Page 250 of Filthy Elites

The windows are downas we head back toward the school. I’m feeling light and breezy like I haven’t in… I can’t even recall the last time I felt so free.

Maybe before Dad left.

Probably before Mom’s diagnosis.

I know it’s been a long time.

I want to stick my head out the window like a dog and let the wind blow my hair all to hell. I want to spread my arms and fly.

I probably shouldn’t have had that cocktail at lunch.

I never drink, so I’m a total lightweight.

I’m sad when we drive away from the beach, but I know it’s time to get back to the real world. We stayed way late at the restaurant. I missed my government class, but we’ll make it back so I can finish up with psych before Dare has to take me home.

That’s the plan, but then Dare misses the turn back toward the school. I think maybe he was distracted and he’ll take the next road and circle back, but he keeps driving.

As we get farther and farther away from Baymont High, I stop catching the wind between my fingers and settle back in my seat. I’m a little tipsy and my head isn’t right, but I try to focus as I look over at him.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I ask him.

“Driving,” he answers without looking away from the road.

“I knowthat, but you’re going the wrong way.” I gesture vaguely behind us. “The school is back there.”

“You don’t say?” he says lightly.

“I don’t want to be late for my last class.”

“Which one is it again?”

“AP psych.”

“Ah.” He waves me off. “You don’t need to go to psych class. You want to know about abnormal psychology? Just spend the day with me.”

I smile. “Very funny, but I’m serious.”

Finally, he looks over at me. “We’re not going back to school, Aubrey.”

“But I have class. And my stuff’s there. How will I do my homework if I don’t have my books?”

“I’ll have someone collect your stuff for you and drop it at my place after school. We’ll grab it before I take you home.”

“I don’t…” I don’t really know what to say to that. I’m not used to having help with anything anymore, and he has help witheverything.“Don’t you ever do anything yourself?”

“Sure,” he says easily. “Right now, I’m kidnapping a girl I know from school with no help at all.”

“My apologies. That’s terribly impressive.”

“See?”

I grin and shake my head, but I don’t fight him. I never get days off anymore, so a stolen hour with him… there are worse things in the world.

To my surprise, he drives me to his house. I follow him around back, tagging along as we move past the pool I nearly died in a week ago.

I shoot it a dirty look and maintain my distance, staying behind him since I feel safer there. He stops to raid the bar, looking at different bottles before deciding to grab rum.

“This’ll do. You want anything else?”

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