Fiction/Drama
Assumptions — Senior Year — Chapter Twenty-One
Reagan Alverez
Thankfully, Josh was able to walk home with me. Shelby had some important appointment she had to take her mother to. Josh’s dad had to use their car, so he wasn’t able to drive either one of us home. And Ash had to stay after for more quarterback training.
Cheer practice was rough today. I had three weeks to get the girls into tip-top shape for our debut at the homecoming game. I created the dance we were going to do. That was sort of my forte—creating routines. I might not know much about academics, ahem, like math, but I could create a killer routine that was almost guaranteed to take first place.
The walk back wasn’t all that bad. Josh kept silent most of the way. We talked, but it was nice not to have a forced conversation. My house was only a mile and a half from the school. Josh’s dad would meet him there in about an hour, and then he would stay with my mom while Josh went back to their apartment.
I swung my pom-poms back and forth, listening to the swish of the plastic strips as they brushed against one another. My backpack was getting heavy from all of the books and notepads, but it was a good workout for cardio and building muscle.
I swung my arm backward, and before I could bring the pom-poms forward again, they were stolen from my hand.
Elizabeth, Josh’s older sister, but only by two years, ran past us with my pom-pom in hand. She was so hip and stylish. Everything about her screamed personality. She loved wearing bright neon colors, and today was no different. Her hot pink booty shorts, along with a neon green clingy t-shirt, showed off her tight-ass body and chocolate skin. Elizabeth had naturally dark-colored curly hair that flowed around her sculpted face. She was so a young Whitney Houston.
“E, why do you have to act like such a little kid?” I grabbed my cheer gear back.
Elizabeth threw her arm around my shoulder. “You know you love me, Reg.”
And I did. I wasn’t happy with my mom dating a local drug dealer, but the connection brought Elizabeth and Josh into my life. In the six months our parents had been together, we’d grown close. E was the sister I never had and Josh, well, Josh was protective, like walking me home today when he could’ve easily gotten a ride from one of the other football players.
“Where’s Ash?” Elizabeth glanced over at me as we walked, questioning why Ash wasn’t driving me home.
“He had some sort of special meeting for only the two quarterbacks.”
Elizabeth pursed her lips together. “MmmHmm.”
“What now?” My tone was way bitchier than it should’ve been, but I knew she was making some sort of accusation.
Elizabeth threw her hands up, surrendering. “I’m not sayin anything. We both know how guys are. Never trust anything they say or do.”
Ugh. Why did she have to go and mention trust?
Our attention turned to a police cruiser riding past at a slow pace. The vehicle stopped beside us and we waited for someone to exit. I knew who it was—Ash's dad—and he wasn’t too fond of me. After several seconds, the car moved on and turned the corner.
“What’s up with him?" Elizabeth’s gaze focused on the way the vehicle had gone.
“Ash’s dad?”
Elizabeth nodded. She was still fixated on the long-gone car.
“He’s just a pain in my ass. He has it out for Ash and me to break up.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, and a soft smile spread across her face. “Hmm, I might like him, not a bad suggestion.”
My glare burned holes into the side of Elizabeth’s face. E looked shocked by my scowl, and she dipped her head onto my shoulder. “Aw, c’mon, Reg, you need a good man, not someone whose daddy doesn’t like you because of who you are. And definitely not someone like Joseph.”
“Yeah, how is Joseph?” Oh, so now Josh has decided to add to the conversation. I saw his lip twitch as if he wanted to smile as soon as he caught my eye.
"Have you heard from Joseph lately?” I tried to keep my face neutral.
Elizabeth shook her head. “Not since I sort of broke up with him. You know,” she said, sliding her eyes my way as we continued to walk and talk. “I had a right to break up with him. I know he cheated on me.”
Josh’s eyes widened, and it looked as though he wanted to say something. But he shook his head and closed his mouth tightly.
I watched as Elizabeth transformed right in front of our eyes. Her eyes turned into slits, and her lips curled into a frown as she got a mad-woman vibe to her. “If I ever find out where he went, I swear to God, Reg, I’m gonna kill him.” She tried to reel in her psychotic side but had a hint of madness still in her eyes. “I wish Joseph Harrington all the best with that cheap ass slut. I hope they live happily ever after.” Elizabeth’s tone was sickly sweet, like the calm before the storm.
Her pace picked up, so she was a good ten steps ahead of Josh and me. She threw her arms wide open at her sides. “I hope you rot in fuckin hell, Joseph,” E yelled out like a possessed woman. She kept a steady pace and got further away from the two of us.
I hung back and let her get even further away. It was moments like this that I knew nothing good would ever come out of the situation. Josh slowed his pace to match mine. I could only imagine the ranting I was going to hear.
“You gonna tell her?” Josh’s jaw had a constant clench. I knew he wanted to say more but was keeping the peace.
“Tell her what, Josh. There was and never will be anything to tell Elizabeth.” Like, really, there wasn’t. Yes, something might have happened, but nothing to the degree that would involve sending someone to hell over. Fuck, we all went to Bayshore, wasn’t that hell enough.
Josh turned and walked backward in front of me. “Secrets like this don’t stay hidden forever, Reg. E is my sister, and Ash is my quarterback. I can’t play your game much longer.” And with his final assertion, Josh spun back around and picked his stride back up to get away from me.
Fuck, I really wish I had someone I could talk to about this. But, I’m Reagan Alverez, fuckin Queen Bee of the school who has no problems whatsoever.
Yeah, right, come live a day in my life sometime.
