Hellcat

Chapter 6

Wilder Sanchez

After what Lucas told me yesterday, I was more than a little uncomfortable. I pumped myself with pills and passed out on the floor after fifteen minutes of off-key crooning to Led Zeppelin. So it was no surprise when I woke up this morning feeling like crap. A massive headache was stirring up hell in my forehead and all of my muscles were stiff. It took a whole lot of effort to drag myself from where I had fallen asleep on the floor to the bathroom. Almost forty minutes later, I am dressed and seated on the floor with a pan of freshly made huevos rancheros between my uncrossed knees. It was an easy recipe Lucas had taught me when I was a kid. It has been a while since I have eaten breakfast at home so I am tempted to skip school and spend the day sculpting and drinking because honestly speaking, my body is too heavy for me to carry to school.

I dump the empty pan in the sink when I'm done eating, and am about to kick off my shoes and throw myself into the world of potter's clay and drawing tools when my phone starts making really loud beeping noises. I try to ignore it, but the sound starts to rattle me so in the end I just snatch it off my nightstand where it is charging and open it to see who the f**k has dared to disturb me at nine am in the morning.

Josh: Are you coming to school or not?

Josh: Seriously, Wilder, I need to know.

Josh: I'm at Starbucks and I want to get you coffee.

Josh: If you don't reply I'm just going to assume you like your coffee heavily sweetened and creamed.

Josh: Wilder?

Josh: Are you seriously ignoring me, babe?

Josh: I can have one of my nerdy friends track your phone, you know.

Josh: I can find out where you live. Maybe I should pay you a visit and drag you out of bed because the only way you can ignore me this long is if you're dead.

I can't stop the snort of laughter after reading all of Josh's texts. He is one of the three people who have my cell phone number so it should have been obvious he was the one blasting my phone with a million text messages.

Me: You are one needy bastard.

Josh: She speaks! I honestly thought you were dead and I was going to have to call the cops. Why did you take so long to reply? I got you the coffee and I'm on my way to school. Will meet you in art class?

Me: Actually, I decided to skip.

Josh: You're playing hooky without me? How could you do that to me, babe?

I roll my eyes even though I'm chuckling at the same time. I've never met a guy like Josh and I have laughed more times since meeting him than I have since I left Lucas's house. He's a nice guy and even though it has only been a few days, hanging out with him is a refreshing change for all the drunks and stoners I usually associate myself with. I like Josh. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Me: You said you got me coffee, how many sugars?

Josh: The fact that you tolerate me means you and I share certain traits. I hope you also have a sweet tooth.

Me: No less than six sugars.

I've always liked my coffee with lots of sugar. Sugar is just one of the many drugs I'm hooked to. Except I don't think I can ever get off it. Adding dulce de leche to my coffee is my guilty pleasure.

Josh: You're speaking my language, sister. But seriously, come to school. I heard the teachers have a pretty big announcement to make.

I can imagine Josh's smirk as I read his text. Is it wrong that in just two days I have come to know this boy like he is my little brother?

Me: Save me a seat.

I guess that means I'm not skipping after all. But which wise person would turn down free coffee? I grab my mom's hoodie and pull it on, stuffing the keys to my apartment in the pocket after locking the door. It's difficult to catch a cab in this part of town so I accept my fate of a twenty-minute walk.

I get to school late but nobody is in class. It seems Josh was right about the big announcement they were going to make. After grabbing my textbooks from my locker I text Josh to know where he is and meet him in the art room. Josh is one of the few students in the class and he waves his hand wildly to grab my attention.

"Here's your coffee," he says, handing me the cup.

I smile, accepting it and kissing his cheek lightly. "Thanks."

"You wanna try that again? On the lips this time?"

I chuckle. "In your dreams, sweet cheeks."

I sit next to him and reach for the paper bag on the table. He steals it at the last second.

"That's mine," he says in an incredibly childish voice.

"What's yours is mine" I snatch the bag and open it. The smell of freshly-baked cookies hits my nose and I pick one, moaning in delight when the flavours melt on my tongue.

Josh smacks my ass.

"Hey," I cry. "That's assault."

"Nope," he smirks. "What's yours is mine. What's mine is yours."

"So we're married now?"

"You're the one who brought it up."

Shockingly enough, he's right. "I'll let you off just this one time."

