Lads & Lattes (High School Clowns & Coffee Grounds Book 1) Read online

  Since I didn’t know I needed a change of clothes, Mrs. Petra allowed me to sit to the side and observe the dance class today. I ended up zoning out for most of the class, the day and my stubborn jet lag having taxed my limited energy. When the final bell rang, I sagged under the weight of everything in my backpack since my to-do list had grown to ridiculous lengths with the amount of homework and studying I had to catch up on.

  Nearing my car, I spotted Kingston and Reid a few spaces down leaning against Reid’s Jeep. I tossed my bag in the backseat, but before I could get settled behind the wheel, they were standing by my car. Jesse had appeared as well, but he was sulking over by the Jeep looking aggravated that he had to wait for them to talk to me.

  “Hey there,” Reid greeted cheerfully, and Kingston just gave me a small smile. “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Homework, and probably unpacking,” I supplied. Their brows furrowed.

  “You haven’t unpacked yet?” Kingston asked. I tilted my head at them in confusion. Of course I haven’t, I just got here, I thought to myself.

  “No, when I say I just moved here, I mean literally. As in we packed the truck on Saturday, flew in Sunday, and the movers unloaded the truck yesterday.” Their brows went from drawn down in puzzlement to up their forehead in shock in a split second flat.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you had just gotten to town yesterday or I would have invited you over to our Labor Day party we had.” Reid grimaced, but I waved his worry away. Although, he looked pretty cute when he made that face. I pushed the wayward thought away as he continued talking. “Do you want some help unpacking?”

  “I don’t think there’s much, just some clothes and miscellaneous stuff,” I answered shrugging half-heartedly. Although, I did enjoy spending time with them throughout the day, and I knew I needed notes from Reid for our history class. With those thoughts in mind, I solidified my decision. “Do you guys want to come over and study? We’ve got a large area in the basement we could work in, and I’m pretty sure my mom said some furniture was being delivered this morning.”

  “Yeah, let me go tell Jesse.” Reid hitched his thumb toward his friend whose scowl grew when he noticed the motion. Leaving me and Kingston alone, he headed over to inform Jesse of our plans.

  “He doesn’t seem to like me,” I noted quietly as I eyed Jesse’s angry expression and harsh stare. I had tried to not let it bother me, but for some reason I couldn’t understand, it did. I haven’t done anything to him, I thought ruefully. Granted, I probably could have tried to say hi or something, but I didn’t think I’d been rude or mean.

  “That’s not you, Emma. Jesse is just a bit more wary of people than you’re probably used to,” Kingston murmured, watching his two friends argue back and forth with a tiny downturned curl of his lips. I pretended not to see the arms waving in my direction as they talked about me. “He’ll come around,” Kingston assured. I nodded, unsure on whether or not to believe him.

  Reid had followed me to the house, parking his Jeep on the street out front as I pulled into my spot in the driveway. Hopping out, I went to the front door and unlocked it not having remembered the code for the garage. I held the door open for them to enter, and their eyes darted around curiously. Except for Jesse who just looked annoyed to be there.

  “You can drop your bags downstairs. Do you guys want anything to drink or eat? I think I have some food, but if not, we could always order something,” I offered, following them into the house. Locking the door, I joined them down the short staircase and looked at the new furniture my mom had gotten. The main space held a large sectional in a dark gray fabric, a white wooden coffee table, and a rustic styled entertainment center with a brand new TV. There was also a small, round dining table and chairs by the back door and a desk against the wall, the sun from outside splaying over the white-washed wood top.

  “We can help get it,” Reid offered after setting his bag at the table. I nodded, dropping my own bag and taking off my jacket since the sun filtering in the room made it warm enough not to need it. They followed me back to the stairs, but before I headed up I opened my door and tossed my coat in a heap on my unmade bed.

  “Nice room,” Reid exclaimed. His bright voice came from right above me as he looked over my shoulder, his gaze darting around my room. “Looks like more than just some clothes to put away.” His eyes focused on the large stack of moving boxes piled against the wall. Rolling my eyes, I nudged him back out of the doorway.

