It Comes Naturally

23.

Spencer

The blow-up of Bree's prank lasted through the night and into school the next day. The reactions were both positive and negative but the positive side of things outweighed the smug comments of jealous students. As expected, Raine didn't attend school, it was understandable and they didn't hold it against her. The group carried about their day as normal, but they can feel the strain on the group. Their worry for Raine was great and on top of that, Ayanna and Mischa weren't speaking. 

Ayanna confided in Erica of walking in on Mischa and a new girl in a very compromising manner. Apparently, the two didn't care about the security cameras in the classroom but the image of the girl on her knees before Mischa was imprinted in her mind. She cursed herself for always being at the wrong place at the wrong time. On the other hand, the places she spotted Mischa and some random girl were common places she will either use or pass for her school activities. It had her thinking that he was doing these things intentionally and that thought made her hurt even more.
"It's his life. Who am I to get upset or jealous of. I'm just a friend."

Erica didn't mention the late-night phone call to Elijah but it turned out she didn't have to. The school called his parents about Mischa's indiscretion, putting him on janitor duty over the weekend at the school and him working on a new job site with his uncle. Elijah was downright annoyed with his cousin's new behavior. The boys were taught to respect themselves and the women they encounter and here Mischa was doing the opposite.
Harem lashed out but something else was bothering him. He left school early stating he had some errands to run but Erica and Ayanna caught a look both he and Elijah shared. The girls let it be, thinking the cousins had their own thing going on.

By the end of the school day, everyone needed a bit of time to themselves. Elijah didn't want time by himself, he wanted his girl but he understood that the weekend was important to her. Aside from the little issues surrounding the group, he still comforted her and placate her nerves throughout the day. Holding her hand as he drove her home, he kept up the mindless chatter they started to keep her mind worry-free. 

Parking outside of her house, he grinned at the normality of seeing her father tinkering with a car in the driveway of their home. Once or twice when he brought her home this early, her father was always fixing someone's car. Whether it's the neighbors or one of his extra jobs from his garage. Erica told him with the proudest smile on her face that her father can fix anything mechanical and you will get a good day's work done on your vehicle. Elijah thought it cute and great progress in her relationship with the man. If he didn't know the background story of her reason for coming to the US, he would have thought they have had that bond since her birth.
Grabbing her bag from the backseat, he quickly got out of his car greeted her father then helped her out. Hand in hand they walked up the driveway towards Julius, who was wiping the grease off his hands waiting on them.

"Yuh know it's just de weekend right? Yuh could still call she," Julius teased.

"I know," Elijah muttered, lowering his head in embarrassment. Erica stayed quiet wondering if her aunt and cousins were already there. From conversations between her father and their family, they all wanted to come visit Erica but Julius was able to schedule their visits one weekend each. Meeting new people wasn't her strong point. She tends to get defensive of everything until she acknowledges the fact that they're not out to get her. 

"Come over tomorrow night. We go have a little lime," Julius said tucking the grease-stained rag into his back pocket.

"Lime?" Elijah asked thinking why he should visit for a fruit.

"Not dat kind ah lime," Erica clarified with a grin. "Daddy means to hang out. Lime is used as slang back in Tobago. We just chill out with food an' music, nothin' big like de fete and dem."