on the map//spencer 'spider' white

9

I give Amerie a ride home from school.

"What's up with you and Malakai?" I ask.

Amerie groans. "You heard what Spider said. Everyone knows about me and Malakai now. He said that the boys made him talk about it."

"That's bullshit," I tell her. "No one can force him to talk about your hookup."

"I know," Amerie says.

"Are you gonna go out with him?" I ask.

"I don't know," Amerie confesses.

My mum is away, and Mason is at a friend's. I lay in bed with Spider.

"Have you thought about making us official?" Spider asks suddenly.

I look at him a little surprised. "What?"

"You know, make it official like Harper and Dusty," Spider says.

"Spencer, no one even knows that we've been sneaking around," I remind him. "What's wrong with what we have?"

"The sneaking around," Spider tells me.

"And what? You think making it official means I'm gonna be all over you at school or something?" I ask.

"I would at least get to hold your hand in front of our friends," Spider tells me.

I smile slightly before getting serious. "Spencer, I still don't know what happened, but Harper broke my heart, and I don't know if I ever want to feel hurt like that again."

"I'm not going to hurt you, Rhiannon," Spider tells me. "I swear."

I nod my head. "Good 'cause if you did, I would cut your balls off."

Spider laughs. "I know you would."

"Let me think about it," I tell Spider.

He nods but I can tell he isn't happy. "Alright."

It's the day of Mardis Gras. Amerie, Quinni, and I are at Darren's pregame.

Darren reads a text from their phone, "'It's heaps eetsway. I'll let you know, bro.' I swear I need subtitles for him sometimes."

"Malakai needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut," Amerie says.

"You did tell us about the hook up," I remind her.

"I kept it PG," Amerie argues. "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours, babes," Darren assures her.

"One-on-one, Malakai is so lovely. But when guys get into that group pack mentality, they just turn so feral," Amerie says.

"I'm sorry, boo. Straight men are the worst," Darren tells her.

"Lesbians aren't that easy to deal with either," Quinni insists.

"Everybody sucks then," I state.

"Except us," Quinni says.

"Mmm. You know how I feel about people that aren't us," Darren remarks. There's a knock on the front door. "Mmm. I'll check."

"I knew Sasha wouldn't show," Quinni says.

"Darren, who is it?" Amerie asks.

"Oh. Just those nice boys we weren't totally just talking shit about," Darren tells her.

Malakai walks into the room and I can see Darren talking to Ca$h.

"You'll come to the Slay Ball with us?" Quinni asks Malakai.