by Raathi Chota
“What the hell is this?” I demanded as I stared at the black ink on the side of my hip.
“It’s a tattoo, princess. See? I got one too.” He smiled as he stood next to me and leaned his body toward me. Our tattoos touched, and it formed a full crown that read Prince and mine, princess, but together it said, Princess.
“Oh my God,” I gasped at the tattoo.
“It was on the bucket list since we were like thirteen, fourteen. When we saw Uncle Griff’s tattoo, you immediately wanted one,” Levi said as he straightened his posture and stared at me through the mirror. “Just gently wash it then use the ointment in the bathroom. It’s by the sink.” Levi brought me back as he touched my tattoo.
“Yeah, err…thanks,” I whispered, then grabbed my clothing. I did as Levi told me and took a nice warm shower. I washed all the pool chemicals out of my hair, then walked out. I put on my underwear, then a white tank top, pink sweater, blue jeans, and white Converse. I dried my hair, took out my contacts, and put on my glasses. By the time I was done, everyone was downstairs. No one talked at the table since it’s our last meal together. After breakfast, I sat in the living room with Levi as I watched him pack up.
“Levi dear, what about your dirty laundry?” Jade asked as she came into the room with a bag.
“I’ll leave it here, Mom. Lana will keep it for when I come again.” He took it from his mother and handed it to me.
“And when exactly do you plan on coming again?” She glared at him. I sat on the La-Z Boy and strummed Levi’s guitar as I watched the two. Levi gave his mother a stern look, and she threw her hands up. “Goddammit, Levi Ramone Radcliff!” she huffed, then walked into the kitchen and called her husband.
“What was that about?” I asked.
“Nothing. Mom’s just overreacting.” He wrinkled his nose. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Dad walk toward the front door. There were voices followed by footsteps, and I looked up to see Uncle Griff.
“Hey, guys,” he greeted.
“Hey, Uncle Griff,” Levi and I said in unison.
“So, Lana, are you gonna miss this idiot?” Uncle Griff asked as Levi looked up.
“Yeah.” I awkwardly chuckled as they shared looks.
“Let me help you,” Uncle Griff said as he helped Levi with the last few things. As I played his guitar, I heard voices from the kitchen. The only words I made out were: stay, no, future, and she.
“Lana,” Levi called out as I turned my head to him. “I think I forgot one of my jeans up in your room. Can you check, please?”
I gave a short nod, then put his guitar down and walked out of the room. I still heard voices from the kitchen, but Uncle Griff’s voice topped all of them.
“What the hell are your jeans doing in her room?” he asked, and I laughed as I walked upstairs. Out the corner of my eye, I saw all the adults wander into the living room. I continued to my room. My room was right above the living room, so I made out the voices. I crouched down and leaned my ear on the wooden floor to hear. I was curious.
“You’re putting my daughter in grave danger, Levi!” Dad exclaimed.
“He came out of nowhere and just started talking to us. They had guns and everything. If there was something I could have done, I would have, and you all know it!” Levi hissed.
“Did you at least tell her?” Griffon asked as I rolled my eyes.
“No, she was freaking out, and when he left, she yelled out, ‘Where is he?’ and ‘What do you want?’ It was honestly scary seeing her like that,” Levi replied as I squinted my eyes. Little bits of me yelling flooded my mind. Blood splattered everywhere as the person collapsed to the ground. My features softened as the memory of James came back. How Levi comforted me after I yelled and I was going to tell him everything.
I stood up and grabbed Levi’s ripped jeans that hung on my door. I walked down and heard their muffled voices. When I entered the living room, everyone stopped to look at me. I held a poker face as I walked to Levi and gave him his jeans. “Thank you,” he whispered, and I nodded as I sat back down. I looked at my dad, who ran a hand through his hair in frustration, probably at the thought of James. Richard and Griffon glared at Levi while Jade and Angie whispered to each other.
“Come on; we gotta hit the road.” Richard broke the silence. Levi nodded as he began to lock his bags. All the adults piled out of the room, and Griffon went to help Richard load the car. I walked over to Levi and helped him.
