by Rebel Hart
Class was monotonous and boring. I couldn’t help but compare the bland teacher to the guys who were my teachers behind bars. In juvie, I had something closer to actual teachers, but even they were hardened because it took a certain breed to teach a group of kids who were on the verge of giving up on life, some who already had. They weren’t so bad, but when I got to the adult prison, my education didn’t matter. The single time I’d inquired about it got my ass kicked for being a nerd, and I pretty much let it go after that.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the perspective, I caught the eye of one Harlan “Venom” Williams, a stacked guy with dark brown skin and tattoos all over his face. Half the prison was terrified of him. I never knew why he took an interest in me, but he had the guys who’d kicked my ass dealt with, and he took me under his wing. He commissioned some of the smarter guys around the prison to become my new teachers, and one of them was a Ph.D. who’d gotten caught up in some embezzlement scheme. The guards let us hole up in the library for hours for classes to stay on Venom’s good side, and he got me through all my basics with no issue. My mom had some of Posting Proper High’s school materials mailed to me, and I was able to keep up pretty well. When I got out, my parole officer arranged to have me tested to determine if I could come back for my senior year.
I passed with flying colors.
How fucking strange that the people on the inside were better to me than those on the outside. There was a reason for it all, for sure, but one thing Venom taught me early was that it was best not to ask questions. I survived prison because of that tenet, and it was going to get me through the different-colored beast of high school.
When the bell finally rang to signify the end of class, I was beyond relieved. I filtered out, and no one bothered me as I did so. Everyone kept away from me still as I made my way toward my next class.
A few times throughout the day, I caught Cherri in the hallways. More than anything, I wanted to talk to her again, but she was surrounded by the other members of The Royal Court, and I couldn’t approach her. There was definitely something different about her. She was a borderline tomboy back in the day, but she was more frilly now. Her giggles were a little more high-pitched, and she carried herself with a resigned dignity that wasn’t bad, just a little different from the girl that demanded to be allowed to play basketball with the guys back in our old neighborhood and would gut-punch them if they tried to take it easy on her.
Those things aside, she still had her dorky snort and still seemed to awkwardly laugh when she lost interest in what someone was saying. On occasion, I’d catch her relaxing her stance and knocking her hip out to one side until she realized it and stood up straight again. Under that Royal Court mask was the same girl I fell in love with all those years ago.
I was happy to see that Cherri was doing well, and though I wanted to be with her, her involvement with The Royal Court changed things quite a bit.
6
Cherri
When I shut my locker, Nathan’s face appeared on the other side. I turned my back to him and started walking in the opposite direction.
“Come on, baby!” he whined. “I told you I’m sorry already!” The students around us parted so that he could easily come up to my side and walk in tandem with me. “I just wanted to see you.”
“You had me summoned like one of your little subjects,” I hissed back. “I’ve already told you that I refuse to be treated like an underling, and you know that I don’t really like Nikita. Between that and Miss Abrams, that’s three strikes for the day.”
“Cherri.” Nathan rushed a little ahead of me and stood in my path. “I’m sorry. I really did just want to see you.”
“Then why did you leave, like, sixty seconds later? Did someone tell you I was talking with someone outside The Royal Court? I’m allowed to have friends other than the eight of you. You don’t control what I do, and the second that you think that you do, I’m out of here.”
“I know, baby, I know.” He took a few steps closer to me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me in. He dwarfed me in size, and my body settled all too comfortably into his like pieces that don’t necessarily belong together but are close enough to let be. “Nikita mentioned that you were talking with some guy, and I panicked. You’d seen me with Je—Miss Abrams, and I was a little afraid you might retaliate.”
“I’m not that kind of girl,” I spat back.
“You’re not.” His hands combed into my hair and rubbed the back of my head. “You’re not that kind of girl. It was just me getting insecure because if it were me…”
“That’s what you’d do?” I finished. “So should I be worried?”
Nathan pulled away from me, cupped his hands on either side of my face, and leaned in to kiss me. “Look around. What else is around here for me? You are the most beautiful, intelligent woman for miles. I’d be stupid to—”
“Sleep with a history teacher?”
Nathan winced. “I deserved that.”
“Yeah, you did.”
He kissed me again. “Forgive me? I won’t do that again, I promise.” After a few seconds had passed, and after noting that a few surrounding students lingering instead of heading home were watching, I nodded. Nathan leaned in and kissed me again, then wrapped his arms around me and held me close as he looked down into my eyes. “What are you doing now that the day is over? Wanna go grab something to eat?”
“Sorry, your highness,” Avery’s voice sounded off behind me. “I’m afraid we’ve already claimed her for the evening.”
A second later, Avery’s arm linked through my left and Colette’s through my right. I had a strange boxed-in feeling with all of their arms around me, but eventually, Nathan uncurled his arms from my waist and stood back. Avery and Colette hadn’t mentioned doing anything together after school, but given that I would have rather chewed tin foil than done anything with Nathan, I was glad they showed up.
“That’s fine,” he said with a genuine smile. “Go enjoy some time with your friends. You deserve it.”
That was oddly sweet. “Thanks, sweetie.” That time I leaned in, and Nathan met me with a kiss before turning his back to us and waving a hand through the air before starting off.
