I Don't Want to be Friends

003 "So we're sluts"

𝔼𝕡𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕕𝕖 𝕆𝕟𝕖: 𝕄𝕒𝕡 𝔹𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙

Amerie walks out of nurse's office and the entire hall goes quiet. Everyone stops what they're doing to look up at her.

As she passes us Spider and Anthony stare her down. "Why'd she do it? Crazy bitch" Spider says. "My mum's gonna kills me 'cause of her". I nudge him in the arm. Amerie looks confused. I'm refusing to believe until she confesses it.

As she makes her way down the hall, Harper sees her and darts off. Amerie seems to have gotten Sasha's attention with words I couldn't quite make out. "Dude are you kidding me" Sasha starts with her voice carrying the halls, "You broke people up. You outed people. And now all that work that Missy and I did to stay friends after we broke up, that's fucked. Doesn't mean anything now because-" "Harper did the map too" Amerie yells in her defense. Sasha was having no part of it, "You know it really shits me when people can't own up to their own actions. Look I hope you're okay. I really do. But, that map is real dog, man. And I just think you need to do some work on yourself. Like, away from us" with that she walks away.

Amerie and Harper are two peas in a pod. I full heatedly believe Harper had something to do with this map too. It wasn't fair Ams was taking the fall alone just wasn't it. She did do some pretty messed up things.

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Lunch was my calm time and I was eating with Camila when the speakers went off calling multiple students in my grade. Amerie, Harper, Sasha, Missy, Dusty, Spencer, Anthony, Qunni, Camila, Darren,Ca$h, and I. Those were just the ones I knew. There was one name that sparked "Malakai" I hadn't heard his name before. Hmm.

Upon entering the classroom, Woodsy was in the entry way making sure everyone got to the class.

I went to go sit with Darren, Quinni, and Camila, but Anthony grabs my arm and makes me sit on his lap. Dusty was sitting next to him and scooted down a chair so that I could have my own. When Amerie passes the table Spencer kept calling her "Map Bitch". She sat at a table alone when a guy I had never seen before, presumably the Malakai I had heard earlier sat with her.

"Oi, so cemetery tomorrow?" Dusty asks the table. "Anthony nods and Dusty claims it's gonna be a "rager". Darren turns around and asks what it is. "None ya biz, bong water" Spider snaps at him. "Spencer!" I snap, "I'll tell you about it later D".

Woodsy then gets the class to settle down. That's when Miss Obah (Jo Jo), introduced herself and explained that we are all in this class because our names were on the map. That's when the new kid raised his hand asking about the name of the map.

"We know a lot of you are sexually active, but we're concerned this map demonstrates a real lack of respect or one another when it comes to sexual relationships. So, we want to address it head on. This is a special class that aims to give you clear and accessible information about sex and intimacy-" "A sexual literacy tutorial" Woodsy says cutting off Jo Jo. "SLT? So we're sluts?" Darren questions causing the class to break out in laughter. "The class will happen twice a week in your own time" Jojo continues causing the rest of the class to groan. "Thanks a lot Map Bitch" Anthony says throwing a paper wad at Amerie. Which I then, slapped his arm.

Woodsy has everyone push the tables and chairs to the side of the room. Then have everyone walk around. Then she wanted us to shake three hands of other's. I shook Anthony's, Camila's, and Dusty's. "Spencer you have genital crabs" Woodsy says. "Checks out" Darren snarks. The class follows with laughter. Spencer was instructed to raise his hand in the air. Then everyone who shook hands with him. Then who shook hands with them, which included me, so I raised my hand. So on and so all until the whole class had their hands up except Amerie. Now the whole class away from her, has crabs. Woodsy uses the game as a way to explain the need for condoms.

"Did we- did we hook up?" Dusty asks Amerie. "Um, no" she responds. "I didn't think so. But, there's a gold line in between our names". he says. "It's really nothing" Amerie shyly says. "Gold line means destined. Yeah, like destined to be. She wants you Dusty". Spider chimes in. "Spider! There's no need to be an ass" I yell.

˜"*°•.˜"*°• ... •°*"˜.•°*"˜

"Let's go get a shake. I've been craving it for weeks" Camila says. "I don't know if that's a good idea Mila" I say. "What's not a good idea?" Dusty asks as he was passing my doorway but stops at my door. "Mila wants to go get shakes but-" "You don't want to run into the eshays huh" I throw a pillow at him telling him get out. "It's okay Dani let's go".

As we approached the diner, I immediately darted my eyes away from them and rushed to the outdoor window. "Darren! First when did you start working here? Second, keep me from seeming free I don't want-" "Don't want what pretty lady?" Chook says putting his arm around my shoulders. "I don't want a chocolate shake. I wanted vanilla." I lie. He keeps his arm around me and I freeze.

˜"*°•.˜"*°• ... •°*"˜.•°*"˜

Festival Night:

"Thank you for taking me home Chook". "No problem Reid. I just don't understand why anyone would leave you alone". That sentence fueled my anger a little more. By then, my high had worn off. I hadn't taken the drugs I'd gotten from Chook earlier. I had only smoked a joint. "Well, you don't have to take me home if you don't want to" I say pulling myself up to whisper in his ear. Due to me being behind him. He looks in the rear view mirror and just smiles. That's when Ca$h came and sat in the front seat so I sat back. Then, in the back seat one of his goons as I'd like to call them sat next to me and someone else by the door I didn't quite see yet.

˜"*°•.˜"*°• ... •°*"˜.•°*"˜

"Chook, no" I say as I take his arm off of me, "You can't just approach me and be all-" "Friendly?" he cuts me off, "Most people complain the opposite about me". That, he's not wrong. He's only nice to me because he fancies me.

I remember one time last term, we went on an unofficial date. It actually wasn't bad. It's just we eventually became pleasure friends, rather than actual friends. Regardless, he's always been nice to me because of that.

"At least let me pay for your meal" he insists. "I don't really need that Chook". "What, you're too good for me now Reid. You get ditched and I'm the one that's there for you, now you're too good for me?" He has a way of doing that. Making me feel bad for him. Then I see the way he treats the boys around him. It brings me back to reality. "Chook, it's just that we've never really been 'friends' and-" "That doesn't matter" he cuts me off again, "If I see your pretty self here, I'm gonna buy what you get alright?" he asks, but not really asking, just telling me. I roll my eyes and just let him pay so he can walk away. "I'll catch you later Reid." He looks at Camila and nods his head to "Camila". "Chook" she does the same and he walks away.

"That was the most exciting thing I've seen all day" Darren exclaims. "He's literally obsessed with her" Camila tells him. "No he's not" I say looking over my shoulder at him, "I think he just appreciates that I'm nice". "He appreciates the puss puss" Camila says. "'Puss puss', please" I exaggerate. "You two never cease to amaze me" Darren laughs handing us our food and drinks. We start to leave and then Mila turns back, "Oi Darren, are you going to Cemetery tonight?" she asks them. "I intend to" they respond. "Sounds good, we'll see you there"