I fought my returning smile as he added, “And as your friend who spends a lot of time here, I can send you pics of your car’s progress. I know you’d love that.”
I would love that. Before allowing myself to think too much, I rattled off my number.
He smiled once he had my number in his phone and sent me a text.
He’d typed Kenickie, followed by the emoji wearing sunglasses.
I stopped fighting my smile. But I still shouldn’t have let myself get sucked into this world I loved. With him. Though this had been so much fun.
I’d clearly lost my common sense the second I saw him walking his bike with a flat tire.
Chapter 9
“I knew that car was going to be nothing but trouble when your father told us about it,” my mother said to my dad.
I continued staring at my bedroom ceiling from my propped up seat on my bed.
My mother had wasted no time ripping into me the second I’d walked in the door.
My dad sighed, then said, “Lani, the car was a gift from my parents.”
“A completely inappropriate gift. She’s barely seventeen and doesn’t need a car like that. And where are we going to park that thing once it’s finished? It’s certainly not taking my spot in the building’s garage.”
Score one for the Beemer.
I so wanted to ask them if I needed to be here for this “discussion,” but stayed silent. My mother’s head was one smartass comment away from nuclear-level explosion. Something I didn’t want to deal with. It also wouldn’t be fair to my dad, trying to defend me and his parents.
Because he got it.
“We’re months and months away from that. And Dad said they’d store the car.”
“I’ll also be gone for college.” Far away from here. And you.
I sensed her glacial stare as she said, “Does that Sean’s parents know you two snuck off to South San Francisco? In my car?”
“His name is Shane.” I rolled my head to look her straight in the eyes. “Shane. Easton. Yes, they know we went down there. His family owns the shop.”
He’d texted his dad on our way to the shop to let him know what we were doing. And his dad hadn’t given a crap. It also pissed me off she couldn’t be bothered to remember his name. It’s not like he had a hard name to remember—guilt made my breath hitch in my chest.
I’d been the same way with his name not too long ago.
The thought of being anything like my mother caused my stomach to twist.
She broke our hostile stare and turned hers on my dad. “Because of this stunt, she’s now lost her driving privileges. Indefinitely. Make sure you tell your parents that, too.”
My dad responded with a frustrated sigh.
I went back to staring at the ceiling. But my bitchy side wanted to remind her about getting me to community service.
“You’re in a whole lot of trouble right now,” she continued. “I think it would be best if you stayed with your grandparents over spring break while we’re gone for the ground breaking in L.A. You also need to be here for community service.”
Wait…what?
I sat up straight and looked almost desperately at my dad, and he faced my mother.
Yeah, she drove me crazy, but I still liked the spring break trips. I didn’t have school, spent real time with my dad, and my birthday fell during the break. Another reason for the trips.
“You’re going without me? During my—” My voice cracked. From fury and hurt that slashed my heart and reached my core. The hurt then filled and burned my eyes. But I would never let the beauty queen see me cry.
I concentrated on my anger and barely heard my dad’s voice.
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting? And the community service has been handled.”
“Richard, she took off with some boy we don’t even know to South San Francisco, in my car, without permission. Knowing she was grounded. And why she is grounded? Because of the trouble and embarrassment she caused us with the community service.”
I trembled from fury. And the fact at this moment I hated my mother.
Her hard eyes settled on me. “Maybe it’ll give you some time to think about the bad choices you’ve been making lately. Please don’t come to dinner looking like you do now.” She gestured toward my community service clothes, then turned on her sandaled feet and left.
I scooted down my bed, turned onto my right side and buried my head under a pillow.
Maybe my choices hadn’t been great. But why did she have to make me sound and feel like a junior criminal? Between the grounding, loss of driving and losing the spring break trip, it would feel like she’d sentenced me to jail. And how would I help the club? Help Ella with her campaign? I officially had no life outside of school, home and stupid community service.
My dad’s weight sunk my bed’s right side. A second later he lifted the pillow off of my head. His brown eyes softened, but he also looked frustrated. Stuck between being a supportive husband to her and dad to me. He spent a lot of time there.
Another round of guilt caught my breath.
“I understand you’re excited about your car, but she has every right to be upset about her car. And you are grounded.” He shook his head. “But I don’t like the thought of leaving you behind on your birthday. I’ll talk to her about the trip once she’s calmed down.”
I nodded, even though an enormous part of me didn’t want to go anymore. Not even for my birthday. And not if it meant dealing with her for an entire week.
“Fine. You’re right,” I roughly said. “But she makes it sound like I took off with some…thug…and drove to Mexico. Shane’s nice. A hard worker. Everyone likes him. His family seems really nice, too.” Shane didn’t deserve to be talked about as if he were less than a zero.
My dad cracked a smile, which I liked to see. He rarely smiled. My mother ran our last name while he ran the business. His job seemed to take away his sense of humor. When he did smile, though, he appeared younger. More handsome, too.
“It sounds like you like Shane. And his family is nice.”
“Dad, we’re just friends.” But only as of today. The fact he’d met Shane’s family at some point made me ask, “How do you know his family?”