  “I said clothes and miscellaneous stuff,” I countered turning toward the steps, but he paused and walked deeper into my room. When I followed him in, I noticed him holding my favorite bear. He turned to me with a wry smile on his face.

  “And who is this? I didn’t peg you for the stuffed animal type,” he said holding him out to me. I grabbed him from his hands and hugged him close to my chest.

  “Don’t mock, Mr. Fritz. My grandpa gave him to me the birthday before he died. He makes me feel safe,” I mumbled looking down at the bear’s tattered ear and matted fur. Silence reigned long enough for me to look back up at him; his eyes were downcast and he nibbled on his lip seemingly lost in thought before glancing at me.

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” he murmured before giving me a shy smile, “I have a bear too. Mr. Jangles. Although he’s a little more jangled than bear at this point. I should probably get rid of him, but I can’t bring myself to.” I couldn’t stop the grin that curled my lips at his sweet story. Setting Mr. Fritz back on my bed, I walked over to Reid and grabbed his hand. He glanced down and intertwined our fingers before looking down at me.

  “It’s okay, Reid. It’ll be our little secret.” I tugged his hand lightly as I started toward the door before he could say another word. “Let’s get some stuff to eat and drink and get down to homework. My list of assignments is unbelievably long,” I told Kingston and Jesse who were pulling out classwork and textbooks near the table. Reid squeezed my hand before letting go and starting up the stairs. The other two fell in step behind me as we walked to the upstairs level.

  “What do you have to do?” Kingston’s smooth and melodious voice danced over to me as we waded through the living room that had been furnished with our family’s fairly new couch and furniture that we had in California. The large TV rested on a rustic, farmhouse style stand similar to the one downstairs. The piece of furniture matched the coffee table and the end tables were similar in style, but stained and off-white cream paired well with the muted gray-brown fabric couch. The bright-colored curtains, throw pillows, and patterned rug stood out against all of the neutral colors as I walked into the kitchen.

  “I have that test on Friday in history, an essay on Crime and Punishment in AP English, my giant list of trig problems, then a chapter for civics, and a chapter for AP chem,” I rattled off while bending down to look in the fridge. “All right, we have water, some soda, milk, juice, and yeah…” I trailed off looking around the food my mom picked up Sunday in an attempt to see all the beverages.

  “First of all, I’ll take a water,” Reid said from behind me, his light wash jeans showing in the corner of my eyesight. “Second, you’re in the Midwest now, so it’s pop not soda.” I blinked in confusion.

  “I’ll take a pop,” Kingston added before I could question Reid. I glanced to the right at Jesse over the top of the refrigerator door. He stood stoic, his lean muscled arms crossed tightly over his chest as he looked around the kitchen and dining area. When he realized I was staring at him, he answered.

  “Water,” he muttered disinterestedly before looking toward the back door by the dining table which led out to a small deck.

  “Water for you two.” I handed out the bottles to Reid and Jesse before handing the cold can to Kingston and making sure to grab my own. “Soda,” I emphasized, “for you.” Reid groaned behind me as Kingston’s laidback smile curled his lips.

  “We’ll get you broken in in no time, Cali girl.” Reid’s arm slithered over my shoulder directing me toward the stairs. “L
et’s go get that pile of stuff you have to do done.” I grumbled under my breath as we made our way back to the basement taking up residence around the four person table. Kingston sank into the chair across from me, Reid to my left, with Jesse to my right. We worked in companionable silence for a while before Kingston randomly huffed and gave Reid a look.

  “Reid,” Kingston lectured, “stop bumping my arm.” Reid just chuckled. My brows dipped down until I realized Reid was left handed, his elbow purposely shifting to hit Kingston who was right-handed.

  “I’m not doing anything,” he claimed innocently although he was clearly moving his arm.

