Where There's Light | ✔

28. I Chose You

"I smell cookies," Bee sang as I slid into the back seat next her, she tried to take the foil wrapped cookies from me and I smacked her hand away.

Bee's mom sat up front. After sneaking out on Saturday, Bee lost just about every privilege her mom could think of taking away. Car, phone, laptop. Even the library card she never used.

"Hi, Rachel."

She glanced at me in the rearview mirror, lips pursed as she pulled out of the driveway. "Don't 'Hi, Rachel' me. I know you helped Bianca get away with lying to me all this time."

"Mommy, I told you. Jade had nothing to do with it," she said, flashing me a look to keep quiet.

Rachel didn't look convinced.

Bee leaned between the seats, trying to reach the radio and kill the silence of the car. Her mom popped her hand, causing Bee to whimper.

"Why is everyone hitting me?"

"You're lucky I don't put a belt to your behind," her mom said. Her light brown skin reddened, clearly not over all the sneaking around Bee had been doing lately. "Shaking your half naked ass. For pizza!"

Bee made me watch that commercial dozens of times. Not once did she shake her butt and she was definitely fully clothed.

I raised a brow at Bee. "Was there a second commercial?"

"No," she groaned, falling back in her seat. "She's being dramatic."

"You think this is dramatic?" Rachel scoffed as she pulled into the student parking lot. "You ain't seen dramatic, yet. I should sit in with you during all of your classes after you missed a whole week of school. For pizza!"

The car hadn't even come to a full stop before Bee hopped out, shouting a dry "Bye, Mom. I love you" as she left.

I followed once the car stopped moving, thanking Rachel for the ride. "Is that going to happen every day?"

"Yes!" She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "She's overreacting. It was just one stupid commercial."

"And a week of missing school," I pointed out as we stopped by my locker. "And you snuck out to go to a party."

Her eyes narrowed. "No one asked you."

While I got my textbook, Bee held up her thumbs, staring at them. "What's the point of these if you don't have a phone?"

I snorted. "You'll survive."

"You know what'll help?" She grinned. "A cookie."

"They're for Nolan."

"You're making him cookies?" Her face lit up, green eyes sparkling. "Jade, what exactly happened in that guestroom?"

"We fell asleep. Nothing else," I told her. "The cookies are because he let me paint his face."

She squinted her eyes suspiciously. "If you say so..."

I shut my locker. "I have to get to class."

"Whatever, I know where you live!" She shouted after me. "This conversation isn't over!"

* * *

When lunch rolled around the anticipation of seeing Nolan grew. We didn't talk after he apologized. I wanted to know if he figured out who he kissed or of he remembered anything else from that night.

He was at his locker, carelessly stuffing his books inside. Before I reached him, someone else did. A short girl with long black hair and dimples that deepened the more she smiled up at Nolan.