Page 70 of As You Walk On

Also, I’m not a fan of the whole ship-names thing. These are real people I go to school with. Not characters from a fanfic on the internet.

Courtney shoots Jamari a puzzled expression. “Aren’t we calling them Lerek?”

“Youcalled them Lerek,” corrects Jamari. “The rest of the school named them Delexi. She’s the—”

“The nobody,” Aleah spits, her jaw tense. “Nobody to you or anyone else who doesn’t mind their own damn business.”

Ayikesexpression pinches Luca’s face, but Jamari giggles and nods, looking more impressed than frightened.

“Yo, I love that about you,” he says as if he’s known Aleah for more than five seconds. “The way you low-key choose violence all the time. Respect. I heard you whooped Derek’s ass for telling Lexi about the hookup.”

“No shit, I heard the same thing!” Courtney says excitedly. “Aleah, girl, is all the hot goss true? What happened with Lexi?”

You know that feeling before a thunderstorm? The way the gray starts to devour the blue from the sky. The silence before the first crackle. The metallic taste at the back of your throat. Everything smells fresh and alive.

This is that moment.

Aleah’s eyes widen. Her head slowly tilts sideways like a possessed child in a horror movie. Hands curling into fists. Her chest expands. Tiny exhales exit her flared nostrils.

I contemplate stopping her, then remember I have no desire to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

“Actually,” Makayla says loudly as Aleah’s left foot scoots forward.

Her dad used to box. Taught her to spar before she learned to write in cursive.

“How about we take these,” Makayla continues, swiping the baggie from Jamari. “And you two can return to the hellish corner you spawned from without me informing Chloe twofreshmenare at her party, uninvited. Okay?”

“But—!” Courtney starts to say.

Jamari hooks an arm around her waist, easing them backward. “Message received,” he says, chin cocked defensively. “If you want to play the narc card, go ’head. We’ll find other friends.”

They’re halfway into the hall when River scrambles to their feet, calling out, “Hey!”

Courtney and Jamari freeze.

“Do you two have a ride home?” River wonders. “Do you need a sober buddy’s number? In case you...”

I recognize the hiccup in River’s speech. Their nervous tics like fidgeting with their bracelets.

Courtney and Jamari share a calculated look. It lasts about three seconds before they crack up. Their laughter echoes down the hall as they leave.

Makayla kicks the door closed. “Assholes.” She lets out a long sigh. It’s almost as if she’s exhaling the breath we’ve been collectively holding all night. A smile splits her lips. She jiggles the baggie above her head.

“Who’s down for some real fun?”

It doesn’t take long for us to return to our circle on the floor. River tries their hand at mixing drinks. Aleah immediately chugs whatever they’ve concocted. Either it’s good or she’s looking for a quick mind wipe of the last ten minutes. Maybe the entire night.

I can’t say I blame her.

Makayla distributes the edibles among us. I decline. Luca does too, which gives me this fuzzy, loopy feeling in my stomach. For all I know he’s allergic to THC. Still, my heart adds another checkmark in the Reasons Luca and Me Are Compatible list.

Hell, I didn’t realize I started a list.

Aleah’s two drinks in, clearly out to escape the earlier tension, when she suggests we play Never Have I Ever. We’re all buzzing in some way, growing exceedingly comfortable in our hideaway. Luca’s giggling between sips. Makayla, shoes off, hair down again, leans against River, who’s vibing to the playlist streaming from my phone. I’m on a sugar high, reaching for another cookie when Aleah throws out the first statement.

“Never have I ever deleted a social media post because it didn’t get enough likes.”

“No fair!” groans Makayla, tipping up her cup.

---