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Flow:Yo, ran into some issues and stuff. Gonna be more like, I don’t know, thirty minutes?
In Flow language, that was an hour plus. Flow’s life motto was to ‘go with the flow,’ meaning he was as lazy and as fast as a sloth. Getting him to hurry about anything was near impossible.
With a sigh, I slung my bag over my shoulder and trudged back down the stairs, the clanging and banging making me cringe. I didn’t acknowledge anyone coming toward me, but instead headed toward the parking lot. I would start walking home if I had to.
“Una, is your car still in the shop?” I heard called behind me. Groaning, I paused briefly.
If I didn’t stop, he would start yelling. Not that he felt hurt being ignored, but he assumed I didn’t hear him. Which I did. I always did. I just usually didn’t feel the need to answer him.
“Yup,” I said without turning around.
“Hmm, alright then, wait here. Boys, good practice. Do the same tomorrow, and we’ll definitely crush Hans Academy on Friday.”
“Thanks, Coach. Um, do you… I mean, does she… can I help somehow?”
Whoever spoke seemed at a loss for words. That’s what got me to turn around. Because I knew he was talking about me, and I didn’t allow people to talk about me behind my back.
“Who me?” I called, placing one hand on my hip and narrowing my eyes at the boy now in front of me.
Charlie Henrikson. With his floppy brown hair, the dimples in both cheeks, and his athletic body, he looked like one of those social media influencers who got free things just for being gorgeous.
As most Fairview kids did.
But his piercing blue eyes latched onto mine just before I looked away. He held my gaze as if he were trying to figure out the situation, but got lost and confused. There was still an air of confidence in them, though, and that’s what held me.
“Yeah, you. Your car’s in the shop? Do you need a ride or something?” he asked, without taking his gaze off me. His dark brows knitted in concern, his head tilting to the side, letting a lock of hair fall over the skull wrap he still had on his head.
Guys called it a skull wrap. A piece of fabric that kept their shaggy locks from being in their face and stopped the sweat from dripping.
I called it a headband. They didn’t like that.
I shifted from one foot to another, but kept my jaw tense. “I’m fine,” I said. There wasn’t anything someone like Charlie Henrikson could offer me that I’d say yes to. I didn’t take favors from anyone, especially Fairview kids.
People came to me for favors. They paid for those favors. If I were going to ask someone to do something for me, I would pay for the service. But it wouldn’t be a Fairview kid. They were tricksters and manipulators, knowing very well how to get what they wanted.
Charlie blinked, breaking our bond. I sucked in a breath as if I hadn’t had oxygen in years. Looking around, I found his teammates staring at the two of us, also looking rather lost.
“It’s no problem, really. Happy to help.” He heaved his soccer bag over his shoulder again and smiled, the dimples that drove Fairview princesses wild popping out again.
A hand clamped on his shoulder and squeezed, taking his attention away from me for a moment. “Thanks, Charlie, but I got this one.”
Charlie nodded once, but then paused as he thought about what his coach said. Slowly, he turned his gaze back to me, his eyes now wide.
His coach just offered an underage female student a ride home. Charlie looked like he had seen a ghost, but also like his mind was running a mile a minute, trying to figure out what to do. I knew exactly what had to be running through his mind. Did he offer me a ride again? Did he say something? Step in between his coach and me, stopping him from taking me anywhere?
Before he could move or say whatever it was he just opened his mouth to say, I held up a hand. “I said I’m fine. Let’s go,Dad.”
With that, I turned around, my back to them once again, but a huge smile on my face, knowing they just all lost their collective minds.
A united gasp came from the crowd behind me. Dad threw out some more goodbyes to his players, then followed me.
“Dad?” Charlie choked out before I got more than a few feet away. “Coach Andersen is yourdad?”
Spinning on the toe of my worn-out boots, I turned and started walking backwards, staring at Charlie and his teammates. The smug smile felt at home on my face. I tossed my braids over my shoulder and laughed.
“You have your looks. And your pretty faces. But don’t underestimate the element of surprise, boys. Just when you thought you knew it all…” I lifted my hand to my forehead, giving them a salute before whirling back around and leaving them all with their jaws on the ground.
Chapter 2
