The Cliche Gone Wrong

Chapter Fifty-three

"Wow I can't believe he really didn't ask you!" Rhea laughs manically. "Maybe you want to reconsider this whole relationship thing, huh girl?"

I hold the forced smile on my face as I try unsuccessfully to pretend like I'm not bothered. But the unabashed laughter that echoes around our circle of 9 in the parking lot makes it hard to keep this smile.

"Last time I checked nobody asked you to Ball either, so why don't you go take a seat somewhere?" Asha's tone is unforgiving, and her glare is fierce.

Everyone in the group cackles without restraint as Rhea rolls her eyes dramatically. I pat Asha's hand to calm her as I try to think of a way to extricate myself from this situation without ostracizing any more of my friends.

"I mean," Michael says from across the circle as the laughter starts to die down, "they might still be selling tickets in the student store. I can run in and buy one for you if you want."

Everyone looks at Michael in confusion. "Didn't you ask that chick on the volleyball team a couple weeks ago?"

"Yeah aren't you going with Amber?"

"How do you just forget that you asked a whole person to ball?"

Michael scratches the back of his head as he looks to the ground. "Well, yeah, but I could take you ins—"

Jonathan punches Michael hard in the arm as everyone scoffs and laughs at his suggestion. "Boy if you don't get yo finessin headass outta here!"

I laugh too, although I'm trying not to be bothered by his pity proposal. "No thanks, I could buy my own ticket if I wanted to. I'd honestly rather just chill at home."

No one says anything for a few moments, an awkward silence stretching out amongst our group as everyone tries to figure out what to talk about next.

"So," Tanya says after a few more awkward seconds, "what movie are we watching tonight?"

This launches a whole new animated discussion, with the girls pushing for the Will Smith movie that was released on Netflix on Christmas but the boys want to watch that horror movie about an open house gone wrong. Everyone finally comes to an agreement that we'll watch both, but the Will Smith one first in case we bail before the second one.

Once that's all settled I finally find the perfect time for my exit, taking a few steps backward to my car which is parked on the other side of the parking lot. "Well I'm already late to pick up the kids from school, but I'll meet y'all at Michael's around 7, yeah?"

The group gives me their goodbyes before continuing on with their little side conversations as I break apart and head to my van. I keep the forced smile on my face as I start the van and drive past them out of the parking lot.

But once I'm driving down the street toward the elementary school the exhaustion causes me to pull over into the empty parking lot of a liquor store half a mile away from my school.

I can't believe Shills really didn't even ask me. He wasn't on campus all day. He didn't even text me to tell me what was going on. I'm almost mad at myself that throughout the whole day I was secretly hoping flowers would be waiting for me in one of my classes, or Shills would drag me somewhere private during lunch and ask me there. Hell, I even would have settled for a fucking text message casually asking me what color dress I was wearing so he could get a matching tie.

I force myself to take a couple deep breaths as I calm myself and chant the mantra I came up with before I got out of van to walk to my first period I was already late for.