“I met them when they finished your grandpa’s Chevy.” He laughed. Something else he rarely did. “Your Camaro’s in the best restoration shop on this side of the country. How’d it look?” he almost whispered.
I smiled. My first since being at the shop with Shane. “It’s a chassis right now.”
“Not surprising. And probably not worth the trouble seeing it caused?”
I responded with a slight shrug. I’d gotten myself in more trouble, but I’d loved seeing that much of my car.
“Did you happen to see any other cars they’re working on?”
I nodded, and my anger and hurt eased at this close and rare time with my dad.
I sat up, crossed my legs and grabbed the pillow he’d taken off my head.
Shane yanking the cover off the shiny, black AMX appeared in my mind, as did his wicked smile, and I said, “You and Gramps would’ve loved being in there.” I hugged the pillow. “But I have to tell you about Mr. Easton’s real car.”
I had finished loading up my backpack when Ella and Quinn surrounded me.
“What the hell happened to you this weekend?” Ella asked.
“We were worried,” Quinn tried in a kinder voice. “You’re always on your phone. I even tried calling you, but it went to your voicemail.”
I shut my locker door. “My mom took my phone away Saturday afternoon.”
They fell silent, and I turned to face them.
The noise in the hallway sounded louder than usual for a Monday morning. All around us kids talked and laughed with the excitement of this being our last week before spring break. I usually felt the excitement, but this time I couldn’t get there. Not after I spent the rest of my weekend in my bedroom and kept myself busy with homework. The only times I left were for food a
nd to get myself something to drink. Definitely like being in jail.
“She just gave it back to me this morning when she dropped me off.” After a rotten, tense ride to school. “I haven’t even turned it on yet.”
Ella laughed. “What’d you do this time to piss her off?”
I’d expected the question, but telling them about Saturday wasn’t close to an option. I couldn’t imagine their reaction to me “kidnapping” Shane and spending so much time with him. They’d crucify me. Especially since I’d made it clear I thought of him as nothing more than a stupid high school boy. He also happened to be with a girl Quinn considered a friend.
Our time together had been innocent. Nothing more than friendly despite his flirty comments here and there. But I’d liked it. Way too much.
“What’s up with you?” Quinn snapped her fingers in my face.
I blinked her into focus.
“I know your mom drives you nuts. But you usually stay out of her way, so she’ll stay out of yours. And now you’re probably still grounded, right?”
I nodded and reached into my sweater pocket for my phone. I needed to get it turned on and everything I’d missed cleared out. I also didn’t know how to answer Quinn’s first question.
“So when will you not be grounded? You’re supposed to help me start preparing for my campaign,” Ella whined. “And I’ll be gone the whole break. I’m going to New York City.”
My frown deepened as I went into my phone to clear the texts from Quinn and Ella, and a series of chats from them, Warren and other club members. They were still trying to agree on a song. But I could catch up with Warren later. I had no idea what I would say to him, though, since my grounding would totally interfere with the lip sync competition plan.
I glanced at Ella and said the only thing I could. “I don’t know, El. I saw enough chats from you and Quinn Saturday morning that it looks like you’ll be fine without my help. After break I’ll…help you post flyers around here and hand stuff out.”
I’d spoken sharply, and she returned my frown. But what the hell did she want from me?
“We were also thinking,” Quinn said, “about doing a routine for the competition.”
Oh…shit.
“Something to go along with her campaign. Nat, you have to be part of it.”
“Yes. You do.” Ella all but bit out her words.
How the hell could this be happening? Was everybody in school planning on being in this lip sync competition? And what about my commitment to the club? Quinn might understand, but Ella would probably blow a gasket at me being in the competition with them instead of her. It’s not like I could be in both routines. And knowing Ella Walker as well as I did, she’d make me choose. Them or her.
“Natalie, you’re my best friend and I need you right now. So kiss your mom’s ass, your dad’s ass or beg if you have to. Just get yourself not grounded.” Ella spun from us and stalked down the crowded hallway.
My temper simmered inside me and my eyes met Quinn’s. “Did she really just say all that to me? And, what, does she think I got grounded on purpose?”
“Nat, she wants to win. Can you blame her? It’s for a good reason.”
I didn’t feel so sure about that, but kept my opinion to myself.
How would I tell her—them—I couldn’t do the competition with them because I’d already committed to being in it with my club? And how were they even going to pull a routine together in time with Ella gone for the entire break? A question so strong I asked Quinn.
“We weren’t going to plan something really hard,” she answered. “I’ll be gone, too, and we know you always go somewhere.”
I released a bitter laugh. “Not if my mother has anything to say about it.” I turned from her, done with this conversation, and bumped right into Maddie.
I stepped back and my face flushed.
Her big brown eyes seemed sad. But I also saw some irritation...my heartbeat accelerated.
Had Shane told her about Saturday afternoon?
“Did you two have another fight?” Quinn quietly asked her.
“Yeah,” Maddie muttered. “That’s all we seem to do.”
