Molly
"So, what exactly is the deal with Ronja?" I ask Paisley when we enter our English classroom.
Yes, I'm sick of wondering and speculating. I just want to know now and get it over with, but she is giving me a suspicious look. Great, this is exactly what I was hoping to get in answer.
Come on! Give me a break!
"Why?" she asks, tilting her head in that cheeky way she has and feeling uncomfortable, I turn my focus to the students poring into the classroom, milling about before finding their seats.
Why indeed...
"I'm just wondering if the snow princess might think that I'm trying to come between her and her man. I don't want to cause ructions." That is at least partially true.
Paisley's level of suspicion is steadily growing; it now includes a mocking grin. Instead of going to her side of the room, she plops herself down at the desk next to mine, Bob's desk. I see him enter the classroom, pause and blink in surprise, and then he resigns himself to taking a seat at her desk instead. I don't think it makes much difference to him where he sits.
Besides, people don't generally cross Paisley. I now know that if he had a problem with switching desks, she would probably just sit at her assigned seat without giving him grief about it.
I don't think Bob knows that.
"Tan is not her man... I've reserved her for Jake," she tells me, giving me a look as if she thinks I'm a first-class idiot... or a dope-smoking junky that's having a bad trip.
"What?" I laugh. Paisley is making so much sense again. "Do they know that?"
She gives a throaty laugh and shakes her head at me as if I asked the dumbest question in the history of questions. Yes, we're back to me being an idiot junky.
"Why do they need to know?"
I just blink my eyes at her, making her laugh even more until I'm chuckling too. She really is incorrigible.
"Well, this morning when I saw them in the parking lot, she and Tanner seemed... uhm... close..." I admit, feeling my cheeks flare up in answer to the discomfort I'm feeling right now. I'm alarmed when Paisley stops laughing, her eyes suddenly shying away from mine.
Oh, no!
"They're helping each other out with... an issue, that's all," she says, clearly unwilling to go into any detail. "She's strictly meant for Jake... and Tan... Tan's a mess, Molly. You should be careful."
"What do you mean?" That was not reassuring at all! "Will he do something to me?"
"No, of course not!" she snorts, giving me a horrified look. "Tan is an awesome guy! It's just..." She falls silent, chewing on her bottom lip, trying to decide what she should tell me, and I can understand that she wouldn't want to break her cousin's confidence and spill all his secrets. "He won't know love if it bit him in the ass, and you're too good for him... at least, that's what he'll be thinking because he doesn't value himself at all. Just do what you do, Betty, be kind to my cousin, but be careful."
"I am careful," I sigh, feeling a little depressed now. No, scrap that; I'm feeling very depressed now. "I know he'll never look twice at someone like me. He is always hanging out with busty bean poles."
Grunting, Paisley frowns a frown so deep, she could catch flies in it if she tried. "What are you talking about?!" she growls. "Those girls hang out with him; he doesn't hang out with them."
Oh, yes, that is completely different...
"And he is looking at you twice, more than twice! I just don't think he knows it, and if he does, he'll probably just shoot it down and run away, so it is better that he doesn't realise it... yet."
"What do you mean?" The more time I spend with Paisley, the more I find conversations with her completely baffling, twisting my brain into knots.
"Forget it. Just be his friend; he can do with one."
She makes it very clear that she is not going to say anything more on the subject; she even takes books out of her bag, pretending to be a diligent student while she looks expectantly at Ms Dartmoor, who is standing at the front of the class with a pile of papers in her arms.
Ugh! Another test?
We've already assessed ourselves so many times I can write these with my eyes closed! There aren't even any more students who cry after writing these. Seriously, it's English; how hard can it be?
Well, I got my Ronja question answered... sort of... and about a hundred more questions were added to my brain in the process. At least I now know that Ronja is not Tanner's latest girlfriend... well, not yet... and that makes me feel a little better, which is not a good sign at all!
"I have some more old exam papers for you to work through," Ms Dartmoor announces. "You can use these as study aids, and you're allowed to use your textbooks where you're uncertain."
She divides the papers, handing a small pile to the first kid in each column of desks, telling them to take one and pass it on.
"Please send any extras back to the front. I will hand out the answer sheets when you're done with the tests." Returning to her desk, she shuffles papers around on it, grumbling under her breath, and then she crosses to the door. "Carry on with those tests as soon as you receive them; I don't think I have enough answer sheets left. I'm running to the library to make more copies. Behave!"
