Page 98 of Explosive Prejudice

I checked my phone again, reading the text Shay-Lee had sent me while I made my way to the parking lot. Since I’d taken Kai’s bike to the shop for some annual checkups and had no intention of catching a ride back home with Andrei, Shay-Lee said he’d give me a lift.

Thanks to me still being stuck doing shitty work for another week, the school was empty, and I doubted there would be students around to notice me getting into his car. So, I was more than surprised and disturbed when I spotted Shay-Lee from afar, leaning his back against his car, talking to Jessie.

What the hell?

I couldn’t hear their conversation from where I was, but from Shay-Lee’s body language, I could tell he wasn’t happy. If anything, he looked pissed.

“The fuck is going on here?” I said once I reached them, putting my hand on top of Jessie’s head. Usually, I’d be ruffling his hair, but he hadn’t grown it back since buzzing it around Christmas.

“Oh, Diesel.” Jessie looked surprised as he turned to face me. “What are you doing here?” His voice sounded a bit off, and it was enough to turn on the alarm in my head.

“Got detention for one more week, remember?” He nodded. “Why are you talking to him?” I cocked my head at Shay-Lee, who hissed while tearing his eyes away from me. I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t enjoy this act any more than he did, if not more.

“Ah, nothing important. Are you going back home? If not, Levi and I are going to eat pizza if you wanna join us. Levi’s already there, so I can give you a ride on the Vespa.”

I smiled at him. “Nah, I’m all good. You go ahead.”

Jessie’s eyes jumped between Shay-Lee and me. A moment later, he nodded, and it looked like he was ready to leave when he stopped. “You’ll give it some thought, okay?” he asked Shay-Lee, who didn’t reply, then shrugged and left us alone.

“What was that all about?” I asked.

“Nothing. Are we going or what?” Shay-Lee pretended to check the time on his phone, peeled his back from the car, and got into the driver’s seat.

Not going to let Shay-Lee get away with it, I rubbed my jaw and leaned my back against the car with my arms crossed over my chest. I also knew how to be stubborn when I wanted to be.

Shay-Lee responded by honking three times before peeking his head out of the car’s window. “Fine, I’ll tell you, just get your ass in,” he shouted at me.

I climbed into the car and shut the passenger door behind me, waiting for him to start talking. After a few moments of annoying silence, he did.

“We talked about Jordan,” he said, looking straight ahead while avoiding my stare.

“And why would you do that?”

“Because Jessie and Jordan are friends. At least, I think they are.”

“Still, what does it have to do with you?”

His expression hardened, and he shrugged. “He calls me. He calls me all the time, and I don’t pick up. I… I just can’t.” He swallowed hard. “I guess Jordan had had enough of it, so he asked Jessie to approach me.”

I hated where this conversation was going, yet it was necessary. If Shay-Lee held any feelings for that so-called Jordan, I’d rather know about it now.

“And why’s that? Why don’t you answer him?”

He laughed. “Because of guilt. I ruined him, Camilo. I’m the reason he’s in New York, learning how to walk again.”

Leaning back in my seat, I played with the silver ring I had on my thumb, slipping it off and on. “Is guilt the only reason?”

Shay-Lee’s eyes shot to mine, his brows knitted close, and his lips set in a hard line. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. You obviously cared for the guy if you risked yourself for his sake. I bet my money you two fucked, too, and now he won’t stop calling you. So maybe, just maybe, you actually miss him.”

“Fuck you,” he snarled, pure rage in his eyes. “He’s on the other side of the country, injured and heartbroken, and you’re actually jealous?”

“Fuck yeah, I’m jealous.” I pushed from the seat until we were face-to-face. “I don’t give a shit about Jordan and his broken heart. But you? I fucking care for you, Shay-Lee. Knowing that this asshole keeps on calling you, making you feel guilty, and sending Jessie on top of that boils my fucking blood.”

His eyes widened as his lips parted, obviously too stunned to speak. Well, I hadn’t meant to snap, but it was beyond me. The mere idea of that idiotic Jordan filling Shay-Lee’s voicemail with who knew what drove me insane to the point I wanted to break his legs myself.

“He’s not an asshole.”

---