For the next twenty minutes, the house was silent for some unknown reason. Levi didn’t talk as I helped him put stuff into his car. I stood on the porch and watched as Levi greeted Uncle Griff. I gave my farewells to Jade and Richard, and they were already in their car as Mom and Dad spoke to them. They hugged each other one last time as Levi slowly approached me.
“Well, this it, princess.” He walked up the porch and stood in front of me.
“Yeah, all the best, and enjoy college,” I mumbled because I didn’t know what to say.
“Yeah, and I promise that we’ll talk and FaceTime a lot.” He pulled me in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he whispered in my ear. “Promise me one thing.” I pulled away yet his hold on my waist tightened as I looked up at him. “That you’ll keep working and striving to get into Yale. It’s your dream school, princess.” I smiled. “Also on the very first bucket list we made. So at least one of us will leave Illinois happy.”
“Promise,” I said as he wiped away a tear with his thumb. I looked over his shoulder and noticed Uncle Griff watched us with a stone hard look. I glanced back at Levi, who smiled at me, then let go. As he walked down the porch, the corner of my mouth tugged up in a smirk. “Goodbye, my knight in shining armor,” I said. Griffon laughed as Levi spun around and gave me a sad smile. I watched as he ran, picked me up, and hugged me.
“Love you,” he mumbled as my legs wrapped around him.
“Love you too,” I whispered as a tear rolled down my cheek, and I thought what would happen if we saw each other again.
Chapter Eighteen
Lana
Our break was short, and it’s back to school. I regret not spending a lot of time with Levi because I missed him. At least he has kept his promise, and we’ve spoken a lot. The past few days I spent getting ready for school, finishing work, and going on dates with Benny. He hadn’t said anything yet about Levi or me when I left his party, but then I checked my phone and saw that Keene texted him that night. That was a crazy night from what I could remember, but it was also one of the best nights of my life.
“Morning, Dad.” I sat at the table. He spun around and placed a cup of coffee in front of me, then sat down.
“Morning. Your mother just left. She has an early operation.”
“Okay.”
“Excited for school?”
“Nope.”
“I know you aren’t. I never was, but it’s the last semester. It’s crucial, Lana. Griffon will help you as much as he can, but most of it’s on you.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. Have I ever disappointed you?” I asked, then rethought the past few years. “Wait, don’t answer that.”
“Yes, you have, Lana, and you know it.” Dad shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t even remember much from Jaden’s party. All I did was go with Keene, Miranda, and Levi. We were having a very good time, then…” I trailed off as I tried to remember what happened after I let Levi take my virginity in his car. We arrived at the party early, so he parked his car in the garage so it was the perfect place, I guess, all alone, away from everyone else with The 1975 echoing in the car. “Levi and I left because he wanted to go somewhere, and…from there I don’t remember anything,”
Dad let out a sigh, then stood up to put his mug in the sink. I silently drank the rest of my coffee as I watched him.
“I’m just glad you’re safe,” he whispered, then kissed my forehead. I stood up and put my cup in the sink. I spun around when he put on his jacket. I stood in front of him and fixed his colla
r as I avoided eye contact. “Listen, err…Levi told me about what happened on New Year’s with James.” I gaped. “As witnesses, you all need to come in for questioning. We found the body.”
“What? Where?”
“At the park and it wasn’t pretty. He was hung upside down on a tree,” Dad hissed as I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to remember his face.
“When should we come?”
“After school will do,” Dad said with a sad smile, then sighed. “I’m sorry you have to go through this, honey. I just want to get him and keep you safe. Heaven knows what else he’s planning.”
“You’ll get him, Dad. You have to, and I know you will,” I said, then hugged him. Benny’s car honk broke the silence as I pulled away. I looked up at Dad and watched him sigh.
“Listen, now that you have a boyfriend, I don’t want any distractions, okay?”
“Yes, Daddy.” I pursed my lips as I grabbed my bag and walked out of the kitchen. I got into Benny’s car, greeted him, then kissed the corner of his mouth. Usually, he’d turn while I closed the door, but he stared straight ahead. I gave him a weird look as we drove.
“Do you know what I just realized?” he asked after a while.
