I nod and whisper, “I’m not worried that Kiki will have an issue. More worried Max will.”
JT nods. “Agreed.”
“Truth okay?”
“Damn right, she is.” He crosses his arms and sits back.
“Aren’t there two other girls in your little crew who you don’t think can handle themselves?” Savvy asks dryly.
Before I can explain, JT says, “They’re covered, too.”
She glares at him, and he glares back.
“They can handle themselves just fine. We just like to be around for the what-if moments,” I explain.
“And what is a what-if moment?” she asks, obviously a bit annoyed.
“What if someone steps over the line and need their ass kicked,” JT says.
“Just because they’re women doesn’t mean they’re weak.” Savvy stares straight forward.
“No shit,” JT again speaks before I can. “But they don’t have to be stronger than necessary, because some fuck like Reeves, or one of the cunts around here, decides to spout off shit, especially when we’re around.”
I lean over and tell her, “What he means is—”
“I said what I mean,” he growls.
“—it’s a show of support.”
“Maybe for you, but obviously, your buddy over here prefers intimidation.”
I nod. “Well, it’s not like he’s wrong. If they’re brazen enough that they want to spout off shit that doesn’t mean anything to them, to be bully-ass bitches, they should be prepared to get it handed to them.”
She looks over at JT and throws a thumb back at me. “See? Use your words. It sounds less asshole-ish.”
I can’t help but chuckle.
JT leans closer to her, his eyes narrowed, not saying a damn thing.
She leans closer to him, and they stare at each other before he shakes his head and leans back.
I just sit back and take it all in, and when she looks over at me, her eyebrows lifted high, I whisper, “Savage.”
Her eyes smile, but not those lips, and then she looks away. I’ll take it.
The homeroom teacher does her thing; tells us what’s going on; talks about the spring musical that Tris, Brisa, and Truth are doing; the winter sports we were too late to join, which is cool because I don’t have time; and then tells us permission slips for the spring sports are due.
“Shit,” JT mumbles as he flips through the folder on his desk then hands me his form for baseball, which I sign, along with mine for the surf team, and then pass it forward.
Then she announces some talent show that’s in June. This garners some excitement.
“You should do it,” JT says.
“Yeah, maybe.” I shrug. “Not sure I have time, though.” And I don’t. Lots of shit going on.
“You don’t have time to pluck a few strings and sing?” JT’s brows knit. “Make time. That’s your thing.”
He looks at Savvy. “What’s your thing?”
“Avoiding things,” she says as the bell rings. Then she stands up and quickly exits the classroom.
“She’s a ball of joy,” he says as we stand.
“She’s cool.” I grab my bag.
“Yeah, I’ll take your word for it.”
Once in the hall, we both head in different directions; me toward the senior hall to lay eyes on Kiki, and him toward our next class—AP Calc.
The only classes I don’t have with them is Women Studies and Pottery. Those are the two I get to chill with Savvy.
Why the hell are we taking classes heavy in AP courses is a question I ask myself often. All three of us are focused on the arts, not STEM, so this is some bullshit torture we students do to ourselves and, in some cases, parents push on their kids to rank against others.
The constant competition is never going to stop, though, and I’m not sure I give half a shit about that in real life. But even in art, there’s competition. With music, it’s charts and now algorithms for what gets shown on social media and in the big monster stores that have killed the mom and pop shops.
Money trumps all, and wrongs are far too often diluted to make them right. The only place that doesn’t play in is home, family, and love—matters of the heart.
As I get older and more exposed to the world, I see where even those get tainted, which is why I want whoever it is I’m going to be with, my forever, to be solid in who they are.
Savvy, as much of a shitshow as her life has been, is the most solid female I’ve yet to meet. I hope her no-bullshit ways never gets fucked by society.
I sit down beside her, Chloe sitting on her other side, and look