we letting you stay here to snitch us out. Let’s go.”
I slowly stand, dusting off the back of my sweats. “First of all, don’t imply I’m a snitch – if it doesn’t affect me, I don’t give a shit. And second, I do what the fuck I want, not what I’m told.”
The girl takes a half a step toward me but pauses when Nira calls out behind her.
“Back off, Victoria.”
Oh right, that was her name.
Nira walks over. “Just come to the party, Rae. You don’t have a damn thing better to do.”
“True, but now I wanna stay to spite Victoria, here.”
When Victoria’s eyes narrow farther, my mouth tips up in a grin.
“You’re gonna need someone to buy from when your stash runs out, right?”
My eyes cut back to Nira and she smirks. Little does she know, Bass could help me out with that. Not directly, but still.
“Come on, girl. There’ll be plenty of wannabe dealers there happy to skimp you on a sack. Weed’s not as good here as you’re probably used to, but it’ll serve its purpose.”
I laugh lightly, knowing she’s right about that. The Valley grows the good shit.
I look to Victoria. “Guess you’ll be getting your way tonight.”
Her eyes rake over my outfit and her pointy nose scrunches. “Maybe you should change.”
“Maybe you should fuck off.”
With a huff, she stomps toward the curb and looks down the street.
I turn back to Nira.
“Victoria’s boyfriend is driving us tonight, so don’t start shit by flirting with him, we don’t need added problems and he won’t cheat on her.”
Suspicion has me frowning.
When Nira glances off, I let out a humorless laugh. “You read my file.”
She considers lying, but stands taller instead. “We read all the new girls’ files. We deserve to know about people we’re forced to live with.”
“So you gathered I’m a whore?”
“You’re the daughter of one,” she throws out unapologetically. “I know firsthand our parents’ problems are quick to become ours.”
I don’t say anything because there’s no point. Nothing I say would matter.
If she lived half the life I did, the only thing we can trust is what we see with our own eyes.
The words of others mean jack.
Promises are a way of ending an unwanted conversation.
And lies make our world go round.
“You good in what you have on? ‘Cause her guy will be here in a few minutes.”
I look down at my joggers and black long sleeve. “Kinda party we talkin’?”
She grins. “House party for spoiled assholes. Huge, flaunty house and hoes galore. You think the jerks at our school come off privileged? These people are so flaunty they could give Beverly Hills a run for their money.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back,” I tell her and head for the house.
Last thing I want is to draw attention to myself and if these people are as flashy as she’s letting on, then they’ll pick me and my baggy sweats out in the crowd in an instant. At least with pants I can shoot for invisible.
I walk past the girls playing around in the living room and make my way to my room, pulling out a pair of jeans and a white tank that hits just above my stomach. I grab my grey and black flannel and throw it over, stuff some cash in my back pocket, my pocket knife in my front, and head out the door.
And speaking of cash, I’m gonna need to talk with Bass again before I get too low.
Right when I reach the girls, Victoria’s boyfriend pulls up – a guy I recognize from school.
“Hey, baby,” he greets her and gives us a small wave.
She pulls the seat forward in his ancient, two-door and we silently climb into the back.
I ignore the conversation on the way over, quietly considering what I’m willing to spend on what’s probably shitty weed in the first place while I note the street names the entire way over – never know when you might need to find your own way back. Before I realize it, we’re pulling behind a pile of cars on a huge court.
“Damn.”
Nira nods and climbs out ahead of me.
I look from the group of people on the lawn to the ones walking up a driveway the size of two basketball courts.
We get halfway up the driveway when Victoria turns to me with her freaky, narrowed stink eyes. “Don’t mention being from Brayshaw.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said,” she snaps before stomping off, her man trailing behind her and I can’t help but laugh.