IN WHICH , Jane Hopper accidentally hits Maxine Mayfield, the popular captain of the lacrosse team, with her car. Jane thinks she's off the hook when Maxine doesn't press charges, but she's wrong. After Maxine's girlfriend breaks up with her for a c...
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My phone rang out, causing me to groan in frustration. I reached my arm out, feeling around for it on the opposite side of the bed. Finally, I grabbed it and brought it to my ear. "Hello?" I croaked, my voice thick with sleep.
"Jane, where the hell are you? It's eleven thirty!" Will's voice came through the phone, sounding both worried and annoyed. "What?" I whispered, still half-asleep. Unfortunately, it wasn't quiet enough, and he heard me.
"You're late," he chuckled, the sound of his laughter making me frown. I was so exhausted from the night before. I had just gotten home from work and collapsed into bed. "Are you coming?" he questioned, his tone softening a bit. "No, tired, sleep," I mumbled, shaking my head even though he couldn't see me.
"Alright, but you're still coming to Mike's after school, right? It's movie night," he reminded me. I didn't really want to see Mike, but I felt like I had been avoiding my friends lately. "Yes," I replied, trying to muster some enthusiasm.
"Okay, I love you, gotta go," he said quickly.
"Okay, I love you too," I retorted, before hanging up and letting the phone slip from my hand as I drifted back to sleep.
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It was around four fifty when I finally dragged myself out of bed and decided to get ready for the day. I knew I should have gotten up earlier to brush my teeth and take care of everything, but sometimes it felt like a monumental task just to move. The good thing was that we weren't meeting at Mike's until about seven, so I still had some time. I also didn't want to be the first one there because that would be awkward.
After making myself presentable and gathering everything I needed, I grabbed my car keys and headed out. I've slowly been getting more comfortable with driving again, thanks to Max. She kept reassuring me that I was fine and that what happened was just an accident—something that happens to everyone at some point.
I arrived at Mike's house and the first person I saw as I walked in was Mrs. Wheeler. She greeted me with a warm smile and asked how my day had been. I answered awkwardly, fumbling through a few simple questions about her day in return. These were the usual conversations we had, but they never felt awkward before the breakup. She told me that Mike and Will were waiting downstairs.
As I descended the stairs, I found both of them sprawled on the couch, breathing heavily. "Did you guys just run a marathon around the basement?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Mike's face turned a deep shade of red as he looked at me.
"Push-up challenge," they answered in unison, still trying to catch their breath. I nodded and plopped down onto a nearby bean bag. "Where are Dustin and Lucas?" I asked, looking around. "They went to get pizza and drinks," Will replied, stretching out on the couch.
About twenty minutes later, the two goofballs came running down the stairs, with Dustin almost dropping the pizza onto the floor. "Dinner has been served," he announced in a comically exaggerated British accent. "Would anyone like some tea?" Lucas chimed in, holding up a bottle of Coke and mimicking the same accent.
"Okay, what movie are we watching?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Harry Potter," Mike answered confidently. We all turned to him, raising our eyebrows in unison.
"Hell no, turn on Deadpool or something," Lucas protested. "Why? Harry Potter is a good movie," Mike said, crossing his arms defensively. "Nobody said it wasn't, Mike. But does it look like we're in the mood to watch Harry Potter?" Will said, squinting his eyes at him. I giggled as my friends bickered and threw playful insults at each other, debating which movie we were in the mood for.
We finally decided on watching Deadpool for our movie night. For the first ten minutes, Mike complained about how stupid it was and pouted. But soon, he realized there was way more action and comedy than in Harry Potter. " I think I'm going to give birth," Dustin said, holding his stomach. "Yeah, a birth to diarrhea," Lucas chuckled. I threw a piece of popcorn at the back of his head. " I gotta shit, dude. That pizza is messing me up," Dustin cried, running up the stairs. The four of us glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.
"No one go into the bathroom for three to five business days," I snorted.
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I was already in bed when Maxine called me around ten thirty or so. "Hopper," she said, dragging out my last name in that familiar, teasing way. I mimicked her tone, "Mayfield."
"What have you been up to today? Missed you at school," she said. I sat up in my bed, my curiosity piqued. Did she actually miss me, or was she just being polite? "You did?" I asked, furrowing my brows in genuine surprise. I wasn't sure why I asked that, but her response made me smile. "Yeah, I did," she replied, sounding like she was thinking it over herself.
"I didn't do much," I admitted. "I slept in and then watched a movie with my friends." I realized I hadn't answered her question beforehand. "What about you?" I added. "Lacrosse practice and school," she replied. I hummed in acknowledgment, imagining her busy day. "I want to ask you something about lacrosse," she said, her tone shifting slightly. "Okay," I replied, waiting for her to continue.
"We have this trip for an out-of-state game coming up in a week. We're allowed to bring a plus one or whatever. Would you like to be mine?" she asked. I fiddled with my blanket, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. Did she really like me enough to bring me to something so important? It would be strange if she brought someone else since I was her "girlfriend." "Sure, how much is it?" I asked.
"Don't worry about the money, just say you'll come," she insisted.
