12| That's for being an ass.

Without ice cream, there

would be darkness and chaos.

Kathy's POV

Even though I've been in school for a few weeks, Anthony is always there to make sure I don't overexert myself. He's still worried about my wounds, even though I told him I'm okay.

Now that I've gotten to know him more, I now find him annoying and cute at the same time. Soon... Shut up with your nonsense.

I may have developed a tiny crush on him, but not enough that I want to date him. It'll probably go away in a few days. You can't fall for someone that quick anyway, right? Who are you trying to convince?

While getting ready for school, I hear Anthony shout, "We're leaving in 10 minutes."

"Okay!" I shout back. I quickly finish getting dressed and make myself look more presentable. Eh. A for effort.

Outfit:

"Which car are we taking?" I ask when I meet him in the garage.

He smirks and asks, "Who said we were taking a car?"

"What? Isn't that going to attract more attention to us than a regular car?" I ask, trying to make him use a car.

"Sunshine, are you saying you're embarrassed to be seen with me?" He asks, pretending to be hurt.

"No! That's not what I'm saying. I mean, don't you have a reputation to keep up?" I ask.

"Wait, is that why you make me drop you off at the entrance and then park?" He asks, just realizing this.

"No?" I say. "I mean, I'm technically a nobody at school. No one pays attention to me, but people always pay attention to you. I mean, look at you." I murmur the last part.

He hears and smirks, "Shut up, you know what I mean."

"Sunshine, you're not a nobody... Do you think I give a fuck about my reputation? I'm just there to graduate. And if it makes you feel better, I like hanging out with you." He says with a boyish grin.

I feel my face flush, and he just chuckles. He chooses a car, and I say, "Thanks." Hoping he knows what I'm actually thanking him for.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Hey, bitch." Cece says when I slip into the chair beside her.

She has a bag of chips open, and I take one. "Bye, bitch." She says, placing the bag away from me.

I laugh, and she asks, "How's your apartment search been going?"

"So far, not so good. All of the places I've checked out have either thin walls, expensive rent, or are too small." I say, sighing.

"I still can't believe Anthony is letting you stay with him. Do his parents not care?" She asks.

"I'm not sure if they know... He tells me his mom is always on business trips. I don't know if his dad is in the picture, but it's not my place to ask." I say.

"How about your ribs?" She asks, knowing my whole story.

"I think they've healed. I don't really feel any pain anymore." I say.

"So, what's happening between you and Anthony?" She asks, making kissing noises.

"Stop!" I say, hitting her shoulder. "Nothing is going on..."

"Why would he call you Sunshine? And let you stay in his home?" She asks.

"I don't know!" I say, rolling my eyes.

Cece laughs and says, "Okay, let's change the subject."

"Thank you," I say, appreciating her for not pushing.

"Wait, just one more thing. He keeps staring at you." She says.

Not believing her, I say, "No, he's not..." I turn around and lock eyes with him. I wave, and he smiles back.

"He just smiled." She says, surprised.

"Ya so?" I ask, turning back around.

"I've never seen him show another emotion." She says.

"Just because he's a "bad boy" or whatever and is in a gang does not mean he can't smile... And anyway, he smiles a lot when I'm with him. His eyes sparkle, and his dimples stand out." I say, smiling at the thought.

"Oh my gosh, you like him!" She squeals excitedly.

"Shhhh! What are you talking about!?" I ask.

"You would totally look cute together! He seems so sweet to you, from what you've told me." She says.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

I catch Anthony walking with his friends and say, "I'm going to stay here and make up a test I missed."

He stops walking and tells his friends, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, no, I meant you can go ahe-" But his friends were already walking away. "You didn't need to leave them. I could've just gotten an Uber. Or if you'd stop holding my motorcycle hostage, I can drive myself."

"Do you know where my house is?" He asks.

Uh. "I know the general route..." I say. Wait, why can't we remember? It's hard to find the exit of his neighborhood!

He chuckles and says, "I'll be here when you're done." I nod and walk back into the building.

30 minutes later, I finish and go out to find Anthony. I spot him sitting on a bench with his back to me. I silently walk up behind him and get ready to surprise him. But before I can, he quickly turns around and lifts me.

"Boo." He whispers in my ear.

"Hey! How did you know I was there?" I ask, ignoring our closeness.

"Magic." He says, smiling. He puts me down, and then we start walking towards his car.

When we pick up Jasmine, she says, "Hi, Kat."

"Hey, Jazzy!" I say, smiling at her.

We're back at Anthony's home, and Jasmine and I run to the kitchen. Take it easy! We're planning on having some ice cream. Whoever makes the best-looking sundae wins.

~Jasmine's Sundae~

~Kathy's Sundae~

"We need a judge!" Jasmine says, placing a few more sprinkles.

"Okay!" I say, finishing my toppings.

"Thony!" She screams. He comes in running with a worried expression.

"I'm here. What's wrong?" He asks.

"We need someone to judge our sundaes," I say.

He relaxes and glances at our sundaes. He picks them up and says, "The best-looking sundae is no one!"

After he says that, he smushes the sundaes on our heads. Jasmine and I nod at each other, thinking of the same thing.

We attack Anthony and make him fall backward. Jasmine starts smacking him and says, "How dare you let that food go to waste!"

While she's trying to get the sundae off her head and onto Anthony's clothes, I grab the ice cream on my head and throw it at his face. Jasmine and I start laughing because he looks like a colorful mess.

He looks at both of us and starts to get up. "Jasmine, come on!" I say, grabbing her hand. We start running around the house, trying to run away from Anthony.

"We need to find a hiding spot," I say. We run up the stairs and into a random room. We open the bathroom connected to the room and hide in the bathtub. We start to calm down and wait for Anthony.

"You can run, but I will find you." He says creepily. Jasmine starts to giggle, so I cover her mouth.

We hear him open the door to our room and hold our breath. He walks into the bathroom and says, "I wonder if someone is hiding in the bathtub." He opens the curtain and Jasmine squeals.

I pick up Jasmine and push passed him. "Run, Jasmine, run!" I shout.

I try to follow her, but I feel arms wrap around my waist. "He trapped me!" I shout, hoping Jasmine heard.

He picks me up and just casually carries me. Then out of nowhere, he hits my butt. "Hey! What was that for?" I ask.

"For being too cute." He says, smiling at me.

I roll my eyes and smack his butt. "That's for being an ass," I say. You're falling! What are you talking about? He is clearly carrying me.

Thank you for reading! 😘

I hope you liked this chapter! 💕

Byeeeeeeeeee! 👋