Page 5 of That's Too Pucking Bad

“Remy! Hey!” She grins and dumps her stuff on her desk. “How’ve you been?”

I shrug, trying to seem casual while shoving my phone under a pillow. “Oh, you know, first day and all that. What about you?”

She groans, rolling her eyes as she collapses onto her bed. “God, my friends are theworst.” She throws her arm dramatically over her face. “Like, I swear they live to annoy the shit out of me. I’m two seconds away from slapping someone.”

I wait for her to take a breath, though she doesn’t seem like she’s stopping anytime soon. Maya seems like the type to love to rant.

“They’re all like, ‘Maya, you never show up for anything anymore,’ and I’m like, ‘Dude, it’s the first fucking day of school, chill!’ And then Brie was going off about some guy she hooked up with last weekend, and honestly, I couldn’t care less. Like,Ididn’t ask for details about his ‘incredible abs’ and whatever other bullshit. And don’t even get me started on—”

“Maya,” I interrupt her, raising a hand, “some guy was looking for you earlier.”

That gets her attention. She props herself up on her elbows, curiosity flashing in her eyes. “Who?”

I hesitate because the last thing I want is to feed into any drama. But hell, she’s going to find out sooner or later. “Uh, Caleb something… McCabe?”

Her eyes light up, and I swear there’s the tiniest blush on her cheeks. Oh yeah, this girl’s got itbad.

But of course, Maya waves it off like it’s nothing. “Oh, we’re just friends. He’s cool, though.”

“Sure you are,” I say, rolling my eyes.

Maya glares playfully, but I can tell she’s trying not to smile. “Weare.”

“Whatever you say.” I smirk. “But anyway, he told me to tell you not to miss tonight.”

At that, she practically bounces up from the bed. “Hewhat? He said that?” She looks like a kid on Christmas morning.

I nod, popping another chip in my mouth. “Yep. Oh, and he invited me too. Said I could be your plus one.”

Maya’s eyes go wide, and then she squeals, jumping up and down like I just told her she won the lottery. “Oh my God, Remy! Youhaveto come! This is going to be amazing!”

I raise an eyebrow, suddenly curious. “Wait, what’s happening tonight?”

Maya grins, leaning closer like she’s about to share the world’s biggest secret. “Only thebiggestparty of the year.”

I blink. “But it’s literally the first day of school.”

“Yeah, duh,” she says, like I’m the clueless one here. “That’s why it’s so huge. The Brotherhood always throws a party to kick off the year.”

I squint at her, confused. “The Brotherhood? What the hell is that?”

Maya’s eyes go wide, and she claps a hand over her mouth. “Oops, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Now I’m really intrigued. “Okay, spill. What the hell is this Brotherhood?”

She shakes her head, still grinning. “I’m not supposed to talk about it. But trust me, it’s abig deal. You can’t miss this party. Everyone’s going to be there.”

I lean back, crossing my arms. “I don’t know, Maya. I’ve got stuff to do—like calling my mom and making sure she’s not losing her mind over me being here.”

Maya pouts, giving me the world’s most exaggerated puppy-dog eyes. “Please, please, please come! You’ll have fun, Iswear. Plus, Caleb already said you’re my plus one. It’ll be epic. It’s invitation only.”

I hesitate, mostly because I really should check in with my mom. But damn, Maya looks like she might start begging on her knees if I say no.

“Fine,” I sigh. “But I have to check with my mom first.”

Maya jumps up in excitement, clapping her hands together. “Yes! I hope she says yes because, Remy,welcome to Blackridge! You and I are gonna have so much fun here.”

I can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

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