“Uh, who the hell was that?” Avery asked.
“I know. No temper tantrum for having to share you. He might have been body snatched,” Colette tacked on.
“Maybe, or maybe he knew he was in trouble and wanted a way out,” I replied, even though I wasn’t entirely sure that was true. I’d already agreed to forgive him.
“What’d he do this time?” Avery asked as we walked through the halls and out the front door.
“Oh, he’s been in rare form today,” I responded. “First, I caught him talking to Miss Abrams this morning. He called her Jess.”
“Gross,” Colette scoffed.
“Yeah. Then, when I was talking to that guy in homeroom—”
Avery pointed over Colette’s car at me before climbing in. “Which we will be discussing by the way.”
“He sent Nikita to literally summon me. She said, ‘You’re wanted,’” I said the latter words in a mocking, deep voice. “She drags me out of the classroom, and he’s just standing there. I asked him what he wanted, but then Nikita whispered something to him, and he kissed me and ran off.”
We all piled into Colette’s car in the same seats we started the day in, and Colette started the car before saying, “That sounds more like Nathan.”
“Anyway, I’m glad you guys showed up,” I said. “I really didn’t want to go anywhere with him. All I needed was for him to be good for one day, and he couldn’t even do that.”
“Well, put it out of your mind,” Colette said. “I called ahead to my dad and told him to set aside some space for us at Hotaka. They’re gonna look the other way if we get some wine, and they’re gonna bring us some good sushi. We’ll have this day gone from your mind in an instant.”
Hotaka was one of Colette’s family’s ma
ny ventures. Her mom was a world-class chef, and her dad, a successful investment broker, invested in several dying restaurants in Postings and allowed his wife to flip them into something successful. Hotaka was already Japanese-themed, and given that her mom was Japanese, she turned it into a five-star sushi and hibachi restaurant that her mom worked at frequently. It became their family’s go-to spot. The food was next to none, and there weren’t many ways I’d rather spend the evening.
“But not the whole day,” Avery cut in, “because I want to hear about how you know Mr. Dark and Brooding.”
Deon’s face cut across my mind, and I smiled. “Oh my god,” Colette yelped. “Oh my god. She’s smiling like a freak up here!”
Avery leaned forward, and despite my best attempts to get the smile off my face, when I imagined Deon wrapping his arms around me, it came back.
Avery squealed. “Oh my god! Who is this mystery man? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that before.”
“We’ll…talk about it,” I responded.
“That and that hickey,” Colette said.
I looked over at Colette to join in her ribbing and noticed that she had a scarf tied around her neck that hadn’t been there this morning. I reached out and yanked it off, revealing a hickey of her own. “You’re one to talk!”
Colette poked out her bottom lip. “Observant bitch.”
Avery sat back in her seat and started to laugh. “Wow, this dinner is more needed than I thought.”
We got to Hotaka and were quickly ushered to a private table in the back of the restaurant. A few wine glasses with white wine in them had already been set up, and thick, board-page menus were sitting on top of ceramic plates with chopsticks laid in a peak pattern on top of them. We got settled, each placing our orders for some of Hotaka’s famous sushi, and then settled into our wine for some conversation.
“Okay,” I started. “Who goes first?”
“You obviously, Miss Knows-The-New-Delinquent,” Colette replied.
“He’s not a delinquent.” Deon’s new tattoos, grown-out facial hair, developed muscles, and looming presence splashed across my brain. “Although I guess I can see how you’d get there, but no! You two have stuff too. Why do I have to go first?”
“Ugh.” Avery reached out and grabbed one of Colette’s and my chopsticks. It just so happened that each set had a different colored cap to match the theme of the restaurant. Mine were white, Colette’s were green, and Avery’s were blue. Avery wrapped the tops of them in a cloth napkin and then stuck them behind her back, no doubt mixing them up, before brandishing the napkin again with only the neutral-colored tips sticking out. “Okay, Cherri. Pick one.”
I grabbed the tip of one of the chopsticks and slid it out of the napkin to reveal its blue cap. I wiggled it at Avery. “Looks like you’re first, gorgeous.”
Avery rolled her eyes and then redirected the napkin to Colette. “Pick to see who goes second.”
Colette went back and forth between the tips for a while and then grabbed one and pulled, revealing her own green-capped chopstick. “Shit.”
Avery unwrapped the last chopstick and swapped it for hers in my hand, and the sushi arrived just a few minutes later, right on time. Once we were settled with our food, I looked across at Avery. “Okay. You’re up.”
“Well, mine’s easy,” Avery said, side-glancing Colette. “Alistair and I are…dating.”
With her mouth already full of sushi, Colette gasped. “Really?” She finished chewing her bite before asking, “How did you get Nathan to go for it?”
“I didn’t,” Avery replied and turned to wink at me. “I asked the queen.”
I nodded. “And I said yes. Nathan agreed because he knew it was in his best interest.”
“That’s so exciting! So he gave you that, then?” Colette asked, nodding at Avery’s neck.
