WEST COAST 18+

15.

2 back to back? mhmmmm.

I do suggest reading the chapter fully to understand things.

W E S T C O A S T

"I wish you were a girl. We'd be bad bitches together," Daniela said to Ashton with the house phone pressed to her ear, waiting for Shanti to pick up.

"I'll be the prettier sister," Ashton states, clicking buttons on his Switch while sitting on the couch next to her.

"Yeah right, eagle claws," nearly barfing at the sight of his toes, Ashton wiggling them.

Clearly the meeting at school went okay. To everyone's understanding, Ashton didn't start the fight, and that's because a couple of kids that were around 'vouched' for him. The principal wasn't aware that Marcus forced them to lie to keep Ashton out of trouble.

Georgie was the only one who knew the truth, and Ashton had to beg him to keep it to himself. Georgie didn't second guess it because that was his friend, even though he should have. His friend had been on this downward spiral since buddying up with Marcus.

Ashton was an honorable student, never even had a tardy, and kept his head down. But now, Georgie was watching out of class—claiming to go use the bathroom and never seeing his face again until lunch. Just the other day, Georgie had to stop Ashton from stealing out of this store on their way home.

This was getting out of hand, and Marcus was to blame. There wasn't much Georgie could do since Ashton was his own person, and unfortunately, it was the shadow of Marcus.

Daniela didn't see this because she only met Marcus once. She couldn't blame Marcus for Ashton being tardy to class and leaving a few minutes before the bell, or for his lack of homework submission. She could only take the principal's word for this 'small' shift having to do with their parent's divorce.

Everyone knew he was a good kid, and the troubles people at school gave him, so they sympathized with him first, especially because he's never given them trouble.

"Seen Papi yet?" Shanti asks over the phone, Ashton scrunching his face because he heard her.

"Ew," he frowns, getting up to finish getting ready for school.

Daniela tore open a pack of Now and Laters and pouted, "No, and I can't just drive by his house either. Imagine me being that crazed, and we haven't even hooked up yet."

Britt screams on their three-way, "You feeling him!"

"I ammm-uhh," she groans. "I'm tryna focus on the fact that he's a drug dealer to get rid of these temptations."

Shanti rolls her eyes. "How he makes his money is his business. As long as he takes care of you, leaves you out of it, and treats you right, what's the problem?"

"Him going to prison," Daniela blurts out.

Britt waves her hand down cause she ain't care about that. "Prison is for those who get caught, and Enrique is smart."

"You too indecisive for me. I like em in the streets. Shoot up the club for me," Shanti points her fingers up, pretending to shoot.

"I need new friends," Daniela mumbled, biting through the candy wrapper.

Shanti creates the discussion, "Okay, so if we say don't deal with Enrique. He's a bad man; what are you gonna say?"

Daniela pouts, "that I don't care and I want him."

"Exactly," Britt and Shanti both say.

"You really don't want us to deter you from getting mixed up with guys like him because that man is sexy. Sex- to the -e, and no one's blaming you," Shanti swears.