Chapter Text
STONE POV
“Here.” I drop the bag into her hand.
“Thanks,” She replies, stuffing it in her bag. A phone rings in her pocket and she cringes.
“Did you seriously bring your phone?” I say, sighing. “Do you have the money, at least? You still owe me.”
“Yes, I have it this time. Only enough for today, though.”
“Vinnie, you need to pay for this stuff,” I reply, trying not to raise my voice. “My supplier is gonna be pissed if I can’t bring in enough.”
“I will, trust me,” Vinnie puts her hands in her pockets and looks anywhere but me.
“You said that last time.”
“I know, I just… ugh.” We both hear a noise and shut the fuck up for a second. “That’s your cue to leave.”
“Got it.” She drops the money on the ground and jumps the fence. I get my buyers to go to this abandoned daycare that the city council didn’t care enough to knock down, so it was pretty easy to break the CCTV cameras, and it has fences that are more secluded.
I check the money that Vinnie gave me and groan. What she gave me was $3 short of the actual price. She still gave me 20 bucks, though, and I get that she’s tight on money. I’m not an asshole, so I usually let it slide.
I hop the fence myself and start walking home. The night breeze feels cool on my skin and the sky is dark and churning with clouds. I always liked nighttime. When I was little, I liked watching the stars with my sister. Now it’s so I can sell weed and risk going to jail with each bag I drop into people’s hands.
What am I doing?
———
VINNIE POV
“Class, class, settle down.” Mrs Brayden tries to quiet down the group, but to no avail.
Rigel is armwrestling Momo, and I’m watching them, since Skipp has an appointment for the first 2 periods. Someone throws a paper plane, and Mrs Brayden blows her whistle so loud Rigel drops his arm for a second and Momo wins. They punch him in the shoulder and return to their seat.
“Now, everyone, quiet down.”
The rest of classes go by in a blur, moving classrooms, making small talk with friends, and straining to hear the teacher talk, before slumping back down onto my desk. I stare out of the window at the trees and wonder if anything can make school interesting again. I used to be enthralled by learning all the different concepts and patterns that make up life as I knew it.
But, at some point, the American education system had to come back to bite me, and now I barely get anything above a 75.
Skipp comes back a bit later than expected, seating himself at the lunch table 15 minutes late.
“Why were you gone so long?” Journey asks.
“The appointment took longer than usual.” Skipp smiles and looks at his food. Today, we’re having a sandwich with limp lettuce and some ham, a milk carton and a fruit cup.
“That looks disgusting,” Dimitri says.
“Easy for you to say when you get loaded ass lunches everyday.” Nil yawns and opens his milk.
“Yeah, but still. They should invest in the youth, y’know?”
“You sound like my grandma. The American education system is shit. No denying that,” Cen says, and Rigel elbows him.
“Hey, guys. I have something to say,” Dimitri claps and everyone at the table goes quiet. “So. My Mom and Dad have told me that for the first half of spring break, we can go to my aunt's big vacation home near the beach.”
“What the hell?” Skipp says, smiling like an idiot. “That’s cool as shit!”
“Are your parents coming?” Momo asks, playing with the wrapper of their straw.
“Nah, they trust us. Besides, they’re going on a retreat to Spain for their anniversary,” Dimitri replies. “If it wasn’t for this, I probably would’ve gone to my grandparents place with my siblings.”
“That would’ve been unfair.” Nil leans his head on Dimitri’s shoulder. “Going to their place? Without me? Horrible.”
I look to Skipp. I met him at the start of middle school, before anyone else. When I was there, I was a scared kid, freshly scarred, not knowing what to think of myself. In high school, he met new people, and we both became more secure in ourselves, in different ways. I found things to do with myself, Skipp transitioned, we met our new friend group. Everything’s better, or so I like to think.
“Sounds good! Can the place sleep all of us?” Skipp asks.
“Yeah, it can actually sleep 10, so we have one extra space.”
“Wait. What's the driving situation?” I ask. I can’t drive myself anywhere, what with not having a license and also not having a car and biking to school everyday.
“Oh yeah. Momo, can we use your mom’s van?” Dimitri asks.
“I just texted her. She says we can.” Momo puts her phone back in their bag.
“Sick. That can seat 8 people, so the band, and Skipp and Vinnie?” Nil looks at the both of us.
“Sounds good,” Skipp and I say at the exact same time, grinning at each other.
“Our grandma would want to drive us herself,” Cen says, and Dimitri takes in this information, noting it down in a notebook.
“Wait. About that extra space. Y’know that kid who sells weed in my history class? Stone, his name was? We could ask him to come. Kid has no friends, could be good,” Nil says.
“Him? Sure. Can you go ask?” Dimitri replies, chewing on his pen cap.
“I can come!” Skipp says. By extension, I nod along.
“Power in numbers, I suppose. Y’all should go over.” Journey smiles through their mask.
We get up and follow Nil over to where Stone is sitting.
Holy shit.
He’s the guy who’s been selling weed to me these past few months. I’ve never talked to him outside of that, and while Skipp and Nil try to convince him, I’m just staring into the distance, wondering how I could’ve possibly not known the guy's name.
“So, what do you say?” Nil says, snapping me out of my brief thought train. “Will you come with us? You don’t have to pay or anything, but it’s in this state, so bring some supplies, if you know what I mean. We’ll pay later.”
“Sure,” Stone says, looking anywhere but Skipp and I. “I’ll go. I just don’t have a ride.”
“Nah, no problems. You can come with me, the band, Skipp and Vinnie if you want. Momo’s mom has an eight-seater van that she lets us borrow for gigs sometimes,” Nil sticks his hand in his pockets. Stone flushes very briefly, hiding it with his jacket.
“Sounds good. When is this?”
“First half of spring break.”
“Cool.”
We go back to our table as the bell goes.
“I’ll text everyone more info after school. Nil, remember to give me Stone’s number.”
“Got it.” Nil stands up as Momo and Journey scurry away like rats.
This is happening. I’m actually doing something this spring break, and I’m a little more excited than I’d like to admit.