Indie-America

5

(((Edited)))

    We've slyly avoided all confrontations with our grandmother, even Amara, except when it comes to food. The house is more or less empty without Amba and mum in it. Teddy came for dinner on Monday, Tuesday and all the other days but as I look across the street to his house, I see the shadows of boys-and some girls- illuminating the street. A small party indeed.
I sigh and head back to my bed. He said he was inviting his friends so why didn't he invite me? I already know the answer.
I grab my console and start my FIFA game drowning my anger in the match.
_____________
  It's like a blur recalling all the things that have happened this week. So quickly it's the end of another week and I'm in Teddy's car, dying to get gist about the party last night but he's singing (off beat) to SOS. So, just to annoy him a bit, I say:
"What would you think if I got a boyfriend?" I try to hide my grin anticipating his response.
  He almost hits a car.
"Dammit you scared the shit out of me!" He yells and I say 'Ha' with no enthusiasm but when I see his furrowed brows I murmur,
"How was I supposed to know asking you about dating would kill me?"
"I would be surprised Ravi." He says in a rush.
"Why?"
"You've never shown interest in any boy before, I guess"
  I have actually but Teddy doesn't know that, because you don't tell your boy best friend you know a boy you wish was your boyfriend, no space between the words. That's what female best friends are there for.
"What if I do?" That will likely not happen anytime soon. Ever since my brother died I lost interest in many things and these days not even Nora Robert's mills&boons can make me daydream about a boy.
He stays silent for a while.
"What do you want me to say? If you like a boy it doesn't really matter what I think, does it?"
I nod to myself and then to him.

"No. It really doesn't matter."

  On my way to the cafeteria for lunch I bump into a face I've been looking for since I started here.
"RONNIE!" I scream. Veronica wraps her hands around me, engulfing me into a bear hug. Her wild crimson is all I can see when I open my eyes and I inhale the sweet scent of her trademark lemon perfume.

"Oh my God Ravi I am so ecstatic!" Ronnie screams again and I laugh.
"Me too," I say.
"We've got a lot to catch up on girl, you went MIA after last year," Ronnie says casually. I love her for her ability to make reference to my brother's death without making it look like it's a sad thing. Everyone else would make a face at me, or pause but Ronnie just kinda walks over it.
 "Where should we go? Garden or bench?" She asks and I raise my brow.
"Does the garden have a bench?"
She nods eagerly. "Garden it is."
  
     We sit down on the top bench, where we can see the ground like we were in heaven. Our food is between us.
"It's been so long, how do you like my branch? Better than yours right?" She grins. She was a top ambassador of Legacy, this branch only though. Wherever she went she spread the gospel that there is no school, or  branch, that is better.
"Yes, it's been very nice," I admit.
"Do you like my hair?" She twirls her hair around her finger. It's just like her usual crimson hair, just shinier, and longer. So I say:
"Shiny."
"I know right?" This was Ronnie's other side. The side many people see first, the side I saw first. This side makes you think that she's materialistic and shallow but Ronnie thinks too much about little things and everything matters to her. Every single detail.

"How come I didn't see you throughout the week?"

"I fell ill. I've been trying to call you. I remember you saying something about your uncle coming over."

"Yeah. I changed my number recently. My uncle and his wife and kids and Grandma are living with us now."
Her eyes look like they are about to pop out of their sockets.
"Oh my God, that's..that's terrible. Talk about invasion of privacy."
I frown. "I won't exactly say it's terrible but yeah, it's pretty much invasion of privacy. For me at least."
"How have you been coping?"
I sip the last bit of my juice box.
"It's hard. Grandma's been trying to get us to become Hindus ever since. She even brought an idol of goddess Lakshmi and placed it by the kitchen."
"The kitchen?"
"Yup, she and my mum had a fall out yesterday. Argued for a bit but dad managed to remove the idol,"
"Wow. That's..." She shakes her head before taking a bite of her salad. She looks up at me expectantly before starting.
"Is Kendall here?"
"No dummy, don't your remember Ken's already graduated? She's taking a gap year, doing this six months course on makeup,"
"Interesting, I might do the same. And are you managing?"
Placing my plate on my lap, I scoot closer to her and dramatically rest my head on her shoulder.
"It's been so lonely," I fake a cry and she laughs.
"Fear no more for Ronnie's out the door and here to save the day!" She tries a superhero accent and fails woefully.
"You lost me at door," I say when I'm done laughing.
She beams at me and feeds me a sandwich.
"Liar, eat up cause we're gonna talk all day."

******
     Teddy has math lessons after school so he couldn't drive me home. Ronnie has cheer practice so she can't either. I am walking alone, creating a world in my head at 2:12 in the afternoon.
According to Google maps, I'm only ten minutes from home when a gray Audi pulls up in front of me. I stop, already saying my last prayers at the same time thinking of the fastest way out of here when the driver lowers the tinted window.
"Luca?" My voice is slightly hoarse and cracked but I'm sure he heard me because he raised his eyes to look at me clearly.
"Want a ride?" He asks and I debate with my other head but I still end up in the car.
"I didn't know your house was towards this direction." I say, looking outside like I haven't passed here before.
"It's not." Luca says simply and I turn to face him.
"I wanna talk to you." he adds and I straighten up, what could he possibly want to talk about?
"There was a bet. The guys made a bet-" pause "-about you."
The sounds of broken glass fill my head.
"What? Who?"
"Yes, there's a bet about you. The first one to date you til Summer Formal and gets you to kiss him in front of the whole school wins two hundred box."
I stare at him once he finishes his ranting.
"A bet." Is the only word that I form. But then I snap, my eyes narrowing.
"So what exactly is it that you want from me?"
He sucks in a breath.
"Let's fake date."
"For the money."
"No. Some of the guys involved in it can be a little bit competitive, and I heard a lot of things too, if you agree to this you won't have to go through it all."
We are in front of my house now and he parks.

"When you say extra mile what exactly do you mean? Rape? Sex? Forced habits? And who exactly are the 'The boys'?"
He sighs and looks straight at me.
"I know it's hard for you to understand this but it's in your best interest if you did this-"
"And yours?"
He pauses. "Maybe if I date you, fake. Fake date you the tension around Kim would be released."
I sit straighter. "I've got a lot of questions like what tension exactly and if it's released from Kim does it come to me? If so I can assure you you're talking to the wrong person because I can't handle pressure-" my breath brakes and I quickly open the door.
"-like now." I say just before I race down the lawn.
"Ravi!" He yells but I'm already inside and resting on the door. Literally sucking my inhaler.