𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 ; 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝔂 𝓭𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓼

Dinner

    It was lunch and varsity heads up to JV. "Hey congrats on the Blake game." Riley tells them.

"Yeah, right." Charlie shakes his head. "We tied."

Riley leans into the table. "Hey, a point's a point. We're all Warriors now. You guys proved your guts." He looks down the table. "You all set for dinner Friday?"

"Dinner?" Russ looks unsure.

Riley nods. "Well, it's an Eden Hall tradition. Varsity got to treat the freshman to dinner. So, round up your posse and meet us at..." he thinks for a moment. "Six at the Minnesota Club, downtown. Anybody need a ride, we can take you."

I stare blankly at Julie as Riley and Cole continues to tell them. Once they walk away, Banks tells them it's cool and they all agree with it.

As we walk away, Banks grabs my arm. "It's cool, right?"

"Yeah." I tell him. "I don't think it's fake. I could ask Scooter just in case."

He shakes his head as we regroup with varsity. "Nah, I believe them."

-

I sit in between Banks and Cole. They were both eating, Adam a soup and Cole a prim rib steak.

I myself just had a small lobster. I knew what we were going to do after Riley announces his surprise, and honestly, they kind of deserve it.

Except Connie, Guy, Fulton, and Kenny. Or maybe that's just me playing favorites with them. I kept giving them hints to leave, they didn't get them.

Riley stands up and clinks his glass for everyone's attention. "On behalf of the Eden Hall Warrior Varsity State Champion hockey team, I'd like to welcome the future state champs, the Eden Hall freshman." He gives them a sly smile. "Here, here."

"Here, here!" Everyone clinks the glasses together.

Rick put his glass down. "We're just glad you loaned us Banksie and Viv here so that we have a chance to bear you guys in the annual Freshman-Varsity Showdown."

Cole pats Adam's and my back, pretty hard if I do say so myself. "I'm sorry." Adam whispers across the table. I don't think they heard him.

"Now, nobody move." Riley tells them. I know this is when we leave. "We've got one last surprise. Fellas?" Everyone on Varsity but Banks gets up. "Banksie."

He slowly follows us out and i grab his shoulder. "Remember what they did to our stuff in the lockers." I tell him and he doesn't say anything. "Adam, it's fine."

"They're our friends, V." He tells me as we go out the doors. "Friends don't let friends clean dishes to pay for a check they said they would pay."

He shrugs my arm off his shoulder. "Banks, it's not like that. You're still coming over right?"

He looks at me. "No, I have to go cleanse myself of what I just did. I'll catch you tomorrow." He walks down the street and leaves me.

"Great." I huff as Scooter and Riley walk up to me. "What?"

Riley punches my arm. "You've earned my respect, kid. I mean, going against your friends like that?"

"Some of them are my friends." I correct him. "Get it right, you bloated toad."

Scooter laughs before stopping when Riley looks at him. "Someone's in a mood."

"Yeah, well Banks was supposed to come over, but he's mad at me right now, so he isn't." I start saying. "My mom and brother won't be home til Sunday, my dad is lolly gagging with girls he meets on the street, and my first real friends are doing dishes for the check."

Scooter tilts his head. "You were going to go home by yourself for two nights?"

"I have my cat and I always do that." I sigh at the two boys looking at me. "My mom always leaves and comes back days later, sometimes she takes Elio, sometimes not."

Riley puts his hands on his hips. "I call that negligence."

"Stay at the school, it's closer than your house." Scooter suggests. "Go explore it or something."

-

I took up Scoots offer. I stay at the school and I was where the classrooms were located, looking around them.

I hear people talking and I stop walking. "Think this will be enough?" I hear a voice say. They were whispering.

"Looks like it, come on." I recognize that one, as they didn't whisper. It was Russ. "Let's go show Julie and them."

I follow the voices before hearing Cole screaming outside. I go to the nearest window and see him getting lassoed and hogtied by Dwayne.

Guess they were getting revenge. I then hear a bunch of yelling and banging coming from where the boy dorms were.

I go see what it was and see a bunch of them running by yelling and stuff to the showers. I see Scooter and Riley at the end of the group.

"Damn you, freshman!" Riley was yelling and smacking his body.

I laugh at the sight. "What in the hell happened to you guys?"

"JV." Scooter answers me, looking very embarrassed. "Be here by dawn tomorrow. We have a game."