The Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold

✖ Chapter 8 ✖

Without being the wiser, things had changed all around me. Last period on Friday was done and there were no extracurricular sessions being held today. My friends and I left the school building with the sense of freedom that always came with a full school week behind us and a weekend of possibilities ahead of us.

Except my weekend was going to be homework at the car shop, trouble at home and definitely none of what Lina and Courtney were getting. As I watched them in the arms of their boyfriends—because Ryan and Courtney had moved fast—I told myself that I was not jealous, that this was all according to my plans and that I didn't need any distractions. As both couples flanked my sides, I focused on the horizon. I had bigger goals than to be the arm accessory of some guy.

"Hey Rory," Courtney said as we walked across the parking lot. "Wanna come with us to Five Guys and hang out for a bit?"

I bit my lip. I really shouldn't. I had to go home and finish putting together the study plan I was going to shove in Sawyer's face tomorrow once I cornered him at the shop. And I had tons of homework to do for my AP classes.

Then again, I also didn't want to go home to have to tip toe around the graveyard silence that had lately fallen around us. No one wanted to say a word about anything. It always led back to the topic of Toni and usually mama ended in tears and papa ended up sleeping on the couch after having one too many beers. A whole week of this went by where none of them gave Toni the time of the day and I became the courier in between, giving messages from one side to another.

I hated it.

"I don't know," I told her.

"Aw c'mon." She left the cocoon of warmth that was her boyfriend and came over to nudge me. "You do know I'm your ride, right?"

She was trying to distract me, and I appreciated it. I gave her a little smile, "You also do know that my place is on the way to Five Guys, right?"

Now the guys and Lina also joined, saying it was not going to be as fun without me. The thing was, I had suddenly become the third wheel in this group, and it was just not as fun for me as it was when it was just the girls and me. A whole week of both couples making moony faces at each other over lunch had proved as much. I appreciated that of course they still included me, but it just felt weird now.

All the ribbing in the world couldn't convince me and as the five of us headed toward Courtney's car to cram into it, she accepted to take me home first. I waited for Lina to get in the middle at the back, so that I could sit by the door, since I was getting out earlier. I waited for her and Matt to put their backpacks in the trunk of the car and when they finally got in the car, there was a huge roar right behind me that made me jump out of my skin. I whirled around to see what the threat to the normal beat of my heart was.

It was Sawyer, getting on his motorbike and turning it on.

He caught me staring as he put on his helmet. "What's up, princess?"

I rolled my eyes. Where should I start?

First of, I'd given up on telling him not to call me that years ago, when as soon as he realized that it bothered me he took it as invitation to say the p word with every sentence he directed at me.

Second, "I'm glad you're wearing a helmet, but did you really have to rev your engine right next to me? I almost died of a heart attack."

"Sounds like a personal problem," he said as he patted the pockets of his leather jacket.

He couldn't be more stereotypical if anyone paid him.

I took a deep breath. The third point was the most important one. "Aren't you supposed to be in detention?" I asked him.