  “You’re hungry for pizza, aren’t you?” Kingston sighed, dropping his pen on his notebook to pull out his phone. Reid nodded enthusiastically in response. Jesse rolled his eyes and turned back to his homework. “You hungry, Emma?” I hadn’t given it much thought having been focused on trigonometry, but at the mention of pizza my stomach rumbled slightly.

  “I could eat, but you don’t have to order it, I can do it,” I tried to explain. I mean, this is my house and they are guests. But Kingston and Reid waved me off as Jesse eyed me suspiciously. I rolled my eyes at them before going back to my homework.

  “What do you want on your pizza?” Kingston angled his phone away from his face as he directed his question at me.

  “Just whatever works,” I mumbled, finishing up the last problem I had for trig. Kingston got up and stepped out to the patio, the closed glass door muting his voice. After double checking the problem, I tucked the pages away in my notebook and switched it out for my Civics textbook. Kingston returned as I started taking notes.

  “It’ll be here in a half hour to 45 minutes,” he mentioned, sitting back in his seat. I was thankful that the chapter I had to read for class was short and I had finished it in twenty minutes. I was debating what to work on next when Reid’s pen tapped my arm.

  “You want to copy the history notes?” He held up his notebook with a flashy wave of his hand making me chuckle.

  “Yeah that’d be great.” I tried to grab them, but he pulled the spiral bound pages out of my reach. I gaped at him while he just smiled brightly at me.

  “What’re the magic words?” he taunted as I pulled my arm back.

  “Please?” I tried, but of course that wasn’t it. “May I please have the notes?” I tried again.

  I should have just chosen to read all the material.

  “It’s ‘Reid is the awesomest for allowing me to use his notes because I decided to be a rebel and start school late,’” he recited in faux-prestige.

  Definitely should have just read the material.

  “Dude, just give her the notes,” Jesse grumbled, his soft command filled with irritation as he glared at Reid. A blush crept up my neck and cheeks at his sharp tone, feeling like I had been reprimanded for horsing around. The silence was tense as Reid and Kingston stared at their friend.

  “Fine, spoilsport.” Reid played off Jesse’s outburst before handing the notebook to me. “Here you go, Emma.” I flashed him a grateful smile before taking it from his outstretched hand. His handwriting was small, slightly messy, but still legible. The doorbell ringing broke up the study group we were having shortly after. Kingston and Reid went to the front door telling me I didn’t have to help. Rolling my eyes yet again, I huffed but agreed. Their talking with the delivery driver was quiet, and the awkwardness between Jesse and me was creeping its way to uncomfortable levels.

  “So,” I started, figuring I might as well try to talk to him since it seemed like I’d be sticking around for a while. “How long have you known those two?” He glanced up at me briefly before looking down at what looked to be calculus.

  “Since pre-school,” he answered, his words and tone short like he didn’t actually want to talk to me.

  Well, that’s just too dang bad.

  “That’s pretty cool,” I continued, “that’s how it was for most of my friends back in Cali.” I tried to smile, but at that thought, a rush of raw emotions flooded my chest. Glancing down at Reid’s notebook, a stupid, unwanted tear dripped onto the page.

  “I’m sorry.” Jesse’s eyes were on me, for once not filled with contempt as he spoke. “That must be hard.” I pushed back the tears, having shed enough since last Friday. Trying to play it off, I shrugged.

  “Not much I can do about it,” I murmured. Before we could talk anymore, Reid bounded into the room, his curls bouncing on top of his head.

  “I come bearing pizza!” he half-sang, half-shouted in excitement. His arms were full of three large pizza boxes, Kingston joined us with a small stack of paper plates and napkins. Jesse and I moved all the papers and textbooks off the surface so there would be room.

  “We have hamburger”—Reid pointed to the first box as he set it down on the table before then pointing to the other two—“cheese, and meat lovers.” I scrunched my brows.

  Just hamburger pizza?

  What kind of crazy place is this?

  “What?” Reid must have noticed my face cause he directed his question at me. “Do you not like any of those?” I shook my head.

