Whatever. I’ll just re take those 4.
Yeah, right. Like he’d get a better result. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the shit. If they had a test where somebody came out and watched him do the work, he’d pass with flying colors. But these assholes wanted him to pick the ‘best answer’ from a list where mostly all he could think was ‘it depends.’
Another text from Duncan showed up.
Yeah. And now you know what the test is like, so
you can study up on the shit you didn’t know
Except he knew the shit. He couldn’t learn it more, and he didn’t know how to learn to take tests better. His folks had paid for him to take a ‘test-prep’ course back in high school, but it hadn’t helped any.
All he said to Duncan, however, wasYeah.
A few months back, Duncan had passed all nine exams on his first try. And he hadn’t studied half as hard. Jay was really working at not being pissed at his friend right now.
I guess tonight’s off then, yeah?Duncan returned.
It was Friday night. He and Duncan had plans to hit the Dawghouse. Duncan, whose exams had been so cake, had assumed Jay would pass, and he’d made a couple offhand remarks about how they could celebrate. There was nothing to celebrate.
But a Friday night at the Dawghouse wasn’t special. It was typical. And tonight it was necessary. He needed to get drunk and stoned and high and tight and loose and mellow and ... justaltered. In every conceivable way.
No way. I want to party. We ride at sundown
Haha. You got it. You going home first?
Interesting question. Yeah, he should go home first—to shower, refresh his wallet condoms, and generally get prepped to pull. The pussy at the Dawghouse was young and fresh.
But his parents would be home, and they’d both want to know how the testing had gone.
IDK You going home?
Yeah. I’m still on the clock and smell like exhaust
Need a shower
If you don’t want to hoof it out to the boonies
you can come to my house
Duncan’s house wasn’t all that much better. Like Jay, Dunc still lived at home, and his old man was Maverick, the Brazen Bulls’ VP. Mav was at least as interested as Jay’s father in how the exams went, seeing as getting his ASE would put him on the schedule as a mechanic at the Bulls’ station.
Familial disappointment loomed in every direction tonight. It was just a matter of whom he disappointed first.
And at least his mom would tell him it was okay.
Nah. I’ll head home. Meet you at the Dawg at 8
Duncan returned a thumbs up.
Just as Jay swiped away the app, a new message popped up, from his brother:Hey. How’d it go?
Like Zach cared.
Like Jay gave a fuck if he did.
He shoved his phone in his pocket, mounted up, and headed home.
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