About two seconds after Cor walked into the kitchen, he came back and stared at me with a look of pure amusement.

"You need a ride. Don't you?" He taps his hand on the table as I smile.

"Yeah. Yeah I do. I could call Leona if you're busy." I pull up my contacts but Cor plucks my phone out of my hands.

"I can—" Cor starts but is cut off by yelling.

"COR CANCERIAN REYNOLDS! WHAT ARE WE PAYING YOU FOR?" His dad yells and the whole bar gives Cor a smug yet sympathetic look.

"YOU DONT PAY ME!" He retorts, but it's all fun. It's not a screaming match, just playful teasing.

Haughty laughter comes from the kitchen. "THAT'S RIGHT! NOW COME HELP YOUR MOM LIFT THIS MILK CARTON FROM— owe." His dad yelps and a women's laugh echoes.

"I can lift this perfectly fine, Liam. I just need help with the dishes." His mom talks lightly and kindly, but there's a hint of bossiness and sternness mixed with the happiness.

She's the man of the house.

"Okay dear, but I'm not doing it. Let Cor." Liam gets his wife to agree on that.

"I'm sorry." Cor apologizes.

I pull back my phone. "Completely acceptable. But only because I know your middle name is Cancerian now."

A gust of breath flows heavily out of his nose. "My grandma's name. Don't tell anyone. Not even Cance knows. She's been trying to get it for years."

Cance. Her. That person.

This guy's girlfriend.

"Right... well, I'll see you at eight." I lightly punch his arm, glad to find it's not real mushy. "And your secrets safe with me."
***
Instead of the expected Leona, Aquaria pulls up into Liah's driveway to pick me up.

Leona must have sent Aquaria due to her dad being with her.

I should have thought about that.

Thankful to have a ride home anyways, I walk up to her car as she rolls down the windows.

The perfect Aquarius car— fiat 500.

"Get in loser, we're going—"

"Please don't say shopping. You and shopping do not mix well." I beg her and whoever else will listen.

Aquaria sees something and goes "ooh! Pretty! I'm buying it." And spends a hundred bucks in random useless things.

I do the same thing, but with things I'd actually use.

"You can either come with me to Tal's real quick or you can stay and wait for Leona. Plus, you won't get a straightener." Aquaria rolls up her windows and starts driving forward.

Tal's is a really cute beauty shop that everyone goes to get nice clothes. Prom dresses and such. I've never been in, but I hear it's expensive.

"Stop!" I take a step towards the car and get inside. "I hate you."

She looks forward and shrugs. "I know." Let it be Aquaria that takes that as a compliment. It's because your jealous."

"Sure."

Aquaria is a little full of herself sometimes. Not as much as Leona, but up there with her.

"Why Tal's? Isn't that store spendy? And Classy?" I reach in my back pocket to see if I have any rolled up money like usual.

I pull out a twenty.

I'll have enough to get a shirt off of the sales rack.

Nice.

Where do I get money? I have a tutoring job whenever someone needs it.

It's only six bucks an hour and I only help when called to, so it isn't very reliable.

But it's something rather than nothing.

"I can get you a straightener if you need one, Jewels." Aquaria turns into the Tal's parking lot.

One of the things I hate asking for, is to have someone else pay for my things.

I just feel like I owe them someone and that feelings sucks too.

"You don't have to." I tell her.

Aquaria laughs it off. "I know I don't have to. I want to. If I didn't want to I wouldn't have offered."

I hate her logic about as much as I love it.

The joys of life.

"I hate your logic, Aquaria." I lean back in my seat and soak up the sun.

It's cold outside but the sun still feels hot.

"But you know what, so does everyone else." She gives me a pointed smirk and gets out of the car. "You coming, Jewels?"

I unbuckle and follow her into the fancy-looking store.

Everything, except the clothes, is white on the inside.

Two catwalks line down the middle of the big white store.

Clothes adorn racks on the perimeter of the walls, while jewelry and shoes are showcased in the middle.

A kind lady walks up to us and smiles. She looks like she came straight out of Tumblr.

Uggs. Sweater and scarf. Leggings. Blonde beach waves and dark yellow eyes.

She's a libra, that's for sure.

"What can I get for you young ladies?" The Tumblr Girl asks.

Aquaria brightens up immediately. "My boyfriend asked me out on a date, but won't tell me where we're going. He said wear something nice..." she trails off as she walks to look at all the dresses, Tumblr Girl following in her suit.

I just stay rooted to the spot and look at the thick, knitted, headbands/ear warmers.

This would be really nice during track.

I check the price tag and a small gasp escapes my mouth.

Fifteen dollars for a stupid headband?

I go to the dresses and check prices. Eight hundred bucks! Nine hundred?