I somehow stopped myself from breathing a sigh of relief. A part of me did feel bad since she looked and sounded upset by whatever happened with Shane. But it appeared to have nothing to do with Saturday afternoon. And why did I keep making a big deal out of nothing?
“We’re spending way too much time together because of Grease, and I’m over it.” She lifted her chin. “But I’m actually here because I need to borrow your notes for our chemistry midterm. He went through it so fast on Friday I missed some things.”
Quinn nodded and went into her backpack.
Maddie glanced at me. “Hey, Natalie. I heard that Theresa girl gave you a hard time on Saturday.” She huffed. “She must be crazy messing with you.”
I tried smiling, but my image around here felt like another weight added to my heaviness. And how had Maddie even heard about what happened? Then again, it’s not like Theresa and I had been alone on the stage.
Quinn stepped close to me. “What’s she talking about?”
I so didn’t want to get into the story and said, “It was nothing, Q. She’s…pissed off at the world. I’m going to class. See you in there.” I gave Maddie a half smile and turned.
I needed to get away from them and get to class so I could talk to Warren about all the crappy song suggestions before Quinn walked into the room.
I was determined to put off Ella’s bitchy ultimatum for as long as possible.
Chapter 10
I stared at the poll Warren slipped me after American Government. A poll he’d worked on with Kassidy because “Our club’s Veep fell completely off the grid over the weekend.” He’d also given me crap about getting my phone taken away and still being grounded. The pressure from him and Ella and Quinn why I decided to hide in the silent library with my lunch and the poll.
I picked up my pen and concentrated on the questions they’d created.
1.) When did you join the club and are you still a member?
Okay. Easy enough. I quickly wrote my answer.
2.) Why did you join the club?
Because a dickhead college boy dumped me for a girl who would sleep with him and stay up all night, partying. But I couldn’t write that and went with: I was mad about a bad break-up and the club was a safe place to let it all go. And remember I don’t need a boy to be happy.
3.) If you’re still in the club, what’s kept you as a member?
I went with the first two words that popped in my mind—friendship and support.
I focused on what I’d written. No, I hadn’t warmed up to some members, but when it came to the others, especially the original members, I’d always felt free of their judgment. Something I couldn’t admit to giving all of them. I’d given Jade way too much crap about the school dances and still didn’t get Lexi’s super niceness. I hadn’t given the one freshman kid and Erin a chance at all. But if we were going to succeed in proving the haters wrong, I had to be a different Natalie. The one from Saturday afternoon, and before the shit storm at “home.”
I added a sentence about the members being judgment free and I could be myself with them. What I’d written hung onto me for a few seconds, then I went to question four. Which I skipped since the question asked for reasons why a member left the club.
5.) List two things you love about being in the club.
I started to answer this last, easy question when my phone buzzed. I had it on my lap, totally against school rules, but I got tired of its bulky weight in my sweater pocket. And our school librarian rarely worked in the back part of the library.
I picked my phone up and froze when I saw who texted me.
Pop quiz, Sunshine. What car was known as the poor man’s Porsche?
I looked up and all around me, as if I expected Shane to have magically found me in the library and be hiding behind a nearby bookshelf. But, of course, he w
as nowhere in sight. Which meant he had to be at lunch in the cafeteria and sitting with…who?
I looked back at my phone and re-read Kenickie’s message. I’d added him as a contact using his newest character’s name. I guess it had become a joke between us. And there didn’t seem to be anything flirty about his text. Just a challenge. No harm in taking him up on it.
I texted back, The Corvair. Not much of a pop quiz.
I set my phone back in my lap and continued answering my last question. I had finished writing I loved our weekly meetings because it gave us a chance to talk, vent and help each other if needed when my phone buzzed again.
Now that I know who I’m up against, I’ll come up with a better second quiz.
I smiled as I typed, I’m only going to play if I can quiz you, too.
I sat back in my chair and waited. Then my thoughts drifted to Maddie and what she’d said this morning. About the fighting with Shane and her being “over it.” I had no idea what she’d meant by that. But I had to assume it meant they weren’t sitting together right now. Still, I began regretting my second, probably too flirty text. Maddie seemed nice enough. Her comments about Theresa rubbed me the wrong way, but she hadn’t said them to be hurtful.
My phone buzzed and lit up with his reply Consider it on. But where are you?
He must’ve looked for me in the cafeteria. And the same jolt from Saturday started in my chest and spread down and throughout my stomach. Then everything inside started crackling. All the way to my toes.
I tried to shake it off and typed, I’m in the library. Still so nosy.
But the crackling felt…awesome. And so very wrong. Because we were just friends.
I needed to focus and finish question five, and wrote how I loved our activities—
It’s a gift. Tough time when you got home Saturday?
I released a soft groan.
Why did he have to be nice? And cute? And though I wouldn’t go into all of that drama in a text, I had a feeling he truly wanted to know what happened. Our drive back had been silent and tense. Our drive to the shop had just been silent.
The '68 Camaro Between Kenickie and Me (Pacifica Academy Drama Book 2) Page 7