I glance over my shoulder at Vienna. “I’m just going for a walk.”
“I could use a walk.” She falls in line beside me, and together we head down the road, passing the park the boys play ball in.
Vienna looks over the broken-down court. “You know our school was built by a Brayshaw back in the day?”
I cut a glance her way. “I figured, yeah. Brayshaw High...” I trail off, curious where she’s going with this.
“It was. Before, students below poverty weren’t even allowed to attend, they’d actually bus them to the town over. It was only for the power families and their spawns. But then one day, all of a sudden, they were bringing in people like us.”
“Strange change of heart.”
She scoffs. “I heard it was because kids who had nothing, had nothing to lose. I mean, think about it ... if all the kids at the school were meant for greatness, who did that leave to do the dirty work when dirty is needed?” She trails off, effectively planting a damn seed.
I don’t comment and now I can’t shut my brain off. It sort of makes sense what she’s saying. Power trickles down.
It’s like in my neighborhood. Every dope dealer has a dealer who has a dealer, and so on. There’s the piss on selling dime bags to kids on the corner, but that bag traveled from a bigger hand somewhere else at some point.
“Speaking of the Brayshaws,” she mumbles, bringing me back to now. “Looks like they’re having a party tonight.”
“What makes you say that?” I give her a side glance.
She motions to the school parking lot that has just come into view. There are at least two dozen cars there, students all around, laughing and acting like fools, having fun.
“This is how it goes. The Brays plan a party once or twice a month, set a time for everyone to meet here and together they all head over, sometimes there’s even a theme to keep it fresh and fun. If you don’t make it here before Leo, one of the guys on their team, you can’t go.” She glances my way briefly before returning her eyes to the scene. “They don’t give out the location and everyone has to check their phones at the door. It’s like some super-secret shit.”
“You ever been?”
“Nah.” She shakes her head, pretending she’s not interested but her next comment tells me she wishes she has. “Heard it’s invite-only.”
I spot Chloe sitting against the hood of some red little sports car and roll my eyes.
“Surprised you didn’t get invited.”
I scoff before I can stop it and she spins to look at me.
When I glare at her and look away, she starts laughing.
“You did! Why the hell are you not going?”
“Why would I?”
“Better question... why not? It’s not like you’ve got somewhere else to be. Shit, I don’t know about you, but this is the first time in a while I’ve had a spot to go back at the end of the night. My mind’s not on how to get my next meal or where I can sneak a shower. We’re fucking teenagers for a while longer. Why not act like one every once and a while?”
I stop and turn to her, watching to see any sign of a liar or a con. And not the kind we poor kids have to be from time to time but the shitty kind we can choose to be better than.
She stares right back, even lifts her chin a little, so I nod and start walking toward the herd of cars.
“Holy shit, wait,” she whispers. “Are we really just gonna walk up in there and expect one of them to give us a ride?”
“I’ve learned not to expect anything.” I turn to her with a smirk. “We’ll either catch a ride or have some fun stirring up shit for the in-crowd.”
She pauses, shrugs and then laughs as we continue forward.
By the time we hit the parking, all the partygoers are hoping in the cars and a few kids are hitting each window with a little white card.
“What is that?”
“Directions maybe?”
“I don’t think we’ll be finding a ride.”
Right then, a familiar black SUV pulls around the row of cars, and all eyes trail it as it pulls over...right beside me.
The window rolls down and some guy I don’t know leans out.
“That’s Leo,” she whispers, and I roll my eyes.
The corner of his mouth lifts and he swings his eyes her way a minute, licking his lips before he looks back to me.
“And he can hear you.” I tilt my head and he then glances to the back as the window rolls down, revealing a couple girls I recognize from gym. High and mighty smirks on their faces.
“Royce didn’t think you’d show. I told him you would.” He eyes me.