Page 40 of Under the Influence

Nash is going to hate me no matter what. I’ll take my chances.

Lainey

Legacy parking lot then, I get out at 3.

Drayton

How convenient is it that I get out at 2:40 and we don’t have baseball today?

Lainey

Lucky you.

Be prepared for war.

I slip my phone back into my bag, Madden’s eyes finding mine. He mouths, “you okay,” and I nod, letting him know everything is fine. Well, it is for now, but it won’t be when Drayton shows up after school.

I know I need to worry about the fallout with Nash, but I push it away. A whisper next to me jerks my attention, a loud choking cough escaping when I really comprehend what is being said.

“Nash literally stood up and said she was his. She’s so lucky.”

I turn in my chair to the girl, whom I don’t know, “Who?”

“The new girl. The really pretty one.”

“Cori?” I question, but I’m not really asking the girl. I’m asking myself.

“I don’t know,” she whines. “Corinne, maybe?”

I stumble out of my desk, fishing my phone back out of my bag. Madden senses my urgency and stands quickly to follow me out of the room. The teacher starts to open her mouth to stop us, but Madden raises his hand to stop her, and she lets us go. Damn these baseball boys and their pull around here.

I send Cori several SOS messages, telling her to meet me at our spot outside by the brick wall. Madden’s voice cuts the silence as we wait.

“What’s going on?” he asks, lighting up a cigarette.

“I heard the sophomore girls whispering about Nash and Cori.”

Madden’s face twists, “So?”

I jerk around to him, “So, we can’t let her get her heartbroken. Nash doesn’t date, and something is up.”

“Or maybe he likes her? Maybe she likes him?”

I laugh as I see Cori pushing the glass door open and filling the space next to Madden on the wall.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?”

Madden rolls his eyes offering her his cigarette, “Lainey thinks she needs to protect you from Nash.”

Cori laughs, dropping her bag on the ground, the zipper is not closed all the way, and it falls open a little bit. When I see the red, my stomach turns to knots. I’d know that particular shade of crimson anywhere. That’s a Shark hoodie.

“I’m not afraid of Nash,” she sighs, flipping her wavy hair out of her face.

“Well, you should be,” I deadpan. “He’s a monster.”

“He can’t be that bad,” she says. “He’s only sixteen.”

Madden finally stops blowing off the severity of the situation, “Listen, Chicago. I don’t wanna be the one to burst your bubble, but nothing good ever comes from messing with Nash. Just ask all the girls with blonde hair and a cheer skirt.”