Play No More (Player Next Door sequel) ✓

89 | Prove yourself

Anyone else wrapped in a blanket reading this? Thank you @_eaves._dropper for the cozy poster!

Anyone else drinking coffee with this or is it just me?  

Chapter 89: Prove yourself

I lost interest in everything I had to do today. My motivation was below ground level and my happiness was a level beneath that. What's that level called? Underground sewage.

Sounds about right.

I buried my head in my locker, wishing I could hide here until the last bell rang. If this is what ostriches do all day, I've found my crew.

No, I can't betray raccoons like that.

Why do I have to be so weird? If I was normal, I wouldn't be packing 8am alcohol in my backpack or calling my boyfriend out in front of the entire basketball team.

If I was normal, maybe my parents would come home, and the heating would switch on again.

Ten seconds passed by, and I was starting to really believe my plan of hiding inside my locker could work...

"Excuse you."

A female voice spoke so close to me that I jumped, banging my head against the inside of the locker.

For the love of raccoons

Ow. I pulled my head out of my locker, wondering if I should pretend like I was looking for something in there or just own up to the truth. I ended up doing neither.

"Can I help you?" I asked the girl standing directly in front of me.

She was wearing a purple beanie over her braids.

"You're Millie Ripley, aren't you?" she asked me, like I was asking a stupid question.

"Yes," I said, confused by how she was on a full name basis with me and I was on a no name basis with her. "What's your name?"

She hadn't come alone and I recognized the girl standing behind her. It was Stacey.

I hadn't seen Stacey in a while, but she was a senior and she'd been a counselor at summer camp with Luke and me. We didn't have the fondest of memories together. After she unzipped my fleece, stuck a $1 bill in my bra and took a photo of me sleeping...

I have trust issues for good reason.

"Hi Millie," Stacey waved, a couple steps behind, "We heard about your grand trip to Dubai. You really glowed up this semester, am I right? Anyway, Oma finally uploaded the pics. Cute, huh?"

The best response is silence. I was sure of that.

This beanie girl said, "Bianca had some interesting insight that she shared in the comment section," she pulled up her phone like she was verifying facts.

What is it with seniors and their interest in my love life?

I knew these girls hated me, so this fake kindness act was not going to get them anywhere.

"B commented on a photo of Luke Dawson and you," the girl spoke about Bianca like they were friends, which I doubted. She stopped scrolling and read it out, "Puppy love."

That's it?

If they're talking about this right now, then the Kaden news hasn't hit yet.

"OK," I said, waiting for a worse part to come.

This isn't bad - Puppy love is not bad. Maybe Bianca's being... nice? She did send me a friend request.

Stacey followed up with the next question: "So you're not giving Luke any?"