Interdependent (Book 2 in EBTWOG series)

Chapter 4

After another sleepless night, I pull up to the school trying to keep my eyes open. I lean my forearms on the steering wheel and lean against them for a moment, trying to get the strength to go through with the day. A rapping sound on the driver's window has me jolting up and looking out at the person. A grinning Sam stares back at me.

"You coming shorty, or are you sleeping out here all day?" I roll my eyes, and grab my bag. I motion for him to move back, and when he's out of the way, I exit the car.

"I wasn't sleeping, just trying to get the strength to go through with the day," I tell him placing my bag on my shoulder.

"I could have sworn I heard your snores from the other side of the parking lot," he jokes. I punch him lightly in the arm, causing him to chuckle. "What are your plans for the weekend?"

"I don't know. Maybe look for a job," I tell him with a slight shrug. I would feel a lot happier if I had some money that I could spend, so I don't have to rely on the guys so much for money. I need to be able to get basic things for myself, but I also want to be able to get Trystan and Ryder a birthday present, and currently I can't. I also need to pay the rent for our apartment, even though we're not living there right now. Everything is mounting up and I won't be able to get by with only 200 dollars. Maybe I'll need to talk to my mum about her using some of the money in the other account to pay the rent – it shouldn't be down to me to take care of. However, I want to have that as the last resort. I don't know if I could look at, or even talk to, my mum after the last visit. I stop the thoughts before the worry takes over, and focus on Sam next to me. "What about you?"

"Probably binge watch shows on..."  Arms wrap themselves around both of our necks, and I turn to see Jinx smiling at us both.

"Excited for the weekend, ladies?" she asks. I chuckle slightly, as Sam answers.

"If you mean excited to see my bed, then yes. You're clearly excited for something, anything special?"

"Oh, no, just ready to be away from this building. What about you?" she asks, squeezing my neck. I feel dread start to creep up in my stomach at the sensation; however it was only fleeting so it doesn't cause me to panic.

"Yeah, I guess," I mutter. It doesn't change anything. Tanner doesn't leave me alone when school is over. I have to endure it all the time. If anything school is better than being alone, I'm surrounded by people instead of worrying about where Tanner is and what he could do next. The only redeeming feature of the weekend is that I get to spend more time with Sophie.

We get to the doors leading into the school, and I pause. Although I prefer school, I don't like the stares that come with it. People begin to push around us, but it doesn't last for long as Jinx nudges me forward with her arm. She rests her head on mine.

"No one will be looking at you they'll all be staring at Sam's ugly face," she tells me. I allow a smile to come to my face.

"Hey!" Sam shouts. "I think you'll find that they will be staring at me because of how handsome I am."

We enter the school, Jinx still hanging onto both of us. "You're still under that delusion?" Jinx asks.

I scan our surroundings as we walk, and see that not as many people are staring at us as they were yesterday, but today we didn't have Levi with us. A few people quickly look away when they catch my gaze, while others aren't as shy about staring outright. I find Storm at the end of the corridor, talking to Trystan, Ryder and Levi. It makes me feel more comfortable knowing I have a destination, and potential shields on arrival.

I focus only on them as we continue to walk. The stares seem to become inconsequential. Trystan's eyes lift, and when they see me they light up. My cheeks become hot when I meet his gaze, remembering how he and his brother said goodnight to me last night. As I look at them longer, I see that Trystan and Ryder's shoulders are sagging forward, and they have dark circles around their eyes. More so than yesterday. Their parents didn't seem that bad when I met them yesterday. Yes, they seemed slightly rude, and even judgemental, but it also looked like they cared about them. I guess I didn't see them at their full capabilities.