Destined... | Anthony 'Ant' Vaugn

011 Poor Spence

Angeline 
Part 1 

"Uh oh, here she comes," I mumble just loud enough for Missy and Sasha to hear. Both of them glance up, immediately spotting Harper.

"God, she really brings down your mood, ey?" Missy says, turning away with a smirk as she stifles her laughter.

"She's probably going to personally attack Dusty again," Sasha adds, rolling her eyes.

"Poor guy can't catch a break. Next thing you know, he's gonna be dead, bleeding out in a ditch because of Harper," I joke. The three of us burst out laughing just as Harper reaches us.

"Hey, guys, I know you don't want—" Harper begins, her tone cautious, but Sasha cuts her off, shaking her head firmly.

"No. I'm not gonna let you suck me into your negativity black hole. You're an emotional vampire, Harper. I watched a whole YouTube video about it," Sasha says matter-of-factly before walking away, leaving Harper standing there.

Missy doesn't miss a beat. She throws Harper a dirty look and grabs my arm, tugging me along with her. I glance back for half a second, but Missy's grip pulls me forward, leaving Harper behind.

~~ 

Missy has an assignment she needs to catch up on, so the teacher made her stay in during break to work on it. That leaves me standing on the balcony with Amerie, Quinni, and Darren. Things between Amerie and me are civil now—no more arguing or death stares—but I wouldn't exactly say we're back to being bestie bestie. Darren is mid-rant about their situation with Cash, striking dramatic poses for the camera Quinni's holding.

"I'm literally the hottest thing on this side of the bridge, and he's treating me like a foot fungus," Darren declares, striking a pose as Quinni snaps a shot. "Cash is officially expired," they add, with mock seriousness.

"Maybe he doesn't like boning as much as you do," I suggest, watching as Quinni pulls the polaroid from the camera.

"Oh please," Darren scoffs. "Have you seen who he hangs out with? If those eshays aren't dealing drugs, they're wheeling with their dicks," they say, making Quinni snort as the photo begins to develop.

"Not everyone functions the way you do," Quinni points out, her tone light but pointed. Amerie rests a comforting hand on Darren's shoulder.

"And besides," Quinni continues, "you haven't even had a conversation about what you're both looking for." She places her hand over Darren's. "That's something Sasha and I did when we first started dating."

"Aww." Darren waves a hand dismissively. "Or I could just get shit-faced and forget he ever existed." They pause, their expression shifting to one of sudden inspiration. "Hey, Amerie, your mum's working the night shift tonight, yeah?"

Amerie nods, her tone flat. "Yeah."

"Oh my god," I gasp, catching onto Darren's plan and grabbing their arm. Darren turns to me with a sly grin.

"Listen up, cum stains!" Darren suddenly yells, leaning over the balcony. "Lonely hearts gatho at Amerie's tonight! BYO alcohol, you cheap, cheap hoes!" Their voice echoes across the quad as Amerie frantically tries to shush them.

"And no Year 7s!" Darren adds with a grimace toward a group of gawking Year 7 students.

"No! That was a totally fabricated lie," Amerie shouts over the balcony, her voice cracking slightly.