“Yeah,” I tell him. “You can. I just don’t expect them to flirt with you. She flirts with you.” On the tip of my tongue are words I’m holding back… Do you flirt with her?
“I don’t know,” he quickly says.
I think he expects the subject to be over. It’s not.
Not by a long shot.
When our group of friends appear in the hallway, Trey drapes his arm around me. It’s a show for everyone, so they don’t know that our relationship is in trouble. I hate the show, but I know he doesn’t want everyone to know we’re having problems.
“Don’t ditch us tonight, man,” Vic tells Trey. “Or I swear I’m gonna kick your ass.”
“Ditch you for what?” I ask, curious. Trey never mentioned he was going out with the guys tonight. Then again, he doesn’t share much with me lately so I shouldn’t be surprised.
“A prank on Rolling Meadows High,” Derek chimes in. He looks around to make sure no teachers are in hearing range. “It’s gonna be awesome.”
“What’s the prank?” I ask.
“It’s a guy thing,” Trey says, making me feel like an outsider.
I sneer, the insult hitting home as I brush his arm off me. “A guy thing? Seriously?”
“Yeah, like Vic working at Enrique’s Auto Body,” he says. “It’s a guy thing.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I could work at Enrique’s.”
Jet, Derek, and Trey laugh. Vic looks horrified I’d even bring it up.
“You guys are so sexist,” Ashtyn chimes in. “Monika can do whatever she wants, including working at Enrique’s.”
“Yeah,” I tell them. “I can work at Enrique’s if I wanted to.”
Vic grabs his math book out of his locker. “No, you can’t.”
“Why not?”
Trey drapes his arm around my shoulder again. “Because you’re not used to doing manual labor where you might break a nail.” He nods to the guys. “Now let’s talk about tonight.”
My mouth is open in shock. I can’t believe he just said that, even as I glance down at my freshly manicured nails.
“Jet’s house,” Vic says. “Eleven thirty sharp. I’ll get the supplies while you guys figure out logistics.”
Ash shakes her head. “Don’t get caught.”
“We won’t,” Jet says with confidence. “We’ve got masks.”
“Oh, right,” Ash says sarcastically. “As if putting on a stupid mask is an assurance that you guys won’t get in trouble.”
Derek kisses her. “Don’t worry, Sugar Pie. It’s not the first time I’ve pulled a prank, and it won’t be the last. You girls aren’t cut out for pranks.”
Ash and I look at each other knowingly.
That’s what he thinks.
Chapter Nine
VICTOR
I drive over to Jet’s house with my truck, ready for the prank that will kick off our senior year. Derek and Jet are waiting for me in Jet’s driveway. We all match each other in black T-shirts and sweatpants.
“We can’t show our faces just in case they have cameras,” Derek says, proudly picking up four knit black hats. He cuts eye holes in them so we can pull them over our faces.
“Where’s Trey?” I ask.
“Yeah, about that.” Jet holds up a hand. “I got a text from him. He’s not coming. Something about working on college applications or something like that.”
Shit.
“Whatever,” Derek says, annoyed. “We can do this without him.”
I don’t want to do this without Trey. I try calling him, but it goes straight to voice mail. I try texting him, but he doesn’t text back.
“What’s wrong with Trey lately?” Derek asks. “He’s so fucking preoccupied.”
Jet jumps into my backseat. “He’s not even fun to hang out with anymore. I swear he was texting on that fucking phone the entire time we hung out yesterday.”
“He’s got a lot goin’ on,” I say, defending my best friend even though I’m pissed at him myself. “Let’s just get this prank over with.”
Driving onto Rolling Meadows High’s property to scout the place out gives me an adrenaline rush. Lucky for us, there isn’t around-the-clock security at the school. Still, to play it safe, we park a block away.
“We look ridiculous,” Jet says, trying to adjust the eye holes on the knit hats. “My eye holes aren’t lined up right,” he complains as we jump out of the truck with the spray paint cans. “I can only see out of one eye.”
The holes are so wide apart he looks like a Cyclops, but there is no time to fix it because the more time we’re here, the riskier it is. I don’t plan on getting caught.
We each take a couple of spray paint cans and head to our rivals’ football field.
“I can’t see with this fucking hat on my face,” Jet complains.
“I did my best,” Derek says. “Deal with it, bro.”
We turn the corner ready to jump the fence when I catch sight of two silhouettes hiding in the shadows. I halt, ready to book it out of here, when the figures come into the light.
No. Way.
“What the hell are you two doin’ here?” I ask, shocked to see Monika and Ashtyn standing in front of the fence. My eyes immediately focus on Monika. She’s wearing a yellow top and skinny jeans that hug her curvy body.