Watching her in Lit and Gym, there was another first time feeling brewing inside of me—jealousy.
Fucking Trisha. How does a guy fight for a girl with a girl?
Two periods long, I think of that shit. Then the crew and I stay through our lunch period at the fitness center, and I work through some of it by raising those endorphins, but not totally.
European History class, I sit with Truth and Justice as I have been since we started here. Savvy is two rows back, by herself. I look back frequently, and her nose is in the textbook the entire time. The rest of the class opts for using an electronic device, but not Savvy, and I dig that about her. I wonder if Trisha does.
Truth, however, holds most of my attention. She’s sucked into the drama on that app.
“T,” I whisper, “ignore that shit.”
She shakes her head.
“T, seriously, whatever they’re saying doesn’t mean shit.”
“I know, but this wasn’t how this was supposed to be.”
I nudge her with my shoulder. “Or maybe it’s how the whole world actually is, and we’re just seeing it. Gotta look beyond the dead leaves of society and watch the snow fall.”
“I hate snow,” she sighs. “So do you.”
“Not anymore, T. I changed my perspective.”
I wonder if Trisha likes snow.
I already see my evening is going to be spent at home, in the gym, and slipping off into the bathroom to soak my dick in a cup of saline.
Walking into Pottery, thinking I’m going to be early enough to ask her about Trisha, I see Ziggy and Roach already there.
I sit down beside her, and she nudges me. “Wanna help us pad our volunteer hours for college apps?”
I’m a little thrown off, because I was pretty certain she decided on the Peace Corps and Ziggy and Roach wanted to fuck the Seashore name by starting a pot farm. But hey, we’ve got another few months until we decide on whether to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a piece of paper to drop that may not do shit for us.
“Sure?”
“They’re doing that talent show for the first time this year. We’re going to suggest it be a sit-down dinner or dessert event of some sort. You know, to increase ticket prices. And that money can be donated to a charity that we will mutually agree upon.”
“I suggested a Save the Titties theme.” Roach grins. “It’s for women.”
“I like titties. I’m all for saving them.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, she kicks me under the table.
I look at her, my eyes narrowed. “What?”
“I was thinking we use it to increase some of the scholarship money here, putting less stress on the families who have to pay a substantial portion for their kids to not only attend here but live on campus.”
I know damn well she’s talking about situations like Chloe is in, and I like it. But I like titties better.
“And maybe we find an organization that helps fund mental health clinics, helps the homeless, or both. But they can’t be one of those that just fattens the CEO’s pocket.”
“Love those ideas, too.” I also love that her fire, that passion, is at work.
“And, for obvious reasons, I’d like our charities to be run by women.”
“Maybe your friend Trisha knows someone,” I suggest, my sarcasm kept in check.
She grins. “Maybe she does.”
Fuck Trisha.
She continues, and I try to stay focused.
“A hundred dollars a plate. We make the plates here in class so everyone can add it to their apps, or after school, if we have time. The people who buy tickets get to take them home, like a collector’s item.”
“Savvy, you can smell the money when you walk in this place; you charge a thousand and serve them shit, and you’ll get it.”
“Not without a name, we won’t.” Roach looks at me, his eyebrow arched.
“I said no.” Savvy lunges over the table at him.
I grab her and pull her back.
Roach shakes his head. “I agreed not to ask him to call in a favor from his father, so chill, Savvy. But Tricks would bring a crowd. That Christmas song he did on TikTok had five million hits on Christmas alone! Just asking if he’ll enter.”
“He does that, no one else will sign up. He would obviously kill the competition. His voice is …” She shakes her head. “You know he’ll win.”
“So, he emcees,” Ziggy suggests.
“Charge a thousand, and I will.”
Savvy shakes her head. “No. You’re my friend and—”
“And that’s why I’ll do it. I know you’re doing it for good reasons, not to fuck me.”
“Wait—did she just say friend?” Roach asks.
“So what if I did?” She scowls.
“So, does that mean we won’t get our heads bit off if we call you our friend?” Ziggy laughs.
“That all depends on how this works out.” She points to her notebook. “And we figure out all the details before presenting them to the art department. Keep it here.” She taps on the table. “They might take the idea and run with it. Then it’s a waste of our time.”
I nudge her with my knee. “This is a pretty cool idea.” I look up at the guys. “Seriously love it.”
“It was all Savvy. We’re just here for the ride.” Ziggy smiles at her, and now I’m not sure how much I like him.
As soon as Ziggy and Roach get up, I turn toward her fully. “Who’s Trisha?”
“Ha, ha,” she says.
“You don’t have to tell me, but—”
“Oh my God, you’re jealous!”
“No right to be; we’re friends,” I say tightly. “Just wondering.”
She pulls her phone out of her blazer pocket and sets it on the stone table in front of us. “Text me.”
“What?”
“Just do it.”
I pull out my phone and send her a message.
When I lean down to look at her shattered screen, she