“Obviously. He came over last night and we got a little carried away.” I opened my mouth, and Avery cut me off. “No. Not all the way yet, but close.” She poked one of her chopsticks out toward Colette. “All right. Your turn.”
“That’s it?” Colette asked, looking at me with her nose scrunched up in disgust. “I already knew most of that.”
I giggled. “You were the one who brought it up again. Your turn.”
“Well…” Colette poked at her neck. “I suppose I have no business talking about your delinquent when I got this from one of ours.”
Both Avery and I stopped eating and stared at Colette. “Wait. Jaxon?” I yelped.
“Turns out he likes a goody-two shoes.”
“And you’ve liked him forever,” Avery said.
“Seriously!” I screeched. “I didn’t know that.”
“I swore Avery to secrecy. I have a reputation to protect. How would it look for me if everyone knew that I liked that rapscallion?”
Colette took a bite of her sushi, and Avery and I took the opportunity to roll our eyes. Sometimes, Colette thought she was way more important than she was. If something was happening with her and Jaxon, that was good. She needed someone who was a little rough around the edges.
“Needless to say, we skipped lunch in the interest of something a little more…sweet,” she finished. Again, I opened my mouth, but Colette stopped me. “Not that sweet.” She looked at Avery. “But close.”
Avery started to clap. “Time for the big reveal!”
Colette did a shimmy in her seat. “I’m so excited.”
“I mean…” The way the smile rose to my face almost instantly was annoying, but I ignored it. “His name is Deon.”
“Deon,” Avery and Colette said in unison.
“We knew each other when we were still kids. I’d just moved to Postings and didn’t know many people in our neighborhood, but Deon saw me sitting along on the front steps one day and came over. He invited me to hang out with him and his friends, and when he found out that I didn’t like being treated like some damsel, he wouldn’t let them do it either. It was kind of like I was one of the guys, but then Deon, he… Well, you’ve seen him. He’s gorgeous! I had a crush on him pretty quickly, but he liked me too, so it was okay.”
“I saw the look on both of your faces when you were talking,” Avery said. “He must still have feelings too.”
“I think so. That’s what it seemed like when we were talking, anyway.”
“Wait,” Colette interjected. “If he lived around here, where has he been? Did something happen between you guys?”
I shook my head. “No, at least not that I know of. We went out for a date one night, our first date. Deon packed this beautiful picnic, and he brought me up to the park in Postings Proper. We were gonna watch the sunset, and I was hopeful that he would kiss me by the end of it. We were unpacking everything when all of a sudden—bam! This guy fell from… I don’t know where he fell from. It kind of seemed like he fell out of the sky.”
Both Avery and Colette’s brows hunched. “Out of the sky?”
“Yeah. I think he may have committed suicide and jumped from one of the buildings. All of a sudden he landed splat on the ground right in front of us. We walked over to see if he was okay, but a cop saw us and thought we’d done something wrong. We ran and split up so that we could get away from the cop, but then after that, I never saw him again until today.”
“Did he get caught?” Avery asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” I replied. “He was supposed to meet me in this spot that was, like, our spot, but he never showed. The next day, I went to his house to see if he was there, and his mom said that he didn’t want to come out. Over the course of the next few weeks, he just refused to see me, and then when my dad got promoted, we moved, and that was that.”
“Wow,” Avery said. “That’s a really romantic, dramatic story. It’s like you’re in a movie or something.”
“Maybe, but it just felt terrible, thinking that he liked me so much and then having him ghost me like that.” The way he smiled when he saw me popped into my mind again. “He seem
ed so happy to see me today though.”
“Maybe it was his mom?” Avery asked. “You should talk to him, find out what really happened. This could be the great love story of your life!”
“How could you give her such terrible advice?” Colette asked. “He’s not her great love story. He’s a felon.”
I rolled my eyes at Colette. “Just because he looks a little rougher than who we hang out with doesn’t mean he’s a felon,” I responded.
“No, dear,” Colette said, looking straight into my eyes. “The fact that he just got out of prison does.”
“Prison?” A chuckle left my lips. “Deon didn’t go to prison.”
“That’s what I heard,” Colette said. “From a very reliable source.”
“Oh, yeah? Who? Jaxon?”
Colette took a final bite of her sushi, finishing it off. “The principal. I was in the office, filling out my paperwork for class president, and he let it slip while I was there.”
“Are you serious?” Avery asked before turning to look at me. “Good god. Do you think you’re mixed up with a felon?”
7
Deon
The hope that day two at school would bring fewer points and whispers was quickly abating. People kept their hands up over their mouths as I passed so that they could lean into each other and not have their words discerned. To make matters worse, whether he’d done it intentionally as a means of making good on his threat or by accident because he was a blabbermouth, rumors about me having just gotten out of prison were already floating throughout the school. The fact that I had more tattoos than most middle-aged men and had better fitness than the gym teacher and school coaches didn’t help my case at all, but it was still irritating.
“What!” I finally barked at a group of students whispering in hushed tones as I was on my way to lunch. “You got something to say?”
They jumped and scattered like roaches when someone turned the lights on. No, it wasn’t helping ease anything, but I was only human. A man could only stand so much of people gossiping about him before he snapped. People got hurt in prison for shit like that.