Play The Part (Player Next Door Book 3)

55 | Now We're Carpooling

AI has come for Luke Dawson. Thank you to @jurxavimiltin_for making this! I love seeing how you picture them all <3

Chapter 55: Now We're Carpooling

*Cearra's POV*

I missed hanging out with the girls. We used to call ourselves LUCKY before I took the 'C' with me and Julia replaced me in the group.

LUJKY.

Doesn't have the same ring to it.

It's been an awkward ass year, with their catty attitudes and bitter stares. I adopted my cat eye look to honor that era.

But damn I wouldn't change it for the world. Millie is one wild woman, loyal, fun, and the way these girls treated her were not right. The kind of petty behavior my mama would never approve of.

So I lost my girl gang for a while. And it took us months before we started slowly, slowly, talking again. The kind of slow you see in two awkward tweens who are crushing on each other.

Like today. I lent Yoona one of my eyeshadow palettes and now the rest of the girls joined us by my locker, chatting like it was old times.

Until.

Luke Dawson turned the corridor, students hovering around him while getting out of his way.

He had a red cap swung back and his blue eyes focused on his phone. Stray locks of his dark hair curled slightly at the edges of his cap.

"Woah," Lexi let out a gasp as we all turned towards him.

A black workout bag hung off one shoulder, the strap pressed against his toned frame as he walked, his grip loose but steady. The fabric shifted with each step and while his right hand held the strap, fingers curled just enough to keep it in place, the other moved effortlessly over his phone screen, his attention split.

"Ugh, if only he could do one of us and just get it out the way," Unity fanned a loose strand of hair out of her face, "The guy must have a small d*ck or bad BO or something to even it out."

"Stop it," Yoona nudged Unity to be quiet, "He's her friend's boyfriend. Isn't that weird, Cece?"

Me?

"It's weird," I acknowledged, voicing this out loud for the first time, "So much about it is weird. I've been thinking about this dude like he's the sexiest man ever for years and now we're carpooling together. How do I undo the years of trained behavior wired into my brain?"

Yoona picked up my box braids as if she was trying to help unwire it all, "I can recommend some filthy novels to help cleanse you of his spirit."

"I'm evil aren't I?" I raised my hands in the air and quickly lowered my voice as Luke passed us by.

When I'm not with Millie, he doesn't notice me.

"You're definitely a bitch," Lexi nodded sympathetically, "But that's why we liked you."

"Everyone crushes on him, Austin and Chad. They're like the publicly accepted fantasy boyfriends, but then in real life, he's her actual boyfriend. And they're so perfect for each other by the way and he is not at all the image we've created of him."

"So you think of screwing him while she actually is?" Lexi laughed.

Is she?

I kept my mouth shut on that one.

"Don't act like you wouldn't," Khloe told her, "You were begging to join me at camp this summer so you could sneak into his bathroom for some reason."

Lexi rolled her eyes, "I was a sophomore. I didn't know any better."