I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm, groaning as I realized I had overslept. With a quick glance at the clock, I scrambled out of bed and hurried to the shower.
After a brisk shower and a hasty change of clothes, I grabbed my bag and dashed out the door, already late for school.
The brisk morning air greeted me as I walked hastily towards the school grounds, the chatter of students and the distant sound of traffic filling the air. Despite my best efforts to pick up the pace, I knew I was going to be late for my first class.
Breathless and slightly flustered, I slipped into the English classroom and made my way to my usual seat next to Harper. However, our conversation was interrupted by Amerie's sudden appearance.
"Can you get Spider to give me a ticket?" she demanded, her tone brash and demanding.
I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her lack of manners. "Hi, Amerie. I'm great, thank you for asking. Manners much?" I retorted, a hint of sarcasm lacing my words.
She pleaded with me, insisting that Harper and I had connections with Spider and his friends. But her sudden interest in my friendship felt disingenuous, she had not even made an effort to talk to us, and I wasn't about to let her take advantage of it.
"Nope," I replied, popping the p.
Her frustration boiled over, "Why are you so rude, Anastasia? I don't know what I'm going to do, this is my chance with Dusty!?"
Fucking dusty again
But I wasn't about to back down.
"What you can do is go and fuck yourself" I shot back, my patience wearing thin.
With that, she stormed off, leaving Harper and me to exchange knowing looks and share a laugh at the absurdity of it all. Sometimes, standing up for yourself was the only option.
~~~~~~
Harper and I sauntered into the boys' restroom where the buzz of clippers filled the air. Spider glanced up, his expression guarded until he laid eyes on me. Instantly, his features softened, and he came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist with casual familiarity as he addressed Harper.
"What do you want?" Spider's tone softened, his attention now divided between us.
Harper cut straight to the point. "Can you just clean up the back?" she asked, her voice dripping with confidence.
"Men only," Spider replied, his stance unwavering.
Harper's retort was quick. "What are you doing here then?" she quipped, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.
Spider chuckled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Alright, seven dollars fifty for your first cut," he bantered back, playing along with her teasing.
I tilted my head back, gazing up at him with a knowing smile.
"Right, five dollars, just hop in the chair," he amended, his playful demeanour evident in his voice.
With a playful wink exchanged between Harper and me, we shared a laugh, revelling in the easy camaraderie of the moment.
My way or the highway.
~~~~~~
After wrapping up our time in the restroom, I found myself seated in the gym alongside Missy, Harper and Sasha, engaged in a conversation about the upcoming gig later that night.
"Yeah, she was harassing me in English for a ticket," I remarked, recalling the earlier encounter.
Sasha's curiosity piqued. "What did you say?" she inquired.