“What?” I asked and turned to his blank expression.
“A few days ago, you gave Levi and Blake lap dances. I had a few drinks, you were drunk as fuck, and I just…” He trailed off as he slowed the car down and parked against the sidewalk. “Fuck!” He hit his palms against the wheel. My eyes widened as I looked at his hands, then him. Benny turned to me, then leaned forward as he placed a hand on my cheek. He pressed his lips against mine, and I quickly responded when I kissed him back. He leaned his forehead against mine as he looked at me, then my lips. His thumb caressed my cheek, then moved to my chin as he stared at me. “You’re mine. Okay?” He pecked my lips. I smiled at him as I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. “Good.” Benny started the car again and we drove to school. The rest of the way I couldn’t stop grinning and biting my lip. To think he stopped to give me a proper kiss and said I was his. I didn’t want to squeal or he’d think I was weird.
Benny parked the car, then turned to me. A wide grin plastered on my face as he smirked and leaned forward. He parted my lips and kissed me as I smiled. “I just want to kiss you all day,” he whispered, then slowly bit his lip. He was about to lean in and kiss me again, but I quickly spun around because I felt as if I was being watched. I put a hand to my chest and rolled my eyes when I saw Liam. Benny cussed under his breath as I got out of the car. I glanced up at the brunette, who smiled.
“Creep,” I muttered as Benny approached us.
“The windows were tinted!” Liam beamed.
“Yeah,” Benny and I said unison as we walked.
“Smile!” Liam caught up to us as he held up a camera, then took a picture of us. “It’s for the yearbook.”
“Oh wait, retake it. You never get my good side,” Aidan said behind us. We spun around and watched him pose.
“What a photobomb, dude,” Liam snorted as he showed us the picture. It was a perfect picture of Benny and me, but Aidan seemed to pop out of nowhere. He jumped in the background, so he looked like an idiot with his mouth wide open and arms raised. We laughed as we walked up the stairs and into the crowded hallways. I saw Miranda and Melissa by the lockers, and I went to them while Benny greeted Nick and Marcus.
“Hey, guys,” I greeted as Miranda rummaged through her locker.
“Hey, guys? That’s all you say?” Melissa demanded as she held her phone in her hand.
“Hello?”
“I follow this account on Instagram that shows all the raves, silent discos, and frat parties. Guess who I found on their profile?” Melissa asked as she tilted her head at me. Miranda looked at the picture and glared at me. I raised a brow then snatched Melissa’s phone to look at the picture. My jaw dropped when I saw Blake and me at the paint party. “Your hands are literally all over each other.”
“I was drunk, okay? Also I had a strange craving for meat,” I mumbled.
“Meat?” Miranda stated as she stared at me.
“Yeah. I know, right? Weird.”
“You didn’t do any drugs, right?” Miranda asked, and I shook my head.
“No, just Keene, but he’s okay, just bald,” I replied. Melissa gasped as she started to mumble out words. A hard look filled her features as I stared into her blue eyes.
“Paint party…shaving heads. You guys did the bucket list, didn’t you?” she squealed.
“Yeah, not everything though, just the important stuff.” I giggled.
“Wait…I still wanna know who you dressed up in sexy lingerie for?” Miranda asked as she shut her locker then leaned against it.
“My boyfriend, obviously,” I said as Melissa gave me a look.
“Really?” they asked in unison as I rolled my eyes.
“Yes! You even made me wear it to his party.” I pointed to Melissa. Marcus and Benny came and stood on either side of me, and I looked up at Benny.
“Right?” I asked.
“Huh?” He squinted his eyes.
“Just say yes.” I sighed as I noticed Melissa’s grin.
“Yes.” Benny dragged as he gave me a weird look.
“Told you.” I pulled my tongue at Miranda, who rolled her eyes.
“Yo, guys, we got assembly,” Ethan called as he approached us.
“Ugh, what do they want now?” Marcus groaned as he swung an arm around Miranda’s shoulder.