Josh beams, taking a cookie from the bag and biting half of it. "You're the best, Eli."

"So what's the big announcement?"

Josh glances at his watch. "In a few minutes, they are going to call all of us to the main auditorium and make the announcement."

"How do you know so much?"

"I have my connections," Josh winks.

I wrinkle my nose in disgust, playfully nudging his shoulder. "You're nasty, Bennett."

"That's a compliment where I come from."

"Weirdo."

"Thanks,"

I make a face, sipping coffee. For a moment we settle into peaceful silence. Drinking coffee and eating peanut butter cookies. Just when we have run out of cookies, an announcement comes on the intercom system ordering all students and faculty to move to the auditorium in the west wing of the school. Just as Josh predicted.

We join the students flooding the wide hallways. Everyone is walking in the same direction so it's easy to blend into the flux. By some miracle, I don't lose Josh in the crowd and we push through the large auditorium doors together. I busy myself with scanning the crowd for available seats when a familiar dark-haired male begins waving frantically at us. Dragging Josh's attention from the sophomore he is flirting with, I drag him in the direction of the familiar face.

"Keith," I acknowledge him, murmuring thanks when he shifts his legs so I can pass in front of him and sit next to him.

"Good to see you, Eli." He smiles back and looks at Josh who has busied himself with chatting amiably with a cute blonde girl sitting in front of us. Keith chuckles. "I see Josh hasn't changed much."

"Yeah," I concur. "Where's Abe?"

"Right here."

Abe's voice comes from behind me. I c**k my head in the right angle and stifle a smile when my eyes meet his beautiful blue ones.

"Hey." It's the easiest thing to say when I find myself startled by how blue his eyes are. I never noticed until now. They are the clearest blue, like a cloudless sky on a summer day. I look away awkwardly when it becomes apparent I am staring too long.

"I'm glad all the time you're spending with my brother has not turned your brain to mush," Abe comments, eyes lowering. I wonder if he's checking me out. But I'm dressed in ugly ass jeans that don't fit and a hoodie that engulfs my entire torso. "Thanks for saving Josh's hide yesterday. Knowing Josh, I doubt he acknowledged the gravity of the situation."

"It's fine," I wave my hand. "He repaid his debt in ice cream."

Abe smiles that adorable heart-stopping smile that makes me question how I have kept my wits around him this long. It's easy to forget he's easily one of the most attractive guys I have ever met when we are knee-deep in mud or hacking at weeds.

But in the school environment, I'm not sure how to behave around him. He's my friend's older brother. And my community service partner. It would be inappropriate for me to find him sexually appealing but his good looks are undeniable. The fact that he's oblivious to it all makes him all the more appealing.

That's enough dirty thinking for today, the voice in my head chides.

"You make it sound like a currency," he chuckles.

"It should be."

Abe shoots up both eyebrows. "You think?"

"That's enough flirting kids," Keith cuts in loudly. Abe flushes bright red but my expression is neutral, and just a little bit annoyed.

Josh's ears perk up at the mention of the word 'flirting'. He abandons the blonde who is offended by his very rude way of ending their conversation and refocuses his attention on us.

"I never imagined you'd be interested in a guy like Abe. No offence bro," Josh adds the last part quickly.

"None taken," Abe shrugs a single shoulder. "And I doubt she's interested in me."

"He's not wrong. I'm more into bad boys. And as I told you earlier, I don't date."

"My sister in casual s*x," Josh cheers. We high-five. Keith laughs. Abe shakes his head in disappointment though I don't miss the tiny smile on the corner of his lips. I'm not the only one who finds Josh amusing.

"Settle down, kids. Settle down."

It takes a few more seconds before most of the auditorium quiets down.

"Who is that?" I whisper to Keith who is sitting next to me and appears to be completely engrossed in a game on his phone.

"Uh?" he asks, looking up from his phone screen and staring at me with a cute expression.

I'm too lazy to repeat my words so point to the woman on the stage and make a question mark sign in the air.

"Oh," Keith nods in understanding. What a miracle. Someone actually understands sign language. "That's vice-principal Fernsby," he explains.

"She's a b***h," Josh adds, nodding aggressively to assert his point.

