Page 47

Visha

I couldn’t take the idea of facing Aoi after what happened yesterday, so I stayed with Liv instead and we had a sleep over.

She pulled out some face masks after the third horror movie we sat down to watch. Eventually, once we smeared the green jelly on our faces, she asked me, “What’re your plans for after high school?”

I didn’t know what to answer, so I returned the question instead. “What about you?”

“I wanna go to NYU and live in New York,” she said, grinning. “It’s a cool city and I’m sure I’ll be happier there than here.”

I nodded. “True. It even suits your aesthetic. Guess I could tag along.”

“You should,” she assured me, earnestly. “If there’s nothing else you wanna do after graduation then we can go to NYU together.”

I pondered the idea for a minute, imagining our lives in college as grown adults. “What about Aoi?”

She cocked her head. “He’ll be fine. He’ll be what? Like in his thirties by then?”

I sighed. “That’s not what I mean. I’m saying that I wanna be with him after graduation. Don’t forget that he’s literally my soulmate.”

She bent over, laughing like J. Jonah Jameson from Spiderman 2 and wiped a tear at the corner of her eye. “Do you really think your crush will last for another four years?”

I nodded fervently. “Duh. I’m telling you he’s my future husband.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted, playfully shoving me.

We laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. “Promise we’ll see each other again?” she whispered, holding her pinky up.

I intertwined our pinkies and smiled. “I promise.”

***

I wake up confused and dazed until I blink it away and realize I’m still at Olivia’s place.

“You up?” she mutters as she brushes her teeth.

I nod, pushing the covers off me and head to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and wake me up.

I want to skip school and sleep in, but I can’t do that or else Aoi will whoop my ass. After everything he’s done for me, I barely sent him a text telling him I wasn’t coming home.

Talk about being ungrateful.

Olivia smacks my back. “Damn, you look like shit in the morning.”

“Says the one looking like a witch,” I shoot back, cackling at her offended expression. “Two can play this game.”

She shoves me out of the way and spits the toothpaste in the sink then rinses her mouth. “Do you wanna die? I can make it happen.”

I snort. “You crazy witch.”

“Gobbling looking ass,” she claps back, and I gasp.

Oh, she did not.

I narrow my gaze at her, ready to throw a dirty sock at her face but she runs into her room before I can land a clean hit. Once I manage to catch her and rub her sock in her face she pleads for a time out, out of breath and laughing.

“The only reason I didn’t make you eat that sock is ‘cause you’re driving us to school.” I smile triumphantly.

She doesn’t argue and simply flips me off, getting to her feet and finishing getting ready for school.

Less than an hour later, we’re in the hallway assailed by Xander’s questions. “Why did you two come together? Did she sleep at your place?”

“Other way around,” Liv corrects and walks up to Sarah, starting a secret conversation that we guys apparently can’t know about.

We follow after them and I plug my ears at Xander’s incessant blabbering and complaining. “I can’t believe you two had a sleepover without us. You could’ve invited us you know!”

“It was out of the blue and I had something to tell her.”

Liam leans over and whispers in my ear, “Are you two dating?”

“Huh?! Of course not!” I basically shout, outraged by the insinuation. “Liv’s like my sister! What the hell is up with y'all? Stop asking me the same stupid question. I would never date her, and she would rather eat a moldy loaf of bread than get with me.”

“I second that!” she says over her shoulder, and I flip her off.

Liam shrugs, unbothered by my reaction and pushes his glasses up his nose. “What do you think they’re talking about?” he asks, nodding at the girls in front of us.

I watch them whisper as if they’re discussing diplomatic secrets and smirk. “Maybe Sarah’s got some gossip to tell.”

Xander grabs onto Liam and like the loudmouth he is, he says, “Like the new guy she’s into?”

We fall into silence as I glance at Liam whose expression grimes.

“I’m sure that’s not it.” I nudge him in the ribs.

“Yeah. It’s alright. I don’t really care,” he utters but his eyes betray the heartfelt crush he has on the ginger girl.

Olivia’s head snaps around and she smiles widely as though she just remembered something she needs to tell us. “Guys! There’s a new movie coming out today. Let’s go watch it.”

Sarah’s arm doesn’t uncurl from Liv’s as she jumps, giddy from the idea. “Hell yeah. No one better have other plans, or I’ll beat your asses,” she warns, mimicking a knife slitting her throat.

No one dares to go against her, and neither one of us wants to anyway. I’m leaving Sunday, and I intend to spend as much time with my friends as I can.

“I’m in.”

Liam glances at Sarah and smiles. “Me too.”

“Count me in, bitches,” Xander chimes in, attracting half the hallway’s attention.

And that’s how we end up watching a movie at the theatre, then spend the night at Xander’s, and my guilt for avoiding Aoi doubles in size.