The Cliche Gone Wrong

Chapter Forty-three

"This is the fifth time you've got detention this month!" Jazzy complains through the phone as I walk lazily down the hallway after my last class of the day let out. "My friends are gonna start asking me for gas money!"

"You should be giving them gas money anyway!" I stop at my locker for a moment, changing out my textbooks for the ones I'll need this weekend to do homework.

"You gonna give me the money for that?" Jazzy laughs as I hear the sound of chattering increase in the background. "Yeah, didn't think so."

I laugh too as I close my locker. I turn to my right to start walking down the hall but I see Michael and Asha chatting idly as they lean against the locker next to mine. They both smile at me, but don't move to draw me into their conversation, seeing that I'm still on the phone.

"I barely got money to put gas in the van, let alone put gas in your little friends cars, too." Jazzy mumbles something I can't quite catch so I ignore it. "Just make sure you call Kahlil and tell him to wait at Champions Care with the twins until I get out."

"Ugghhhhh you're lucky I have my house key," Jazzy groans.

"Love you too, ma," I laugh before I hang up.

As soon as I lower the phone from my ear Asha starts talking to me as if we were in the middle of a conversation.

"So everyone is thinking of going ice skating on Saturday, since the rink is still open downtown," Asha tells me, her phone twirling in her hand.

I frown, trying to figure out if I have the money for that. "Y'all, I don't get paid until next Friday, so I'm kind of running low on funds at the moment. Can't we do something free; like a movie night at your house?"

"I can cover you," Michael volunteers distractedly, dapping one of his old teammates on the football team with some elaborate handshake I can't even keep up with.

"No," I frown shaking my head, "I still haven't paid you back from when you bought my ticket to the premier of Get Out."

"Damn girl," Asha laughs, her bright white teeth shining brightly. "For someone with a job you never have money, huh?"

"That's because I always have shit to pay for." I stick my tongue out at her, wondering if I really need to manage my money better. "Unlike you I don't have an S.O. that buys me everything I want!"

"You sure you don't?" Asha mumbles with a quirk of her eyebrow, but a hard glare from me cuts off any other remarks.

"Don't sweat it," Michael shrugs finally looking over at me now that his friend is gone. "It won't even be that expensive. Besides, I'm sure you'll find a way to pay me back."

"I swear I will!" I promise, pushing off of my locker that I was leaning against to start heading further down the hall in the opposite direction of the parking lot.

"Where are you going?" Michael asks.

"Baez gave her detention," Asha answers for me, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Damn, she must hate you." Michael laughs loudly, not even trying to hold it back. I turn back around to glare at the both of them.

"Don't y'all have someone else to go annoy?" I ask.

"Nah I prefer annoying you," Michael smiles, a small dimple showing up in his right cheek.

"Same," Asha grins mischievously.

"Whatever," I laugh, rolling my eyes at the both of them as I start to walk backwards down the hallway. "Text me later if y'all end up hanging out tonight!"