Page 91 of All of You

“What’s up?”

“What’s up? Seriously? You commit social suicide today and you ask me what’s up?”

I roll my eyes at him. “A bit dramatic don’t you think?”

Niko grins. “Hailie is bullshit.”

“Don’t care.” I keep walking. Niko falls in step beside me.

“I don’t care. You know that right? Like, we’re still friends,” he says.

I bump his shoulder. “It’d be pretty shitty if me dating a girl at school was the deciding factor in our friendship.”

“Yeah well, don’t expect the rest of them to see it that way,”he says.

A sigh rolls out of me. “We’ve got seven months left Nik, then we’re outta here. Did you really think we were all going to be besties for life anyway?”

Niko Shrugs. “Kinda. I mean, not everyone is leaving.”

I stop and pivot to face him. “What do you mean? Who’s staying in town?”

Niko sucks in a deep breath. “Me. Maybe. I mean, I hate school and I have no idea what I want to do, so why pay for college until I figure it out?”

“Do your parents know?” I ask. Niko’s parents are not exactly the kind who would be cool with their kid finishing high school and working some low-wage job. They expect big things from him and big things don’t happen here in town.

He drags a hand through his hair. “I mentioned it. They’re freaking out. Gave me the whole, you can’t stay here speech complete with the, you’ll have to move out and support yourself part.”

“You sure you’re cool with that?”

“Dude, I have no idea how I’m going to support myself but I know that I’m not ready for college or deciding what the hell I want to do with the rest of my life yet,” he says.

“Fair,” I say. “Any other life-changing news I missed?”

Niko shakes his head. “Nope, that’s it. Haven’t told anyone else yet either. I mean besides my parents.”

“I’m honored man.”

At my truck Niko stops as I toss my bag in the passenger seat. “That Kaelie chick has a hard-on for you. Just, you know…thought you’d want to know.”

“Well, I have a girlfriend. And she’s pretty fucking amazing,”I say, slightly irritated that he’s bringing up girls. “I thought Campbell was dating her?”

Niko barks out a laugh. “He did. He got in her pants and dumped her like the true fool he is. You and Delia are official huh?”

“Might as well post it on my snap story official.”

“Damn. Don’t go starting rumors or anything but she seems cool. Happy for you man.” He slaps my shoulder and heads toward his Jeep.

The drive to work gives me too much time to think. What is Delia’s plan after high school? I’ve never asked her and now that Niko brought it up it’s on my mind. There had been a plan once, in tenth grade, the whole group was going to apply to the same schools so that we could all go to college together.

I have zero desire to spend another four years with any of them anymore. And with Niko defecting, that’s going to cause a stir in the group. Things seem to be tumbling like dominoes in our sleepy town. But in ten months Delia and I could be on opposite ends of the country.

My stomach lurches at the thought. It contracts painfully and my lungs constrict. I remind myself I’m going to see her at work and can ask her about it and that there’s no point freaking out until there’s something to freak out about.

***

Viv lets me know I’m ten minutes late when I arrive at the shop and immediately gives me a greenhouse to-do list that’s as long as my arm. I sigh and tell her I’m on it. I like working for her. I like working with Delia even more.

Delia sneaks a look at me from the entry to the shop. A coy bite of her bottom lip and fuck me eyes make my heart beat double time.