“Discussing the semester.” Ethan chuckled as he shoved his hands in his pockets. We walked to the school’s auditorium as I held hands with Benny. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out to see that Melissa tagged Blake and me in the picture. I glanced up and noticed the smirk on her lips. I scoffed and shoved my phone in my pocket. We entered the auditorium and noticed seniors had already taken their seats. I followed Benny to the center, where I sat next to him and Aidan. Miranda and Melissa sat behind us with their boyfriends, while Tiffany sat next to Aidan and Ethan sat beside Benny. Out the corner of my eye, Aidan slowly entwined his fingers with Tiffany. Miranda leaned forward as I turned to them.
“So are you two finally a thing?” Miranda asked, and we turned to look at them.
“Yes. You had your chance, Stevens,” Aidan said and put his hand over Miranda’s face, then pushed her away so he could kiss Tiffany. I laughed as Miranda scrunched her nose up and rubbed her forehead. Marcus grinned as he cupped her cheeks and kissed her. I turned to Benny; he was speaking to Ethan, who scoffed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked when I noticed the looks on their faces.
“Coach assigned us to the freshman and sophomores with basketball,” Ethan grumbled.
“At least we’re getting extra credit in P.E.” Benny shrugged.
“So when will you guys be doing it?” I asked.
“After school and some periods in P.E.,” Ethan answered. I nodded, then glanced up at Blake, Carter, and Liam, who sat in front of us. Blake winked as he motioned to his phone that had the picture Melissa tagged us in. I rolled my eyes, then turned to the front to see Principal West. He tried to hush the students, but nobody listened. Coach Harris stepped forward and yelled. Everyone grew silent after that, and the people in the front took deep breaths as they placed their hands on their chests.
“Thank you.” Principal West nodded at Coach. “Graduating class of 2017. These next few months will be the busiest time of your high school experience,” he said as everyone groaned. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed Aidan pulled out a small remote. I watched as he pressed a button, then the projector behind Principal West turned on. He continued to talk as Aidan hit another button. My eyes widened as everyone laughed at the picture of Principal West by the beach in a Speedo. Liam spun around and high-fived Aidan as they cheered. Principal West turned around and glared at the projector while Mr. Bronx and Coach Harris snickered. “Turn it off!” he yelled, but it went to the next picture, which was Coach a
nd his pet fish Max. People laughed as they took out their phones and recorded. Coach glared at the image, then yelled louder than Principal West. I nudged Aidan, who sighed, then pressed another button. Instead, it changed to a picture that made the guys whistle. Last year, Miss Rosa was gone for a couple of months to Hawaii. Seeing the picture of her in a white bikini at the beach made the guys act like dogs. Carter stood up and raised his arms.
“The Lord is with us!” he exclaimed, then bowed to the picture. Griffon didn’t find it funny as he scanned the students, then pointed with his index finger at Aidan and Liam. The final picture was of Mrs. Singleton. She was a rigorous, old fashioned teacher. Everyone laughed at the picture, which seemed to be her doing karaoke in a pantsuit. Aidan finally turned it off after everyone composed themselves. The teachers looked pissed as they glared at us. Principal West nodded as he approached the mic.
“Very well, whoever is responsible for that, it was a great laugh, and I’ll let it slide since it’s the first day back.” Mrs. Singleton huffed. “As I said, we teachers will be looking for nominations for Valedictorian. Counselors will be available if you need help with your applications for college, and then there are finals. Now as we said before winter break, you’ll receive new schedules. You’ll collect them from your homeroom teacher on the way out.”
I got my schedule from Miss Rosa and scanned through it. Not much had changed. I had new teachers for AP Biology and Elective classes. Instead of Calculus on Monday first period, I had AP Physics. I was happy with the days I had Study Hall but scoffed at P.E. on Friday.
“Hey, guess who’s joining your Physics class?” Melissa stated as she held up her schedule.
“I thought you didn’t take Physics,” I said as we walked to class.
“Yeah, well, it was either this or Mrs. Singleton’s Bio class, and I don’t want that bitch all up in my face,” she said as we entered the classroom. I stopped to see the desks had changed. The teacher’s desk was still in the front, but our desks were on either side and faced each other. There was a significant gap in the middle that separated the four rows.