Chapter 12: Showin’ Off The New Ride

(Veronica Miller's POV):

[Are you and your friends still outside >:-)]

[Yeah, why sis :-?]

[Oh, nothing, just make sure you film what happens next :-)]

[Wait wha—]

Before I could finish typing my message a loud roar filled the air. The sleepy little road leading to school sounded like it was host to a drag race. I immediately knew this is what Abby wanted me to film as I clicked on my phone's camera and turned it horizontally to get the best shot. Panning hard I could barely keep up with the car as it flew down the road like a bat out of hell.

'Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam), Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam). Black Betty had a child (Bam-ba-lam). The damn thing gone wild (Bam-ba-lam)!' The lyrics roaring from the car speakers filled the air, and the windows rolled down to allow the entire parking lot full of sleep-deprived teens to hear it.

I recognized the car and the muscular arm hanging out of the window. Ethan waved at the shell-shocked kids as his Dad's black 1987 Oldsmobile 442 rolled into the parking lot. The stupid grin on his face made it bittersweet as I knew why he was driving that car. An ugly feeling welled up in me as I wished I was the reason why he could drive it.

"Oh wow." Becky had trouble picking her jaw up off of the floor as she gawked at Ethan walking out of the car with a swagger in his step. Her fingers typed away at her phone like a machine gun, her older sister Rachel most likely the recipient of these texts. I also caught her sneaking a few quick pictures as the boy rounded the car to the passenger side. Ethan was wearing a faded red shirt, the fabric tight around his thick muscles.

"How in the hell did he get that?" Keith spoke with poorly hidden envy, his own eyes glancing back at his 2016 Ford F-150 like it was trash.

"It probably isn't even his." Tobey snickered behind the sleeve of his hoodie, the effeminate boy eyeing Ethan with a disgusting leer. Jessica elbowed the bleach-blonde twink causing him to bowl over, her brown eyes sending him a warning look. Everyone knew that she wasn't jealous, the two 'dating' was cover for their true sexual persuasions. In other words, Jessica was a beard for Tobey and vice versa. I had caught the boyish brunette looking at my boobs several times while we hung out, the girl was almost worse than the boys, almost.

"Yeah, Langston fingers are notorious for being sticky!" Jason chimed in as he watched Ethan's sister get out of the car, his eyes taking in the sight of her long toned legs. She wore a short red skirt that only went down to about mid-thigh, the principal would throw a fit if he caught her wearing that. Even worse was the black spaghetti strap camisole that revealed her pale cleavage beyond her tan lines.

"Nope, it means he finally got a girlfriend." I tried hiding my grimace as I said that but Becky quickly picked up on it. A frustrated groan left her glossy lips as she scratched at her short blue-dyed hair. She knew, her older sister supplying the hot goss about the Miller family's strange connection to Ethan Langston. The frustration probably came with the realization I had lied to her about being totally over my crush on Ethan, her advice to brutally reject him was only advised under the condition that I never wanted to date him.

"Oh, right you did say the dork had to get a girlfriend to use his dad's car." Keith mocked and then realized what that actually meant. "Wait, who would date that loser?"

"Try Abby Miller!" Becky laughed at everyone's shocked expressions, my own face was marred by a frown. "Yeah, big sis got a phone call last night and said Abby would not shut up about him asking her out."

"Is it true?" Jason asked me as he fiddled with his keys, his dark skin glowing under the sun's morning rays. How is this little perv even related to Olivia?

"I would assume, my sis texted me saying she wanted me to film him driving in the car." I shrugged my shoulders, the boy nodded before turning back to look at Ethan walking up the schools steps. Clara walked right beside him, her hand pressing on the back of her skirt to prevent the boys from looking up it as she marched up the steps.

"That's a damn shame." Tobey muttered under his breath but it was still loud enough for all of us to hear. I couldn't help but agree with the guy though, me eyes watching Ethan's ass as he walked up the steps. How can a man legally have that much cake? His toned back looked like a Renaissance sculpture of a muscular man, and when he turned back to look at us his coal-brown eyes met mine. For a moment my heart stopped, and it was only when Becky patted my shoulder I realized I needed to breathe again.

***

"Did it finally happen?" Billy asked like a proud father on graduation day, his large fingers wiping away non-existent tears.

"I thought the day would never come, our little E isn't so little anymore!" Ricky yelled and immediately regretted it as Camilla shushed him with one of her pale fingers placed on her plump red lips. Her grey eyes shot me a glare to which I responded by mouthing 'talk later'.

"Both of you guys shut it, this was bound to happen now that the ladies know that the most eligible bachelor in Munford was ready to mingle." I wiggled my eyebrows causing both guys to bust out in a fit of chuckles only stopped by the redhead standing in front of the whiteboard clearing her throat.

"So, who's the lucky lady?" Ricky nudged me with his elbow as he leaned out of his desk, the only thing keeping him from faceplanting on the floor was the metal bar connecting the seat to the desk part.

"Come on Billy that's an easy answer, it's—"

"Abby Miller." My words caused both of them to freeze, their wide eyes looking at me before Ricky raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Nash?" She asked as she lowered her glasses further down the bridge of her nose. The look she gave Ricky promised a whole week of scraping gum from under the desks if he said anything stupid.