And with a last stern look at the students most likely to cause trouble, she leaves the room. I take a copy of the test when the boy seated in front of me hands me the pile, glancing around me while I pass the rest to the back. I see that many students are taking out their phones. Apparently, they will use the teacherless time to catch up on their social life rather than work on the exam papers.
I would be doing that too, if I still had a social life. I've been becoming a recluse since I lost faith in humankind after being betrayed by my former best friends. I guess I could message Willow and see how she is doing. She is becoming a friend now... sort of...
"Moll," Paisley leans over and taps my arm to draw my attention away from the test paper I've started reading. "I think you need to check the school's message group. The unofficial one."
"I left that group ages ago," I say, planning to shrug the idea off, but then I become aware that a few people are sniggering, giving me odd looks and that Paisley is handing out glares like a traffic cop at the scene of a particularly nasty traffic jam. My stomach plummets, and my heart starts to beat unevenly.
Not again!
Before I can tell her that I'm not interested and set a desk on fire to draw attention away from me, Paisley shoves her phone under my nose, and there they are, a string of posts containing pictures of me.
The pictures start with the heading, 'How to throw yourself at a boy,' and all the images are of me with Tanner. None of them is flattering. Someone expertly managed to catch me at my worst moments. One image is that lewd embrace when I almost slipped and fell in the rain. It would've looked like a seductive picture since his hand is on my butt if he didn't have a completely freaked-out look on his face. Now, it only seems as if I'm assaulting him.
Nobody was near us when that happened, and the picture is a little hazy, as if it was taken with a strong zoom setting.
In another one, I landed on my back on Tanner's stomach during our walk when he was being a pest. In fact, all the images are of moments that were quite funny at the time, but out of context, they really do look like I'm throwing myself at the guy.
My cheeks are turning a deeper shade of red than my hair, and I can feel bile rising in my throat. How can people just go around obsessively taking pictures of others? Who do they think they are? The paparazzi?! There has to be a law against things like this.
Stalking is a crime, isn't it?!
I don't know who posted it; it seems to be another fake account. Cowards! They never post this horrible stuff using their own profiles.
Paisley is not glaring anymore; she is looking at the pictures with me and seems to be enjoying herself, chortling and giggling happily as if it is all great fun. She doesn't seem to realise that I am devastated, seconds away from running home and hiding under my bed. I'm about to get to my feet when she lays a comforting hand on my forearm.
"Tan is going to be so pissed," she finally says rather loudly. "He hates it when people intrude on his private life and post pictures of him without his consent... especially pictures like these. He's laid charges before, you know? He is definitely going to kill someone this time. I'm sure Kyle is tracking the sender already. Don't worry, Betty; the only story these pics tell is one where you and Tan are having fun together. Whoever posted these photographs must be choking on their jealousy."
I almost smile because her words are changing the sniggers and odd looks to curiosity, and I can even see a bit of envy on the faces of some of the girls. The atmosphere is shifting. A couple of girls from the tramp clan - or whatever they call themselves - look quite pale after hearing her. I'm not sure what Paisley is trying to do, but I would love for the attention to go away, not get worse.
My heart is hurting.
I think I need to stop hanging out with Tan, and I really don't want to, but I cannot go through another round of bullying and, judging by these images, end up being branded a slut.
Paisley is right; we do have fun together.
"Are you guys dating?"
"Tanner doesn't date. Does he?"
"What's the deal, Molly?"
"Are you into him?"
"Is he into you?"
"Seriously, butt out and get a life! What they are is their business," Paisley bellows, putting an end to the overwhelming shower of questions. I know the questions would've been much more mean and invasive if she hadn't been here. Even the kids I get along with really well are giving me questioning looks, but they are mostly just curious.
It's about Tanner friggin' Trent, after all!
"Friends," I finally say in a voice so wobbly it is obviously about to break. "Tanner and I are f-friends." I am startled to realise that I truly mean that.
Does he also think we're friends?
♫
Tanner
"You're famous again," Jake says, handing me his phone. The guys and I are strolling along the covered walkways on our way to the last period of the day. Maths. Yeah, Maths, the last thing on a Friday, sucks! I'm already super happy; I don't need to see the shit people are posting about me now.
Just 45 more minutes, and it will be the weekend!
I hate Maths, but it is one of the few classes where most of us are in the same classroom for a change and we're taking our sweet time walking along the corridor, trying to spend as much time goofing off as we can.
Hunter and Ronan are either involved in a seriously complex mating dance, or they're trying to trip each other into falling off the raised walkway and taking a dive among the leafy plants bordering it. Could be both. That is pretty normal for any given day.
