KISS: Casablanca High School

Ch 40: The Split (Multiple POVs)

Ace

The weekend didn't do anything to improve my mood and I walked out to Peter's car still pissed, silently vowing I would finally demand my parents fix my car. Peter gave me a weak smile that quickly faded as he saw my scowl. "Hey, Ace! How was the rest of your weekend?" he asked. I sat wordlessly in the passenger seat, staring at the road. He placed a hand on my leg as we drove off. "Seriously man, you alright?" 

I shrugged, leaning against the window. "I don't know, babe. Look, for right now, I'm done. I just want a break from the group," I mumbled. 

His hand slipped off my thigh. "W-wait, you're breaking up with me?!" he cried. 

"No! No, not you. Well, like maybe, but not really. I just...damn, it's hard to explain. I just want to be able to step away from all the drama with Gene and Paul and it's just spreading to everyone and I just can't deal with it on top of school and everything. I don't want to deal with it, so I'm not going to. I don't want to force you to make a choice between me or them, I'm just saying it like it is. For now, I'm gonna join Gene and Paul in their little game of not talking to each other and not talk to either of them." 

Peter went really quiet and I saw him nod slowly out of the corner of my eye. "I don't blame you, babe, I really don't. But I mean...as of now, Gene and Paul are still my friends, despite the fact they're both idiots and jerks and we're all just waiting for life to give them both a swift kick in the ass." 

I laughed in spite of myself and tried to lean over and kiss him, resulting in him smacking me away. "Ace, come on! You're gonna make me crash!" 

By the time we pulled into school, I was starting to feel a bit better. Peter gave me a smile, leaning back in his chair. "You know what babe, you seem really stressed. I know what'll help you relax." 

"I'm not having car sex with you," I grumbled, and he laughed, reaching underneath his seat. "I'm not asking you to," he retorted, pulling out two pens and tossing one to me. "I'm asking if you wanna help hotbox my car." 

I propped my feet up on the dash, taking a hit of the pen and slowly exhaled. "I mean why the hell not," I mumbled. He was right, it was relaxing. Except for the gnawing feeling in my stomach that we were gonna get busted. As if he was reading my mind, he slipped an arm around my shoulder, kissing me. "Come on, babe, relaxxxx. We're gonna be fine, just lighten up!" 

I took another hit and smiled. Yeah, why the hell not?

Gene

The first bell rang and I sighed, rising to my feet and shouldering my backpack. Eric and Bruce were off who knows where, so I waited for Peter to step out of his car, hand in hand with Ace. They spent a minute placing tonsil hockey with each other before Peter walked over toward me, giving me a crooked smile. "Hey, Gene, Ace said he's not gonna talk with you anymore either," he said with a giggle. I stared at him in confusion. "Sorry, what?" 

"He's not gonna talk with you! He said he's done with you and Paul and your stupid drama so he's not gonna talk with you!" he repeated, still laughing. I bit back a curse and gave him another look. "Peter...why are you high?" 

He blinked, eyes red, before giving me a slow smile. "Why not, man? Senior year, you know? Now come on, we're gonna be late for calc." 

I walked with him across campus, looking at the thin flakes of snow that were slowly spiraling down. "So, you done with me too?" I asked after a long pause. He shrugged, looking at his phone as we walked. "I dunno. Probably not. I mean yeah I love Ace but like I'm not controlled by him haha. So, you know. But you and Paul do seriously need to work it out, it's getting annoying. Actually no, I might be done with you guys too."