More Under the Surface

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Nova                          

"I can't believe you're leaving." Natalia blows smoke from between her lips, passing the blunt to me. "This totally sucks."

"Tell me about it." I take a drag, already feeling the warmth of THC in my chest from my previous hits. When I pass it back, I bring the bottle of Cîroc to my lips and take a long swig.

I figured I might as well be hungover to meet my foster mother tomorrow. It can only go up from there. Hungover and pissed is a combination no one wants. When I drop the hungover part and only keep pissed, maybe she'll find me pleasant and I won't have to fake nice because, hey, at least it isn't hungover, too.

"The team will seriously suck without you. No way we're winning now."

I'm on the school's competitive cheer team. While we shake our asses and look pretty for the footballers in the fall, we dominate at competitions all over America in the spring.

Or, we did.

With me gone, I'm not sure how well they will do. Not to toot my own horn, but I carry the team.

Natalia is good, too, but she can't quit bossing everyone else around long enough to handle her own shit.

"Hey, baby." I inwardly cringe as his arms wrap around me. I was hoping he wouldn't show up tonight. Why would I ever be so lucky?

"Hey." I take another gulp of alcohol. I'll definitely need it now. "What're you doing here?"

"Are you kidding?" Caleb slides into the booth, crushing me against the wall with his linebacker frame. "I wouldn't miss your last night. What am I going to do without you, huh?"

Plenty, I think.

"She'll only be thirty minutes away."

"That's right." He nods, snaking an arm around me. "We'll come check up on you."

I don't say what I'm thinking. What I'm thinking, is that I could go the rest of my life without seeing Caleb again and I wouldn't shed a tear.

Caleb is a star football player, heartthrob of Oak High Prep and my "boyfriend". I don't like to claim him as such, but I guess that's what he is to me. The entire school calls us a power couple.

I don't protest. I can't. It's either fit in or be cast out. I can't afford to lose my reputation.

Except now, there will be a whole new pole to climb the ranks of and in a public school at that.

In our little private school world people come from the same background. I've heard nightmares about public school.

I shiver at the thought. I wonder if my foster mom homeschools by any chance?

Nah, I need social interaction. I'll just turn on my charm and hit it off with the most popular girls there. It'll be fine.

"For real. We're going to miss you so much." Natalia says, reaching her hand across the icky table to grasp mine.

We're at her father's club. He lets us hang out in the back and do whatever we want so long as Natalia doesn't speak to older men or get on the dance floor. It works for our friend group. Keeps us out of trouble. At least most of the time.

"Come outside with me."

"Why?"

I know why, but I play dumb.

"Because I want one more time with you before you leave me."

"I'm on my period."

It's a lie. I shouldn't have to lie. I should be able to say no and that be it. But it won't be and I want to shut it down right now.