Kyle and Asher are talking about Stranger Things, the TV series, which is also normal. They are always talking about Stranger Things... When Ash is actually talking. Sometimes, it's a good thing when Ash is in a chatty mood. I'm not sure it's a good thing right now. His eyes have that slightly feverish look they get when he is not happy at all but faking the hell out of being fine. It is less disturbing when he is just quiet.
The first chance I get, I'm going to have a chat with Paisley. I know she's desperate and hurting, but she is killing Asher. There has to be a better way to deal with this that won't grind either of them into dust.
I'm not sure Mr Radford enjoys having all of us in one class as much as we do. Let's face it, we can be annoying, and we tend to rile each other up and get up to all kinds of shit when we're together. Fortunately, he's the patient kind and a good sport on most days; on other days, he is in a world of his own and doesn't really care what we do, as long as some of it involves maths, and we don't disturb other classes and students who want to do their work.
"Who did I bang this time? When and where?" I ask automatically, not really caring to hear the answer.
"Molly."
That gets my attention, and I finally look at the posts, anger starting at a low simmer somewhere in my stomach, sending sparks and steam to my head and extremities. Not Molly!
She doesn't deserve this!
The images stir up happy memories but also make my heart sink. I should've realised that this would happen. Why didn't I realise this?! Was that what Molly meant when she talked about murdering her reputation?
I am such an idiot.
"If they make me lose my food buddy," I grumble. "There's going to be some serious pain."
"Aye, because that's all she is to ye," Dex offers his wisdom and grins when I glare at him.
"Ahmi..."
"I'm already on it, Tan," Kyle assures me, patting the backpack slung over his shoulder. "I just need to find a place to set up my laptop."
I knew I could count on him.
"Thanks, Bro."
The problem is that even if Kyle tracks the responsible people and removes the images, the damage will still be done, and Molly will already be hurt. I friggin' hate this!
"Seriously, Tan, I know this is not your fault," Ronan has stopped his game with Hunter, and they are both glaring at their phones now. I can tell that Ro is as upset as I am, if not more. Molly has been his neighbour for many years, and they are pretty good friends. "But this is Molly. She's been bullied enough, and she's..."
"I know, Ro," I interrupt, pushing a hand through my hair, yanking at clumps of it in frustration. "I'll end it with her."
I hand Jake's phone back to him and divert from my course, leaping off the raised pathway to land in the shrub-thick area of the garden. There's no way I'm going to the math class now. I need to get away before I let out this scream building inside me, or worse, go on a rampage.
"Tan! That's not what I meant!"
It might not have been what he meant, but it's what I know should happen. What was I thinking, hanging out with her so openly? I know there are groups of lousy people in this school who'd wreck other people's reputations at the drop of a hat. For some reason, some of these people are obsessed with me, and many think I'm their possession or something.
I can't do this to Molly, no matter how much I like being with her.
I hurry through the bushes and along the hidden routes, I usually use when I want to bunk classes. As expected, there's nobody in or around the pavilion when I arrive there. Climbing into the rafters is a bit more tricky with a schoolbag on my back, but it's not impossible, and I'm soon seated in my favourite corner, hidden from sight in the shadows.
Galen and I used to climb up here sometimes to smoke, but we both quit smoking last year... well, except for pot on occasion. I'm not even all that interested in doing that anymore, either. Now, I just come up here when I have to get away from people.
I am beyond sick of stalkers. I'm sick of people taking pictures of me, making up stories, and hounding me. I'm sick of girls who think they're entitled to pieces of me. And I'm sick of pretending that I don't care and that it doesn't get to me.
I don't get the obsession at all. Seriously, there's nothing special about me. I'm a bit pretty, but so friggin' what?! Loads of people are, and many are way better looking than me.
I don't get it!
And now Molly is being hurt. I'd give anything to rewind this week and have none of this happening to her. If I could go back in time and undo everything, she would still be ignoring me from the safety of Hateville, and I wouldn't know how much fun it is to be around her. The world would be back to normal. I know she'd been hurt by nasty posts before. What made me think she'd be exempted from being targeted if I started hanging out with her?
Dammit! I'm such a bloody fool!
I open the backpack I'd wedged into the joint between the beams and find my phone. I'll cancel our walk this afternoon, tell her I'm sorry about the nasty posts, and assure her that Kyle is working on getting rid of them.
