Me & Mine

7. Queen of Hearts

Amory and I spend the weekend shopping for furniture and finishing The Great Gatsby. We talked little about the party and the events that transpired, and I heard nothing of Max or Kane. But soon on Monday morning I got reminded that we might forgive and forget, but the student body of Ridgeview High aren't as forgiving.

It seems that summer finds it rather hard to say goodbye. Today is a lovely day and the weekend is supposed to be even better. The glowing sun warms my skin as I walk up to the black pickup truck and throw my jacket in the back seat. I hoist myself up in the car and turn the radio up. Amory smiles at me and I hand him his sunglasses. If it wasn't for me he would forget his car keys on the bar. I straighten my light grey T-shirt and check my lipstick in the mirror. Amory backs off the driveway and nudges my shoulder. "Ready?"

"Always," I smile, checking my phone for any messages. Last night I had been on the phone with Harley for hours. We didn't really have anything important to say to each other, but somehow we managed to not get bored of each other. I smile and study my brother's profile. He smiles at me. "What?"

"Nothing," I laugh, "it's just... You and Ann, huh?"

He shrugs and keeps his attention on the road. "What makes you think that?"

"Come on, you couldn't keep your eyes off her and she practically came running after you had been hurt. Plus, you'd look really cute together."

Amory chuckles and raises his eyebrows. "I mean, yeah, she's gorgeous and smart and funny," he smiles, "but we'll see. We just met."

I laugh and roll down my window. "Whatever."

We pull into the school's parking lot and I see Harley and Richie waiting for us. "Hi!" I jump out of the car and walk over to my friends. Harley and Richie hug me and I can't help but smile at them both. "How are you guys?"

"Five by five!" Richie says and I cock my head to the side. He raises his eyebrows. "It's from-"

"I know," I say, "I'm just surprised that you know." He smiles and hugs me again.

"You guys are a bit weird," Harley says, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "You look rather light today," she says to me, smiling that radiating smile of hers. She nods at my light grey loose shirt and denim shorts. I chuckle. "Don't worry, there's a pitch black leather jacket in the back of the truck."

"It is rather hot today, isn't it?" Harley says.

"Yeah," Amory joins us, "the weekend looks promising too. We should do something." He pats Richie's shoulder and hugs Harley. "Where's Ann?" He asks, and I send him a knowing smirk. Richie shrugs. "Probably already in class," he says, "she likes to be on time."

We start walking to the school and I wave my arm through Harley's. "So where can we go swimming around here?"

Her eyes light up. "Oh, the lake, of course!" She says. I smile. "Great! We should totally get together on Saturday and go swimming there. We can bring food and drinks and music, it will be amazing!"

"Yeah, I'd love that!"

I nudge Richie. "You guys in too?" Amory nods and Richie claps his hands. "I have the perfect playlist for a midsummer lake party!"

We walk down the hallway when Amory suddenly stops in his tracks. He turns around to face me and nods behind him. It's my locker. The traditional green color has been upgraded to smears of white paint spelling out the word "SLUT". I bite the inside of my cheek and sigh. Harley takes my hand and I squeeze it slightly. Uninspired childish warfare. Cammie needs to do better if she wants to take me down.