"He's only saying that because she got him kicked off the soccer team after he failed a bunch of his classes. I offered to tutor him but if you haven't realised it by now Josh doesn't really pay attention if you don't have boobs to stare at." Abe says.

"You make me sound like a man-w***e," Josh begins. "Thank you."

"He's sick."

"Silence!" the woman bellows. She looks like she belongs on a billboard for successful women than in a high school filled with sarcastic students. Her blonde hair is scraped into a tight bun, not a curl out of place. She is wearing a blue pantsuit and cat-eye glasses are perched on the bridge of her nose. Her icy blue eyes are narrowed as she glares at every single one of us as though she knows all our deepest darkest secrets and will expose them if we don't shut the hell up. Needless to say, she is one impatient woman.

Her outburst seems to shock most of us into quietude and for nearly a full minute, the whole place is silent and you could hear a pin drop.

"Thank you," she sighs. "Meetings like these are fairly unusual so I can imagine you are all wondering why you have been gathered here today, teachers and students alike. I will not keep you waiting any further." she presses a button on the remote I only just realise she is holding and a giant picture appears on the screen.

"A few months ago, our school was one of the two hundred schools across the country given the chance to participate in a Spanish musical play writing competition. Unfortunately, we were not selected to perform at the Arriago Teatro in Spain even though our play was one of the top-ranked in the competition. A few days ago, we received a letter from the company which hosted this competition, offering us the chance to perform our musical play. The play was scheduled to be performed the weeks leading to Christmas, which gives us approximately eleven weeks to get our act together and fly to Spain to perform at the historical theatre."

"We the heads of the school and the board members as well, have deliberated this decision have reached the conclusion that it would a good opportunity for our students. And so for the next two and a half months, all final-year students who have two of these three subjects will be exempted from normal studies as they focus on preparations for the play. The subjects involved are the music class, AP Spanish class and American Literature class. The drama club head, Ms Sutherland, will be the overall head of this project and any students willing to volunteer for prop production and stage direction are welcome to do so. I expect you all to take this very seriously because this play could make or break our international reputation. Auditions are compulsory, no excuses will be accepted. Copies of the play will be made available to you at the end of the day. You are dismissed."

Only for a second, the room was quiet.

Then the chaos began. Everywhere around me, people were chatting excitedly. No one else seemed to notice that the teachers had gathered around vice-principal Fernsby as if ganging up against her. From the looks of displeasure on their faces, I am guessing they were no informed of management's decision to basically take over the first semester of their student's education.

I stare at them till they all quietly shuffle out, most likely heading to the staff break-room to continue their discussion. I skirt my eyes over the scores of students that surround me. Many of them look excited or bored. Very few share my displeasure. I have both AP Spanish and American Literature. That means I cannot be exempted from this. I stare at Keith, but he is busy tipping at his phone, his tongue slightly sticking out of his mouth in concentration.

Josh is also very busy. Chatting amiably with a male, something I assumed he was capable of but has never actually seen him do till now.

When I turn my head to look at Abe, I realise he is already staring at me. "Something wrong?" I ask.

"I could ask you the same thing," he answers. "You didn't look too pleased with Vice-Principal Fernsby's announcement."

"Neither did you." I point out.

His lip curves up in a lopsided grin. "I'm in the music class but other than that, I don't have any of those other two subjects. I'm exempted from the category of people she mentioned. My life will not be affected by this announcement."

"Mine will," I disclose with a frown.

"I figured as much," he replies. I stare at him pointedly. Wordlessly asking for an elaboration of his answer. He delivers. "I could not help but notice your displeasure when she said the part about auditions being compulsory. But I don't think you have to worry much about getting a part in the musical play itself."

"And why is that?" I c**k my head to the side.

"Because you can't sing," he answers honestly.

I frown. "That's not a very nice thing to say." Since when did I care about being nice? The thought makes me want to laugh and I force down the laugh before Abe decides to brand me as psycho. He wouldn't be the first guy. But I don't want him to discover the madness in me. Not yet, anyway.

"I don't mean it like that. What I mean is that I'm pretty sure being in a musical requires you to actually know music and well, I've never seen you in any of my music classes."

His embarrassment is cute and highly entertaining. "So you've been looking?"

Abe flushes. "I like to notice things."

I smile slightly. It feels good to smile, all though it takes more cheek muscles to tilt my lips upward. "I like to notice things too."