There is an awful taste in my mouth, and my chest is suddenly extremely uncomfortable, but I don't give in to the urge to throw my phone. Instead, I find the chat app and open it. Molly's profile pic is looking at me from the corner. It's a picture of her, taken from an angle, her hair a ruddy halo around her face, the cheeky curve of her nose and one dimple visible.
I start to type the message, but the right words don't want to come, and my eyes keep straying to her image. My throat is burning, and my eyes are irritated. I think the dust on the beams up here is getting to me.
I've just deleted another terrible message attempt when a stream of new notifications pops up.
What now? More pics? Haven't they done enough?!
Whoever is doing this is being relentless. I am going to kill them. I open the group chat, ready to charge in guns blazing and send them all to hell. As expected, there are more images of Molly and me, images spelling out what I already knew to be true but have been lying to myself about all week.
"Hey! Are you okay?" The sound of Hunter's voice coming from below nearly causes me to lose my grip on the phone. Great, now he is skipping class too, which will totally help to make my missing class go unnoticed.
"Dude! What are you doing?"
He is nimbly climbing up into the rafters in a way that seems to defy gravity; that is what he's doing. I'm not sure I want to be up here with him. If he pisses me off, it might end badly for both of us. We can never just be together without things getting physical in a slightly homicidal way. The thought makes me smile, and I glare at him to hide that smile.
To be honest, I'm glad to have him here with me.
"Making sure you don't do anything you'll regret," he mutters, sitting beside me.
"Go sort things out with Willow and leave me alone," I try to deflect his unwanted opinions, but he just smirks and makes himself comfortable. Hunter is really good at making himself comfortable anywhere, any time. He will not go anywhere; I might as well accept it now. Besides, in a warped way, I always feel better when he is around. He is just so consistent. Consistently chaotic, consistently noisy, consistently irritating... it makes me feel like everything will be fine, even when it's not.
"Did you see these?" I ask him, but I have no idea why I'm asking him. I don't particularly want him to see the new series of pictures, but I also kinda want to hear his thoughts. Hunter can be seriously dense, but he can also be amazingly perceptive.
He takes my phone and scrolls through the new batch of images, his smile growing.
Yup, he sees it too.
♫
Paisley
Molly hasn't said another word since I showed her the posts. I wanted her to see them while I was there with her and could help her tackle the bull by the horns. I didn't want people to gossip behind her back. She needed to face it and fight back, or she might run away.
I don't want her to run away.
I tried to send a warning to the bitches responsible for the uploads because I have a good idea of who is behind it, and there are members of that group in our class. I hoped it would help Molly relax, but she still seemed close to tears, burying herself in the old test paper we were supposed to be working on.
When the PE period started, she took a long time getting dressed in one of the toilets in the locker room and I'm sure it's because she was crying. I waited for her to come out, and she just bolted right past me, almost sprinting to the soccer field where we're now being tortured for the next 40 minutes.
Why would anybody want to be mean to Molly?
She is kind and funny and really fun to be around... usually. Right now, she is attacking the exercises we're forced to do as if her life depends on them and as if she could fast forward to the end of the school day if she just did them fast enough.
In contrast to her, Ronja is doing all the exercises in slow motion. It's like watching an exquisite dance because the girl is extremely flexible, but she looks ready to pass out and die. We really need to get her iron levels up... and many other things too. She's like a walking corpse. A pretty one.
I can see her flash worried glances at Molly. Perhaps she's afraid that we're all expected to exercise as if the world will end if we don't. I don't know if she'd seen the mean posts on the group chat, if she had, she's not mentioning it.
I have to hand it to Molly. She is clearly in hell, both physically and emotionally, but she is not letting it get her down. I've seen the looks she's receiving from the other girls; most are sympathetic (Molly is generally liked), some are curious, and some are just plain nasty. I know it was Melissa's crowd who posted the pictures, and if they cause Molly to stop being Tanner's friend because of it, I'm going to tear them apart with my teeth.
Tanner's growing friendship with Molly helped him overcome the bad things this week. Well, at least partially. There's been a subtle shift in his attitude; he'd been less tense and self-destructive. I know that something is happening between him and Willow as well, and it is helping, but Molly fills a special void he's always had.
I try to joke with her and cheer her up, but she is far away, doing planks and sit-ups and star-jumps, her expression completely empty of any emotion except the kind that might predict a loading medical emergency.
Is she having a meltdown?
"Hey," I say, grabbing her arm when the bell rings, ending the day. "It's not that bad, Moll. We'll sort them out."
She is not looking into my eyes; I can see her jaw clenching and unclenching.
