Page 87 of Breaking the Rules
She shoots me a curious look, but she still slides inside.
I do the same. Turn the key. Pull out of the driveway.
Her chest spills into her dress as she leans forward.
She doesn't ask permission.
Goes straight to blasting some band that was popular when I was in high school.
They're good.
But they're too nostalgic. They bring me back to a time when shit was okay.
I drank like a fish, yeah, but only at parties. Only on weekends. Only when everyone else was getting wasted.
My brothers cared about me.
My friends didn't look at me like I was broken.
No, that's bullshit.
High school sucked.
Mom was always wasted.
I hated half my friends.
Struggled to pass most of my classes.
Failed to gain my older brother's approval.
I was already drinking myself numb.
I was already fucked.
"Are you always this spacey?" Emma asks.
"They played this song at my prom."
"You went to prom?" Her nose scrunches. "Really?"
"Fuck yeah." I snuck in a flask. Spent the entire dance getting drunk with my date. "You know what happens after?"
"No offense, Hunter, but I don't believe you waited until prom to lose your virginity."
I chuckle. "That hurts."
"Mhmm."
"And you?"
"I went to prom with Kaylee."
"She was your date?"
"What's funny about that?" Her eyes bore into mine. They're intense. Defensive. She cares about her best friend. Cares about their friendship.
"It's sweet."
