Bastiana has a loving family, two amazing best friends, and a secret.
Over summer vacation, Bastiana and her besties do their best to focus on their bucket list in order to distract them from all the secrets they're keeping from one another. When a...
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7:29am Ry: I'm here. Ready to go, B?
7:30am Tiana: Yeah, I just need to put on shoes.
7:30am Tiana: I'll be out in a sec!
I take one last look in the mirror and shrug. I quickly slip on my black Vans and grab my backpack before rushing down the stairs and out of the apartment. When I turn towards the parking lot and see Ryker's waiting Bronco, I smile and some of the nervousness melts away.
"Good morning, best friend." I give Ryker a warm smile as I climb into his front seat and buckle up.
"Good morning. You ready for the first day of junior year, B?" Ryker asks as he pulls out of the parking lot.
"I guess." I sigh and shrug. "Ash is meeting us in the back parking lot so we can all go in together, right?" I fidget with the hem of my shirt as I glance over at Ryker. His face is set in his usual scowl as he focuses on the road.
"Yeah." Ryker nods once. "He said he was going to save a spot for me until we can renew our parking passes for the year. I don't know how he's going to save a parking spot, but..." He shrugs and glances over at me. When he sees me nodding slowly and fidgeting, he places a hand over mine and softens his voice. "Hey. It's going to be fine, B. Junior year is going to be great. And if it isn't, Ash and I will be right by your side the whole time. Okay?"
"Yeah. You're right." I exhale deeply. "Everything is going to be fine. I've got my two amazing best friends." I smile at him when he looks over at me again. "And I've got Nico." I look out the windshield and my smile drops slightly.
"Why isn't golden boy driving you to school?" Ryker's eyebrows furrow. "I mean, I'm glad you're riding with me, but I figured he'd want to drive you to school everyday."
"With that convertible?" I laugh but the sound comes out lacking mirth. "My hair would be a rat's nest by the time we got there." I roll my eyes.
"B, it rains half the year here. That can't be the real reason." His voice is quiet but firm. "What's going on with you and Nico?"
"Nothing. We're fine." I sigh and think about Nico's words when we talked about this same subject yesterday. "Besides, it makes more sense for you to drive me, because we live on the same block. No one has to go out of their way." I look down at my shoes.
"'Out of their way'? What do you mean, B?" He looks over at me again. "Wait, is that what he said? Are those the words he used?"
"Yeah." My voice is barely above a whisper. Ryker's jaw clenches and he grips the steering wheel tighter. "But it's fine. It is pretty convenient and I'd rather ride with you anyway." I add quickly, reaching out to put my hand on his bicep. Ryker's muscles visibly relax at my touch, but his face remains in a deep set scowl.