"It doesn't matter; it will just keep on happening," she says, pulling her arm free and fleeing to the locker room to go grab her school bag.
"Did something happen to Molly?" Ronja asks, joining me in walking to the locker rooms, her concerned eyes following Molly's flight.
"Are you on the school chat?" I ask her. "Not the official one, the other one?"
Ronja shakes her head, frowning.
"I'll show you later."
Entering the locker room, I immediately see something is wrong. Melissa and Stephanie are freaking out, swearing death and destruction on the entire Briar Cove. They are giving Molly deadly looks, but they don't seem to dare go near her for some reason. Did she use a magic wand on them or something? I know she's a huge Harry Potter fan. Perhaps she learned some spells.
That fanciful idea dies when I see the confused look on Molly's face. Many of the girls are looking at their phones, giggling in amusement, but it's not Molly they're laughing at.
"What is going on now?" Molly asks when I reach her and dig in my schoolbag, stashed with hers, to find my phone. I'm vaguely aware of at least half the Babe Squad fleeing the locker room. They usually spend a lot of time cleaning up and prettifying themselves after PE. Can't have boys see them all sweaty and dishevelled, now, can they?
Apparently, they can today.
Opening the chat group, I immediately see what has them so upset. There is a message in reply to their unflattering Molly pics; it says: 'If she's throwing herself at Tanner, she's doing it wrong.' Followed by another string of images of Tanner and Molly. There are pictures of Tan feeding her, braiding her hair, carrying her on his back, tying her shoelaces, shielding her from the rain, brushing raindrops from her hair, and one thing screams loudly from all these photographs. Tanner is genuinely happy. They both are. I think Tan might actually be falling in love with Molly!
Will he allow himself to? I seriously hope so!
After the collection of endearing and romantic pictures, a steady stream of posts is pouring in now, each containing an image of its own. The first post in this collection is from Jake stating: 'Yeah, she should learn how to do it from these chicks.'
The images all have members of the Babe Squad in rather freaky poses of their own, seemingly harassing boys. In one, Melissa is a clinging vine wrapped around Hunter, who is clearly not happy about the situation. In another, Stephanie is trying out Dex's lap while he is trying to get rid of the burden. Noelle is getting a slap from Madison for trying to hug Ronan, and my personal favourite is one of me punching Selma because she tried to kiss a very freaked-out-looking Asher.
There are many pics along this line, and while the first nasty posts and the follow-up one with the nice pictures were sent from anonymous accounts, this last stream of posts has proudly been supplied by known accounts. Hunter, Dex, Jake, Ronan, Asher, Kyle, Joe... and even Galen. They keep on coming in, messages from the rugby guys and boys and girls I don't even know. These posts make it very clear that many students like Molly. She is one of us now, and no messing with her will be tolerated.
Good on them!
And just to make sure that the message hits home, Tanner rounds it all off with a warning, short and to the point.
"I dare you to mess with Molly again!"
I stop her from leaving, showing her my phone, and at first, I think she is going to refuse to look and just run off, but something in my face and perhaps desperation for salvation, makes her take it from me and gingerly scroll through the messages as if she's afraid of getting stung.
Seeing her expression change is like seeing the ice cream truck turn the corner into our street on a hot day. I return her smile when she finally looks up at me, relief washing the sadness from her face.
"You're not alone anymore, Betty."
♫
Hunter
"Now, isn't that just a hell of a lot better than telling a sweet girl like Molly to get lost?" I ask, grinning at Tanner and he pulls a face, squirming, nearly jostling me off the beam to shove his phone into his pants pocket.
"I wasn't going to tell her to get lost!" he grumbles. "I was just going to end our arrangements."
"Boils down to the same thing," I point out logically.
"No, it doesn't."
It does, and he knows it. Molly would've been hurt... or relieved... or both. If I were Paise, I would've made up a word for that now. "Hurlieve?"
"What?"
"Relurt."
"Are you having a stroke?" Tanner asks, giving me one of his cocky looks.
"Nobody's stroking me," I snort, being very logical again.
"I'll stroke you with my fist!" As usual, he is dodging my logic, turning to violence instead. Ours is an old story going back soooo many years. It never changes.
"Whoa!" I exclaim, glaring at him. "And here I am getting splinters in my butt just so I can help you figure this out."
"I don't get it," Tanner sighs, looking miserable.
"Well, the beams have splinters and..."
"Why the hell are they acting this way?" he asks, adjusting his position so that he can look at me and I can see too many shadows swirling in his eyes. This is the kind of thing that always sends the guy out looking for trouble or beer, weed and loose girls. "This is why I stay clear of nice girls because this kind of shit always happens. The last thing I wanted was for Molly to be hurt."