"My friends and I ate a really bad microwaved burrito and…ugh…oh God I think I'm gonna be sick!" With his performance, he'd land himself in the lead role of a B-tier movie. Billy followed suit by groaning, the big man using his curly red hair as a shield to hide his poor poker face. Camilla's eyes landed on mine and I could only clasp my hands together to beg for her mercy.

"All three of you can go, but make sure you report to the nurse's office afterward." She jerked her chin to the door motioning us onward. I gave her a whispered 'thank you' before grabbing my notebook and standing up.

"Thanks a ton Ms. Anderson, uh I mean ugh!" I facepalmed at the idiot as I dragged Ricky by the collar of his old racing shirt, the man choking as the fabric pulled tight against his throat. Billy gave Camilla an apologetic look before scurrying behind us, his big hands softly shutting the door we had flung open.

Walking down the gleaming white tiles and the occasional purple and green one highlighting the school's colors we reached the boy's bathroom. Opening the door we were immediately hit by the smoke of half a dozen vape pens, the boys lounging on the sinks and near the blow dryers looking at us as we entered. They were wearing the familiar green shorts of our gym clothes along with the white shirt and it's purple collars and sleeve borders. Their eyes narrowed as their territorial instinct flared in them. The desire to ruin their lungs was just as powerful as Billy and Ricky's desire to get me to spill the beans. A battle for the boy's bathroom would ensue.

"Scram, we've got dibs this period!" One of the bulkier kids spoke, his hair spiked up with enough hair gel to make it look like he smeared Vaseline on his head. This was Townes and he was captain of the wrestling team, the five other cronies with him were also on the team as well. It would be a rough fight if we came to blows so hopefully Ricky doesn't—

"Bullshit, did you not read the sign!" I groaned as Ricky pointed toward the corner of the bathroom where the walls meet in the handicap stall. Above the doors past the gap scribbled on the wall in a marker so permanent that not even the harshest chemical the janitor had access to could erase it was a note. 'Property of Ethan Langston, Billy Evans, and Ricky Nash!'

"That's the dumbest fuckin' thing ever, you can't own a bathroom by simply scribbling your name on it!" One of the little rats chimed in, his wiry frame and lanky arms made me wary. Dad always said those types fought the hardest when cornered.

"No, the dumbest thing ever is your mom for not swallowing you when she had the chance!" Ooh, I winced and so did Billy. The tension in the room seemed to reach a fever pitch as the other members of the wrestling team looked over at the boy Ricky just said that too.

"M-my Mom is dead you bastard!" Don't do it Ricky, don't do it, please for the love of all that is holy don't do it—!

"Ah, couldn't live with herself for bringing such an ugly little thing into the world. Don't worry buddy that just means you're her thirteenth reason why—!" The boy tackled Ricky against the cinder block wall, his hands wrapping around the back of the blonde's legs as he picked him up off the floor. Before anyone could jump in me and Billy stood in front of the rest of the wrestlers, my eyes glancing back at the fight going down.

Ricky wasn't defenseless and he wasn't going to let that guy's tackle go unpunished. Balling his hands into fists he brought them down in one single attack, the strike landing on the back of the kid's neck as he grunted. The man slammed Ricky back into the wall, the blond groaning as the wind was knocked out of him.

Another strike this time aimed at the back of the skull staggered the wrestler, Ricky taking the opportunity to stand on his own two feet. His pale hands rained down hit after hit as the boy was left at the mercy of Ricky, and my friend showed no mercy. Wrapping his hands in the fabric of the boy's P.E. shirt the blond slammed the kid face-first into the cinder block wall with a wet crunch. A hoarse scream tore through the boys throat as his nose gushed blood all across his white shirt.

"Okay, that's enough!" The head honcho yelled, his hands reaching for his staggering comrade. "We'll leave this time, but you three better watch your back because we won't forget this!"

They filed out of the room as they helped their injured man out, their eyes glaring daggers at us as they left. As soon as the last man left I slammed Ricky up against the concrete wall, my hands grabbing a fistful of his shirt around his collar as I pulled him up off the floor.

"That was stupid, we could've snuck outside and talked but now we've got the fuckin' wrestlers breathing down our necks!" Billy nodded behind me, Ricky himself looking down in shame as he realized he'd royally fucked up.

"Sorry, I just didn't think it would actually come to blows." He rubbed the back of his shaggy hair as he spoke, his blue eyes giving me a sheepish look. I could only sigh as I let go and let him land back on his feet, my hand reaching for my pocket as I grabbed my cigs and a lighter.

"Next time don't egg someone on with dead mom jokes and maybe we can actually prevent the next fight." I chuckled as I and Billy both knew that would never happen, Ricky always was a troublemaker. I didn't hate that about him though, it just really depended on whether or not I got my ass kicked because of it.

"Got it boss, but enough about that! Tell us why you didn't ask Elsie out?" Ricky asked and Billy once again nodded, the big man leaning against the door to prevent anyone from entering. I groaned as I took a drag from my recently lit cigarette, the smoke rising up to the exhaust fan on the ceiling.

"I just wanna know why you chose Abby Miller, was it because she looks like an older Veronica?" I looked between the two of them, their unwavering looks causing me to sigh. Time to tell 'em the same thing I said to Clara. What followed was a conversation even dumber than the one me and my sister had.