Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
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I LEAVE AN ADVANCE of cash on the counter for Mom before leaving with Elliot for the day. She was passed out in her room, so it was best not to disturb her and risk another argument like yesterday's. That's...not something I can endure again. Even though the money was supposed to go towards rent and maybe a few groceries, I'm sure I can find a quick job so we're not late on payments or starving for the next week. Maybe she'll even surprise me and try to get a job herself.
Arriving at Elliot's at his allotted time gives us about ten minutes to start prepping snacks and games before people begin showing up. Martsia and Lena are the first to arrive, and I try to ignore the meaning behind their disingenuous smiles and tight eyes. I promised myself not to meddle in their relationship no matter how concerned I am. So far, they're still pretending that everything is okay.
Elliot is a bit frantic when more people arrive, pacing around the living room with the furniture pushed back, flipping through music on his phone, murmuring about what playlist to go with under his breath. "Amber," he hisses over his shoulder and waves me over when he catches me lingering by the sofa.
I ease by a few theatre kids who set up camp in front of the TV and nudge his hip with mine when I reach him. "What's up?"
"What song should I go with first?" He shows me the two artists on his phone. "Her album just came out so it'll be a definite hit, but I really love his music and-"
"Elli." I rub his tense shoulder. "Pick whichever one you want."
"That's not helping," he hisses. "Get lost. You're useless."
I laugh and pretend to be offended by pressing a hand to my chest. "Rude."
His house continues to fill up with no signs of slowing down. He makes a frantic decision. Music blasts from his Spotify connected to the TV and a few cheers resonate through the house. He gives me a relieved smile and I wink. "See? You've got this."
I skip over to Martsia when I find her alone in the kitchen staring at a bowl of pretzels. She wrings her hands several times before glancing around like someone is going to punish her for stealing free food. "Can't decide what you want?" I tease as I close the space between us.
Panic floods her expression and her shoulders tense. "Huh? What? N-no." She wipes her hands on her pants and looks behind me.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" I rub her arm, but she remains tense and uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just waiting for Lena to get back. She's going to throw a fit if she doesn't see me eat something." She sucks her lips in fast, and her eyes widen as if she just revealed a disastrous secret. My pulse thuds, but I ignore it. "Not that she has to watch me. She just...thinks I can be wasteful sometimes."
"Well, you can't waste anything here. It's all free." I smile and motion towards the countless bowls of popcorn to trail mix and Cheez-Its. "You're not actually required to eat anything."