  “It isn’t that, I’ve just never heard of only hamburger on a pizza.” I took a slice of it as well as a slice of cheese since the three boys went directly into the meat lovers. They all stopped and gaped at me.

  “Say what now?” Reid gasped dramatically. “What kind of crazy place did you come from? Hamburger pizza is a staple.”

  Me, come from a crazy place?

  They’re clearly from the crazy place.

  “California, where pizza is normal,” I teased, taking a bite of the odd piece. Not bad. I hummed when I realized all three of them were watching me. I stopped my movement as I was about to take another bite, the slice right outside my open mouth. “What?”

  “Well…” Reid dragged out the word, his hand rolled in the air for me to elaborate on whatever he was trying to ask of me.

  “How is it?” Kingston clarified, digging into his own slice. Jesse remained silent, but he watched me out of the corner of his eye.

  “It’s pretty good, I’m just used to it being on a pizza with pepperoni or an all meat pizza,” I responded taking another bite.

  “All right, you’re allowed to stay.” Reid emphasized his dramatic statement with a single nod at the end.

  “You don’t hate hamburger pizza,” Kingston explained teasingly at my scrunched up facial expression. “Meaning you aren’t too much of a lost cause.” I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the tenth time this afternoon and went back to eating, not dignifying their ridiculousness with a response.

  A couple hours later, we had finished up homework, the boys had gone home, and now I was staring at the large pile of boxes against the wall.

  Maybe I should have taken up their offer to help.

  I sighed, opening the first box, and was greeted with a large pile of neatly folded clothes. It might have been weird, but I took great pride in my clothing and outfits so I always made sure to fold them or hang them immediately after cleaning. As I unloaded the box into my closet and dresser, my phone dinged with a text message.

  Mom: I’ll be home in a little while, business dinner running a bit long.

  Emma: No worries, just unpacking. Love you.

  I plugged my phone in and dropped it on my nightstand, the light from my lamp softly illuminating my new room. Sinking onto my new light pink sheets, I glanced around and took it all in. My bed frame was an upholstered gray with buttons tufted into the headboard, my new comforter was white with a simple black geometric pattern. The nightstands were also white with two drawers and crystal pulls; a matching set of lamps with pink shades sat on top as well as a picture of my friends and me from back in California. The walls were painted the same gray-beige as the rest of the house with white trim, both of which coordinated nicely with my white 6-drawer dresser that matched the nightstands.

  My room didn’t have a television, only a mirror on top of my dresser that was boo
k ended by jewelry and makeup stands that would soon prettily display my items. Once I get them unpacked, that is. My closet was a standard size and only held half a dozen items since all of my underwear, socks, bras, and bottoms were folded in my dresser. I knew I had about two more boxes of tops, skirts, and dresses I needed to unload as well as a box with my jackets, scarves, hats, and other accessories.

  I have too much stuff.

  Huffing, I stood back up off my queen sized bed and opened the next box of clothing. By the time I got my clothing and makeup unpacked, it was getting late. Looking at the remaining four boxes that held my accessories, books, movies, and other random stuff I had collected over the years, I decided I’d tackle those another day. I changed into my pajamas, a pair of soft shorts and a matching button-up flannel shirt before slipping into my bed, making sure to set my alarm. I had several unread texts from a multitude of people that I ignored before shutting out the light. It took me a long time to finally fall asleep despite being exhausted.

  The morning is going to be fun… not.

  4

  September 5th

  Reid made a joke at lunch and soda came out my nose. Thankfully it was just us, but he still laughed at me.

  #Embarrassing #WhyAmILikeThis #WeirdnessWednesday

  The smell of spaghetti and garlic bread permeated the house when I got home, my mom’s figure shuffling around in the galley kitchen. I dropped my bag down on the couch before heading upstairs. I hadn’t realized how long I’d been at the library scouring sources for my AP English essay until I glanced at the clock that read almost six in the evening.