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“You mean crew?” I said raising an eyebrow. “Why do you need our help with this? Pick up a tennis racquet and join the team. Or whatever it is you … do.”
Other than partying, nothing to my knowledge.
“It’s not that simple,” Vivian said. “I need to do something that also shows I’m improving. That shows I’m clean. Or cleaner than I used to be.”
Elliot and Leo shared a look, and then both of them looked at me. I didn’t have an answer for her. I wasn’t quite even sure what she was asking.
One thing I did know was that I had no intention of getting involved. At best, I wanted her gone. It’d be better for the both of us. And that seemed like something she was trying to avoid.
Vivian took out her phone, and slid it over to me. I squinted down at the screen, then looked back up at her.
“Is this a sign-up sheet?” I asked, glancing back down to read the details more thoroughly. “For … NA?”
“I’m forming a Narcotics Anonymous group,” she exhaled. “As my contribution. And I want you guys to be in it.”
I froze, then turned my head to look at Elliot. He had the same choked-up expression, as if holding back a laugh that was uncalled for. Come on—it made sense for her, but us?
“Um …” I started, slowly sliding the phone back to her. “Thanks, but … we don’t need to be in his group. I mean …” I paused to glance at Leo and Elliot—didn’t want to make any assumptions. “At least, I don’t think I need to be.”
“That’s the thing, Kathleen,” Vivian said, lowering her voice. She leaned over the table, her eyes pinned on mine. “I know you don’t need it, that none of you need it. But other kids in our school do. And those are the kids I don’t want to be in it.” She waited, as if any of what she was saying was sinking in. It wasn’t.
“I don’t get it,” I answered. “You want to start an NA group because you need it, but you want kids who aren’t addicts to be in it?”
Vivian ran a hand through her hair, and raised her chin to glance back at her table. Following her line of vision, I noticed Eric still seated at the table, watching us.
“Look,” Vivian said, returning her gaze to mine. “There’s a certain number of hours I need to put in to make it look like I’m actually doing the work. If I’m successful at forming this group, and lead the meetings for a certain amount of time, then I can stay at Freeman. But—” She paused for effect. “I can’t just drop the group. If I get kids in this group that actually need the help, then I’ll have to continue leading it. Which is not what I need in my life at this point, honestly.”
“Honestly,” I muttered under my breath.
Again, she leaned toward me, putting her elbows on the table and staring me dead in the eyes as if to hypnotize me into accepting her request.
“Look,” she repeated. “All I need is to have a minimum of three people in the group. But in order for it to look legit, I’m going to have Tara in on it, too. You won’t have to do anything other than show up a couple times a week for an hour and pretend that you want to be there.”
“Who would know?” Leo asked.
“There’ll be a supervisor,” Vivian groaned. “Dean O’Donnell, or whatever her name was.”
Right. The one administrative staff member who knew exactly what occurred during that first week of school between me and Vivian. It must’ve taken a miracle for her to give Vivian this one last chance.
“So,” Elliot said, speaking up for the first time. “What does she get in return?”
Vivian flicked her gaze over to him.
“Not just her,” she said, as if I were out of the picture. “All three of you. And the other one.”
“Felix isn’t here,” Elliot replied. No emotion in his voice. “Keep him out of this.”
Maybe he was trying to protect his friend from getting into this stupid scheme.
“So?” I pressed. “What do all three of us get in return? Plus Tara?”
I had only known Tara for a couple months now, but she was more than acquaintance at this point, and I cared about her as if she were a close friend. Sort of like a reincarnated version of Pierre. She was a genuine, kind-hearted person, and I’d hate to see her get hurt again. Besides, I was the one Vivian had beef with—and I didn’t want anyone getting caught up in it that didn’t deserve the pain.
Vivian raised an eyebrow at me. “For the record, you don’t have to worry about Tara. She’s in good hands.”
“Good hands, meaning, your hands?” I mirrored her expression. “For some reason, that just doesn’t add up to me.”
“To you, it doesn’t,” Vivian retorted. “You may think she’s your bestie right now, but she’s been my bestie since day one. We’ve known each other for years—and just because we’ve had a couple bumps in the road doesn’t discount how close we are. I know what’s good for her. You,” she emphasized, “don’t.”
