Page 120 of Explosive Prejudice

“Son of a bitch!” he snapped, ready to toss the phone on the floor, when I grabbed his arm and stopped him while sheltering him from the busy room. We definitely had too many eyes on us.

“H-he denied my access to all of my accounts,” Shay-Lee mumbled, fisting his hair, oblivious to our surroundings. “I’m broke. I’m fucking broke. What the fuck am I supposed to do?” His chin trembled, and his eyes rimmed red.

“Calm down.” When I tried to reach for him, he slapped my hand away, which pissed me off. My expression must have given my anger away since Shay-Lee somewhat returned to his senses.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” he mumbled, looking around while biting on the tip of his nail.

“It’s okay. Let’s get out of here.”

When he nodded, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and led him out of the store. The group of girls from the changing room took a few photos, but with how I shielded Shay-Lee, I doubted they got him in the frame. I’d never noticed the reaction he got in public until today. Then again, we’d hardly ever met outside of school or the club.

Shay-Lee kept his cool until we were outside the shopping center, but as soon as we reached his car, he broke down again.

“You don’t get it,” he snapped after I told him he should take a breath. “I can’t be poor. I just can’t. I can’t survive without money.” He suddenly broke out into a laugh. “I’m that pathetic. I’m so pathetic I don’t know how to do shit by myself.” His breath caught, and he put one hand on his chest and the other on his waist. “I don’t know how to do laundry. Do you? Because I sure as hell don’t.”

I chuckled at the irony. He’d lost everything, and here he was, worrying about knowing how to wash clothes.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Laundry. That’s your worry?”

“Fuck no,” he snarled. “Where would we stay? You think I can live in a tiny-ass room like that for the rest of my life? What would I wear? Oh God—” He dropped to the ground and rested his back against his car. “I can’t survive in the wild. I’m a spoiled, needy, helpless guy who loves his luxury.”

Sitting beside him, I threw my hand around his body and pulled him so his head rested against my chest. “You’re definitely a spoiled brat, but I’ve got you.”

He looked up at me, his eyes narrowed.

“What’s with that face?” I poked his nose.

“What do you mean you’ve got me?”

“Well.” I rested my head back against the car. “I’ve got enough money saved from working for Dion and from when I worked at the beach club. It’s not nearly as much as what you’re used to, but it’s enough until—” I then stopped. Until what? We hadn’t talked about the future. We promised never to leave each other, but what exactly did we plan on doing after graduation?

Shay-Lee didn’t seem to be bothered as he continued to pout and rant about not wanting to take my money. To be honest, I didn’t mind paying for whatever he needed. In fact, I liked that idea. I’d much rather he relied on me than on his prick of a dad.

“I can’t have you wasting your money on me,” he said.

“It’s only for now,” I explained, stretching my legs over the asphalt. Sitting on the ground of a parking lot wasn’t ideal, but at least no one was around. “We have a bit over a month until graduation. Let’s make it till then and see what the plan is.”

Shay-Lee sighed. “Graduation, huh? I didn’t even think about that.” He chuckled. “Seems so pointless, doesn’t it? Going to school, pretending to be kids.”

He had a point.

“I agree, but it is what it is. We came this far. Dropping out would just be stupid. And unlike you, I’m nineteen. Do you even realize how pathetic being a nineteen-year-old high school dropout sounds?”

He laughed. “Shit, I forgot you’re a year older.”

Ruffling his hair, I pulled him closer and kissed him on his face. He felt so warm in my arms that I never wanted to let him go.

“So let’s just decide we’re going to get through these few weeks, then we can worry about the rest later.”

“And what about the money?”

A thought then occurred to me. “Can’t you make money from your socials? From collabs and shit?”

He shook his head. “My father has me under contracts forbidding me from doing that.”

Son of a bitch. As much as I hated the man, I needed to stay calm, only so Shay-Lee wouldn’t lose it again.

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