The dude is really upset. I put an arm around his shoulders, and he shoves a hand through his hair that already looks like he had a party on his head. The guy is always so rough on his hair when he gets stressed; I'm surprised he has any left on his head.
"Because you're mysterious." See? That is some more superior logic from me.
The guy snorts a laugh and jabs a fist into my ribs, making me jump a little, which is not a good move when you're sitting on a beam far above the ground.
"I'm about as mysterious as a flapjack."
I love hearing about flapjacks, but only in the context of, please eat these flapjacks, not in a discussion about mysteriousness.
"I find them pretty mysterious. I have no idea what you put in there, but your flapjacks taste like-."
"Flapjacks. They are seriously straightforward. I'm seriously straightforward too."
Now, I'm the one snorting scoffingly at him. There is nothing straightforward about this dude sitting up here in the shadows with me. I've known him for almost ten years, and I still don't have him completely figured out.
"Dude, your layers have layers!" I inform him since he apparently didn't know that. "There is nothing straightforward about you. I don't think one person on this planet really knows you. Many want to know you, but you shut people out. Weird girls take it out on sweet ones when they get attention from you while they don't."
"What?!" Tanner is frowning, shaking his head. "That made no sense. Who is getting the attention, and who is not."
"The sweet girls."
"The sweet girls, what?"
"How the hell am I supposed to remember?!" I growl, tousling his hair.
"Don't make bloody confusing statements and then forget what you were saying!" he snarls, trying to mess up my hair too, but I'm not letting him get to my hair. Besides, mine is too short to mess up; I know he will just end up pulling it. I poke him in the ribs to distract his attention from my head.
"It was only confusing because you're an idiot!" I assure him.
"Yeah? Says the fool who is sitting up here with nothing to hold on to while he's jabbing his finger into my ribs, begging to be thrown off!" I guess Tan can be logical too, when he wants to be, but his logic includes a lot of violence.... as usual...
"You'll really throw me off?" I ask, a bit sad to hear that.
"What?! No... Yeah... Dunno. I kinda wanna throw myself off now, just to get away from this stupid conversation."
"Ye're under arrest! Get down here at once and spread them!"
I heard the last bell of the day ring but didn't really register it, and we nearly lost our balance and landed at Dex's feet when he suddenly spoke from the ground. Tan is holding onto the beam, and I am holding onto Tan and between us, we manage not to break our necks. We are pretty good at working together when it matters, even when it's just working together to get into trouble.
"Dammit, Dex, you nearly made us fall!" Tanner yells, and I give him a little shake, almost losing my grip and falling anyway.
"Don't yell at Dex," I scold him.
"Oh, wow, I'm so sorry I yelled at your boyfriend."
"Well, if I were his boyfriend, I would be eating off yer heads right now," Dex informs us. "Because I'm being cheated on in the Pavilion rafters. That is so cliché. At least cheat on me somewhere with more class."
"Huh?" I say, wondering what he is on about, and then I realise that Tanner and I are holding onto each other for dear life.
"Shut up and catch," Tanner replies, letting go of me to yank his bag free from its resting place and drop it down to Dex. Dex braces himself for the impact and catches the bag with a grunt, but then he looks up at Tanner with confusion splashed all over his face.
"What's this then?!" he exclaims. "Do ye even have books in here? I was ready for some serious weight. This weighs nothing."
We carefully make our way down to him, and Tanner takes the bag.
"Why do I need to carry a bunch of textbooks around with me when the girls near me in all the classes are happy to share theirs?"
I am not sure whether Tan is being serious or not, but it's Tanner, so it's probably true. He's right; girls are always happy to share with him, whether it is sweets, stationery, books or spit.
"We're under arrest?" I ask Dex with a smirk, and he shrugs.
"Ye heard Danny, I get to arrest people."
"What the hell was the spread them about?" Tan asks with an amused grin. "What are we supposed to spread, and what is going to happen once it's spread."
"Dunno," Dex shrugs, grinning. "Isn't that something peelers say?"
"Peelers?" I don't think I've heard that one before, and judging by the look on Tan's face, neither has he.
"Shades."
"Shades?" Now I'm just lost.
"Hell knows," Tanner declares, hoisting his bag onto his shoulders. "I've gotta run, or Danny just might arrest me, and it might actually involve some potato peelers... and I might need a pair of shades once she's done."
♪♫♪
Meme by Jeandré