He doesn’t respond, and I feel him watching me as I continue through the parking lot. He kinda freaks me out because he’s always so quiet and keeps to himself. But he’s been teased and bullied for years, like me, so he probably thinks it’s safer to be a loner and not draw attention to himself.
“Ella!” I hear him say.
I turn around and see him coming toward me, his thin, black hair falling over his forehead. “What do you need?”
“Is there any way you’d um...” He looks down and adjusts his glasses. “Maybe give me a ride?”
“A ride? What happened to your car?”
Like everyone else here, Calvin has a very expensive car. His father created some kind of software that made millions, or maybe even billions. I only know that because I saw his dad being interviewed on the news a few months ago.
“It won’t start,” Calvin says, pointing to the dark blue Ferrari parked in the second row of the parking lot. The Ferrari must be new. He used to drive a Mercedes sedan. He doesn’t seem like someone who would drive a Ferrari. Maybe he thinks it’ll get him girls.
“Did you call an auto service? Maybe they could fix it.”
“I called, but they can’t get here until tonight. And my dad’s out of town.” He scrubs his hand through his hair, making the thin strands get all staticky and stick up. “I need a ride home, but I guess I could just call a rideshare.” He turns and walks away.
Normally, I wouldn’t give a ride to someone I barely know, but I’m pretty sure Calvin is harmless. And I’m pretty sure if he wasn’t, I could take him down if he tried to attack me. He’s about as tall as I am and probably weighs less than me. He’s really scrawny. I think he gets so into writing code that he forgets to eat. I’ve never seen him in the cafeteria.
“Calvin!”
He turns back. “Yeah?”
“I’ll give you a ride.”
“Really?” he says with a hint of suspicion, like he thinks I’m playing some kind of prank on him. The guy’s been bullied so much that he doesn’t trust anyone. And yet he asked me for a ride.
I motion him to follow me. “Come on.”
He runs toward me, an awkward run where his knees come together and his feet swing way out. I notice people laughing at him. A girl from my French class is pointing at us as she talks toher friend. I swear, these people need to get a life. Do they really have nothing better to do than make fun of people?
“It’s open,” I tell Calvin as he stands by my truck. The locks always get stuck, so I don’t bother locking it. It’s not like anyone would try to steal it. It’s twenty years old and has rust everywhere.
“Thanks for doing this,” he says as he tries to put his seatbelt on.
“You have to yank it really hard,” I say, watching him struggle with the seatbelt. I finally just take it from him and pull it over him.
“Thanks,” he mutters, seeming embarrassed. I didn’t mean to embarrass him. I just want to hurry up and leave.
“So where do you live?” I ask, pulling out of the parking space.
“A few miles from here. Turn left out of the parking lot.”
A car pulls in front of me, blocking my way. It’s Parker’s silver Porsche convertible, and behind it is Finn’s shiny white Range Rover.
“Shit,” Calvin mutters, biting his lip.
“What?” I say, glancing at him. “You think I’m letting those assholes block me in?” I roll down my window and yell at Parker. “Move or I’ll run you over!”
The top of the Porsche is down, and Parker’s arm is casually resting on the door. Dark sunglasses cover his eyes. He doesn’t even acknowledge me as he turns to Scarlett, who leans toward him and kisses him. Finn has a girl, too. She’s practically in his lap, her mouth attached to his.
I honk my horn and yell out the window. “Move out of the fucking way!”
“You’re just pissing them off,” Calvin says.
“They’re not pissed off. They’re enjoying this. But if they don’t move, I’ll run them over. This truck would crush that Porsche.”
“Learn anything?” Parker yells at me as Scarlett messes with her hair.
