Page 32 of Saints & Sailors

“You and Boy Wonder enemies or something?” I asked.

Bonham scowled as his green eyes shifted over to the boy in question. “St. Julien is a narc.” His attention was back on me. “His daddy’s a big lawyer and his cousin’s a deputy sheriff. So, it’s either me or him.”

The pieces to Dreux’s puzzle kept getting more and more interesting. “You’re definitely a hot piece of ass, Bonham, but no one tells me what to do.”

Bonham shrugged. “Just sayin’. The guy can’t be trusted, but if you want to go and be all lovey dovey with him, go right on ahead.”

I couldn’t have cared less about being one-half of an annoying couple where we were destined to get engaged or have babies straight after high school. Then we’d be like those annoying parents who were pretentious and referred to their kid as “eighteen months,” instead of just saying their child was almost fuckin’ two.

“He’s just my neighbor. Besides, I’m not interested in this town’s latest teen drama, what I want is a good time,” I demanded.

Bonham appeared thoughtful. “What are your digits?”

I gave him my number, very much aware that his friends were still playing in their food—they were definitely high.

Bonham typed in my number with a bob of his head. “Feel like doin’ a little livin’ tonight?”

“As wildly as possible?”

“Wouldn’t live any other way.”

“Deal.”

Bonham held up his half of my pastry. “Thanks for the muffin, muffin.”

To the outside world, I was probably about to make a huge mistake, but I honestly didn’t care. If the night went as planned, I would go out, I would drink, I would potentially smoke, I would have fun, and I would get laid.

I hadn’t slept with anyone since Kevin, and with Bonham…I just wanted to. Kevin didn’t deserve to be my first and only.

When I returned to my lunch table, Cameron and Aidan were focused on each other, and Dreux was holding his sub in one hand while reading something on his phone with the other.

I couldn’t wait until the evening.

I was going to let loose.

All week, I developed a routine. Larry and Cameron would drop me off, and I would lay out all my schoolwork on the living room floor, sift through Scott’s vinyl, and play a record as I did my homework. My mother would call two or three times, and I would ignore each one.

Eventually, my homework would be done and Scott would be walking in the door.

Today I was vibing to AC/DC. They reminded me of cigarettes, Jack Daniel’s, and laughing my ass off with Danny back home.

Would the boys be mad at me forever? For so long they were the only people who accepted me. And now…nothing.

I didn’t care about anything or anyone, but I valued my friendship with the boys.

When I was eighteen, I would go back to California and I would reconnect with them. I had to.

Scott’s arrival pulled me from my thoughts. He was standing in the doorway with his lunch pail and a grocery bag.

Just like the times before when he’d walked in on me listening to his music, he looked pleased, proud even.

I didn’t want to please him, or for him to like me for that matter.

“AC/DC, nice,” Scott mused as he came into the room. He eyed my schoolwork. “What’s all that?”

“Right now, English. It’s a real pain, maybe I’ll hire someone to let me cheat.”

Scott chuckled. “Back in my day we bullied the smart kids to do it for us.”