, he doesn't," I answer while feeling my cheeks getting a little hot. Having a secret with JK feels exciting and it immediately makes my deluded thinking convince me that it means more than it actually does. "He wanted to drive me here and I panicked that he might find out."
"Yeah, I saw him," JK replies. "Waited till he was outta sight."
"You did?"
"I ain't plannin' to spoil ya secret. If you wanna tell, you gon' do it yo'self," he says and my stomach tingles once again. Despite my smile trying to fight through to get seen, I force it back into the shadows and put my mind up to something else.
"So how's everybody else getting there?"
I'm not sure I've ever seen any of the guys with a car. The only thing I know from the night before is that Devon's got his license. It's true that I haven't been around them much, but I think that this weekend might also be a chance for us to get to know one another better.
"Devon's got 'em in his van." JK answers casually and rolls down a window, relaxed and with his head in the clouds.
"And why'd you want me to go with you?"
"I'm the only one who can handle yo' ass."
Upon his answer, I click my tongue and turn my head to look the other way, only hearing him chuckle next to me. Lately, there's been this unspoken attraction going on between us and gradually, I believe I'm going to get caught up in this vortex of emotions and they'll bring me directly to the center where he's waiting.
One route after another, the road ahead lasts for a few more hours until I see JK parking in front of an old motel that barely keeps the neon color on the sign. One letter flashes every now and then, attracting the flies that busily move around it.
"Do you want me to drive?" I ask, keeping still on the car seat and trying to avoid staying here overnight. I move my head to the side and meet JK's midnight eyes that glance over for a second.
"Nah. We got like three more hours till we get there," he says and gets out. "We gon' go ahead in the mornin'."
"Morning?" I step out and slam the car door close before walking over the gravel that sits underneath my shoes. The cold in the air wraps me in its claws and a trail of goosebumps layers my skin before I stop on my tracks.
