Fiction/Drama
Assumptions — Senior Year — Chapter Thirteen
Tabby Faber
I watched the two-hundred-thousand-dollar SUV pass us on the road leading out of the school as me, Brady, and Connor stepped out of the 35-year-old, five-hundred-dollar, rusted, handy-dandy Honda Brady bought last summer. It sorta matched all the other vehicles in the student parking lot. Most of us were a poor-ass bunch.
So the expensive car, I knew who the vehicle belonged to. It meant Ayma, my bestie, had just arrived.
“Hey, guys, I’ll catch y’all later.” I darted around Brady’s car.
“Where ya going?” Brady questioned me as he and Connor walked behind me at a snail’s pace.
I didn’t even turn around to answer him. “Catching up with Ayma. I’ll meet you in the courtyard.” I followed the pathway leading to the outside center complex, pushing younger students out of the way if needed. Fuck, I was a senior this year. It was my turn to show authority.
You could always tell the freshman, all too cute and innocent, looking like they could puke at any time an upperclassman came near them.
“Ayma.” I saw her a few paces ahead of me. I knew it was her based on the familiar attire—an old-school librarian, as she called it. Maybe professional or executive-style clothing would be a better statement. Plus, the cost of her shirt alone was probably more than my entire wardrobe.
She didn’t turn around. But then again, she wouldn’t hear me with all the noisy chatter going on all around.
Like, Oh. My. God.
Oh yay, we’re all so freakin excited to be back here.
Not.
I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Ayma. Ayma Kuntz.”
A few younger students, guessing first year since they probably never heard the name before, snickered at the name I called out. I flipped them off and jogged up the path where Ayma stopped to wait for me.
“Hey.” I gave her a quick hug.
Ayma pushed my shoulder as we walked along the stone pathway. “Thanks for the public announcement that I’m here.”
A group of guys, I think they were two years younger, most likely my brother’s friends from football since they had on jerseys, walked past us going in the opposite direction.
“Kuntz.” One of them mumbled as they met us on the sidewalk. Chuckles were heard, as the other two thought it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard. Like the guy was a regular Jim Carrey or something.
“Oh yay, another year of boys being asses.” Ayma’s comment dripped with sarcasm.
“So, was that mommy dearest’s new car?”
Ayma smiled with sadness in her eyes. “The one and only.”
I took hold of her hand as we entered the central portion of the courtyard, the place where all the cliques were separated. It was well cared for, with lots of trees, benches, picnic tables, and a water fountain in the center. But I wasn’t going to paint it all a pretty picture and pretend everyone got along, and there were always happy endings.
Get real, people. This was high school, a place where dreams and self-esteem go to die.
“Ready to begin our one hundred and eighty-day sentence.”
Ayma squeezed my hand for support as we entered the lion’s cage.
We only got ten steps in when I felt an arm go around my shoulders and pull me close to their body. The same thing happened to Ayma, who looked like she was ready to make a run for the hills.
“Ugh, get off me.” I shrugged out of my younger brother’s clutch.
“Ayma, baby.” Aiden pulled Ayma closer to his body.
“Aiden?” Ayma gathered her senses and took a step away from his reach.
“In the flesh.” Aiden flexed his biceps like they were supposed to be impressive. “This is what working out for football all summer does to you.”
“Yeah, your body got bigger, but your brain cells shrunk.” I mean, Aiden had filled out since he started varsity football, which was a feat since he was only a sophomore. He was way taller than me, like six feet compared to my almost five-foot height. He was muscular, with blond hair and blue eyes—the kind of thing some girls might like, but I knew the real him—an obnoxious younger brother.
Ayma looked amused by our sibling banter. “I can’t believe your little brother grew up.”
Aiden laughed her off. “Little is the last thing a girl has ever called me.”
“You’re gross, Aiden. Don’t you have somewhere to be that I don’t have to look at you?”
And once again, Aiden put his arm around both of us. “Oh, c’mon, you know you girls love me.”
I squirmed away from his reach at the same time Ayma did. “Did you remember to pick up your toys this morning? You know mom hates when you leave your things lying around.” I noticed a smirk creep onto Ayma’s lips. It looked like she was trying to suppress a laugh, thinking Aiden still playing with toys.
A few more football players walked past us, ignoring Ayma and me but fist-bumping Aiden. It was like his popularity carried over with him from middle school. He knew and talked to more people in this school in two years than I had in almost four.
WTF, right?
Aiden turned his attention back to Ayma and me after exchanging the ‘hey, what’s up, man’ conversation he had with his fellow sportsmen. “Mom was questioning the toys in your room. You know the ones I hear buzzing all night long.”
Oh my God, was he insinuating what I think he was? I was using, you know, a vibrator.
I slapped Aiden across the chest, not that it hurt him since he takes bigger hits at football. “You’re disgusting.” I looked to Ayma, who was still enthralled by us ragging on one another. “How would you like to deal with this,” I jabbed my thumb in Aiden’s direction, “on a daily basis?”
Aiden’s attention was totally taken away from us when Shelby and Danielle walked past. Those two girls were tight with Reagan, who was nowhere to be seen. Their eyes flickered at Ayma and me, looked us up and down, then sent a secret smirk to one another and kept walking.
“Talk to you girls later." Aiden patted Ayma and me on the back like we were one of his sports buddies. We both stumbled forward with his roughness. He swaggered in the direction of Shelby and Danielle, throwing his arms around both of their shoulders. “Ladies, How are you, beautiful women, this fine morning?"
Oh, real smooth, Aiden. He was such a freakin dweeb. Shelby scooted out of his arm while Danielle, well, she stayed put. Of course, she would. That was how Danielle rolled.