I look at Aquaria and glare at her.

There's no way she could pay for this and then buy a dress for prom.

Her mom gives her a thousand bucks a month. That's all I know.

Prom is next month.

She has to pay for dorm rent.

"Aquaria!" I yell and she runs over to me.

"What's wrong?" She asks, worriedly.

I point to the price tag. "This. How are you going to afford prom? And dorm rent? And I can't pay for all the food with my measly job."

I don't get parent allowances like her and Leona.

My family didn't have the money.

I need a better and actual job.

She places her hands on my shoulder. "Calm down. I have it. My parents sent me and extra four hundred."

My jaw drops. "How rich are your parents?" Whoops. I guess that was said out loud.

She rolls her eyes. "Rich. My mom is a doctor and my dad is a— I can't remember but I know it's something important."

"My dad is a doctor and I don't roll around in cash." My whisper is hoarse.

She groans. "Some parents are better than others." Aquaria flips her blonde and pink hair in my face and stalks off.

Thanks for that, Aquaria.

Totally wanted that insult towards my parents.

And if she was wrong I would have called her out on it, but she wasn't. Some parents are better than others.

I exit the store, and get into the passenger seat of Aquaria's car. Knowing her, I'll be here for a while.

My phone dings and I smile as I look at the screen.

Cor texted me, "Can't wait 'till eight."
***
Aquaria and I got back at the dorms around five-thirty.

A Mercedes Benz sits in the parking lot, a man in a black suit in the drivers seat.

Leona's dad is still here?

I walk to her dorm and knock loudly on her door.

She opens with a mad face. After she sees me she calms down. "Oh. Hey, Gem. Come on in."

"Dad! This is Gem Martin." Leona introduces me to her dad.

I'll admit, I was completely freaking out.

Sitting in front of me with a dirty blonde buzz cut was thee Lucas Osbourne.

It was really him.

Oh my god.

"Oh, hello?" I give a small wave. My greeting came out more of a question.

Is that bad?

My heart is going to need surgery after this.

"Hello, Gem." He looks to Leona. "I told you not to let anyone in."

Leona waves her hand. "Oh, she's fine. Aren't you, Gem?"

I nod wildly. "Completely." Is it hot in here? Or is it just him— I mean me. I mean the sun.

My best friends dad is totally not hot.

That would be ridiculous.

Completely ludicrous.

"As I was saying," her dad continues, "you don't have to. I already talked to the directors and they think it would be a good idea, but your mother expects you to ask her yourself."

Leona puts on a serious game. "Of course. Is Mr. Isaac okay with it? The school?"

He nods. "Of course. I dropped a hundred or so and a few kiss-ass comments but it was worth it. You get to leave school a month early for "career purposes"."

Leona gives him a wide eyed smile. "Can Gem come?"

"No." He says sternly, sparing me a glance. "Sorry. I can't get her out. Her parents would have to do that and I know her parents... they're over-protective."

My face falls a mile. "You knew my parents!"

He nods. "Never stopped knowing them. They were in my class. Ah, Scorpius Martin and Petra Sanders. I have some funny stories I could tell you about that couple."

Holy crap.

"How are they over protective? They would totally let me go!" I get my hopes up.

Lucas shakes his head. "They check up on you, ya know. Illegally of course, but nobody messes with them. Cops turn a blind eye. You're father has saved a lot of good people."

How do you illegally check up on someone?

How do you legally check on someone?

"How?" I ask.

Lucas blinks his royal purple eyes. "Your mom pays a man to come and take notes on you. Just at the end of every month, but she does it."

Woah.

Revelation.

Take that, Mr. Anderson. How do you like them apples?

After mentally cringing about my own thoughts, I look up at Lucas with a whole new mindset. "Why is that illegal?"

"Parents aren't supposed to have any contact with their kids until graduation. I'm being allowed access to Leona only through business. Same way your friend Cor does it, through business." Lucas says.

"How do you—"

"Don't worry. Leona told me everything. Be careful, Gem. Don't get caught up in something dangerous." He walks to the kitchen table and grabs a pair of car keys.

Something dangerous.

"Thank you, Mr. Osbourne." I almost bow when he walks past me, but I catch myself.

"If you girls ever need anything, call... just don't get caught." Lucas shows his pearly whites in a well-practiced smile as he leaves.

I spin to Leona. "Well that was interesting." I say.

She only nods in reply, just as in shock as me.
~~~~
I have a problem! My bold, and italicize isn't working. I think Wattpad is glitching out on me.... I should probably update the app...

Anyways, this revealed some things about Aquaria, Leona, and Gem's parents. I'm a little shocked, myself.

Hope everyone had an amazing day, and...

As always, stay happy, stay gold,
-Dani_Kail