Chapter 5

Lux stood at the corner of Vankirk and summerdale, her back against the wall of the pizza place as she waited for Sasha to arrive. She smiled when she saw her phone began to ring, and she wasted no time answering.

“Hey, where are you?” She asked, checking her surroundings.

“Coming up the hill, I don’t see you” Sasha responded.

Lux came around the building, and her smile remained when she spotted Sasha. The two disconnected their call, only to meet up seconds later.

“Have you caught the bus down here before?” Lux asked as the two stood at the stop.

She pulled out her school transpass, and handed one to Sasha. Students were only assigned one, but Lux was always slick with her hands and swiped one when the counselor wasn’t looking. She was expecting to sell it someone, however she figured it would come in handy to get to Zay’s house.

“No, how far does he live?” Sasha asked, slightly nervous about making it back before her parents got home. Sure, she was being rebellious. But she still didn’t necessarily want to get caught.

“Not too far, we only have to take this to the term and then the train to Somerset”

Sasha didn’t know any of the places that Lux was talking about, so she just shrugged and figured she’d see when they arrived. After another five minutes of waiting, the bus pulled up, and the two hopped on and swiped their passes.

“Those school passes stop working at seven, it’s eight” the bus driver gave them a knowing look.
Sasha was ready to turn back around, but Lux didn’t hesitate to put on a friendly smile.

“Yeah we know, we just had to stay late for tutoring and time just passed us. Our dad will kill us if we show up late, can we just slide this one time?”

The lady gave her an approving smile and sent them on their way, and Lux rolled her eyes once her face was out of sight. Sasha was impressed,  because she didn’t have a good lying bone in her body.

Once they were seated, Sasha watched as Lux pulled out her pocket mirror from her bag, and touched up her lipgloss. She smirked, because she should’ve seen that coming. She admired Lux’s hair as she wore it down from her bun, as it was nicely flat ironed. She wore a chill outfit of only jeans and a t-shirt, but as always she added her own style with the colorful designer-resembled sneakers and bag to match.

“What?” She giggled, catching Sasha’s gaze, “You want some”

“Ha ha, funny” Sasha did a sarcastic laugh, “How long is this ride anyway?”

“Would you relax” Lux laughed, “Don’t worry about your parents. They had kids for a reason”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Sasha raised her brow.

“That without us, they would be bored. So, why not shake it up sometimes”

Sasha laughed at Lux’s logic and she shrugged as if it was solid knowledge. The bus announced that it had arrived to the terminal, and the two hopped off. Sasha was pleased by the short ride, however they still had a train to catch. Lux grasped onto her hand, and led her up the escalator. For some reason Sasha’s heart began to race at the two touching, so she conspicuously moved it away by pretending to check her phone.

The two swiped their transpasses once more to gain access to the train, and when the machine beeped Lux twisted her mouth. She prepared herself for the same pity speech, but there was no worker inside the window. She hopped over instead, and gestured Sasha to come along.

“Seriously?” Sasha said nervously.

“Yeah, come on. They must be on break”

The sound of the train coming emerged, and Lux gave her a look to hurry. Sasha hopped over, just as the employee was making his way around.

“Hey!” He yelled out, however it was too late.

Lux and Sasha began to bolt up the escalator, next through the doors and into the train.

“Market-Frankford line making all stops, doors are closing”

The two heaved in and out from bolting it, and then began to burst into a fit of laughter moments later.

“Girl you were scaredddd” Lux giggled as they took a seat in the back of the train.

“Nahh, I jumped didn’t I?” Sasha laughed.

“Barely” Lux gave her a playful eye roll, “Well, that was fun”

“I’m glad trouble is fun to you”

Lux winked, and the two smiled to themselves but didn’t speak. Somerset station was about ten minutes away, so again the two wouldn’t be seated for long. Sasha surveyed the train, next looking out the window as they hovered over the neighborhood streets. Different neighborhoods she would probably never get a chance to visit, since she could barely go anywhere. When the stop came up, the two hopped out and headed out to the street.

“It’s this way, but lets stop at the gas station first” Lux said as they began to walk down.

Sasha nodded, and followed in her friend’s direction. She put her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, watching the scene as always. They came across the gas station, and Sasha held the door open for the two to enter.

“Can I get two game leafs, ummm Wild berry?” Lux asked looking at the window.

The cashier requested her ID, and Lux pulled it out. She paid for the wraps, and got a few pieces of candy as well, all the while Sasha just raised her brow. She was definitely sheltered, because she didn’t know why Lux was buying the tobacco products.
Once the two started back up their journey, Sasha watched in curiosity as Lux unrolled the wrap quickly, dumping the guts and then laying it between her lips. She seemed like a pro, as she pulled out a clear bag and began to take the weed out.

“So” she started, the strong smelling buds falling from her ballerina shaped nails, “You party a lot?”

“Me? Not at all” Sasha said embarrassed slightly.

Lux looked as if she had been everywhere, whereas Sasha’s constant moving and strict parents kept her sheltered from exploring or doing anything fun.

“I must be reading you wrong” Lux shrugged, as she finished pearling the el.

The two made their way up the block, and could hear the music from one of the houses. Sasha grew nervous, because this was it. Her first high school party, and while at first it didn’t seem like a big deal, the over pour of teens that were surrounding the house was causing her to grow nervous.

“Damn” Lux exclaimed, “Oh yeah, we’re about to have fun”

Sasha gulped, and Lux grabbed her hand as always, leading her to the party. They broke the crowd, and was immediately welcomed by the group of boys.

“Ayyy, Lux, Sasha” Zay smiled, “Ya’ll made it..and you bought gifts” he said referring to the el in her hand.

Lux smirked, “You matching?”

“For sure, oh and we got drinks in the kitchen. I’ma grab that and we can sit on the patio”

Lux nodded, and led Sasha past the crowd. She hadn’t spoken yet, as she was still taking everything in. She recognized a lot of the kids from school, and watching them in this element was … different. Teens were sprawled around both smoking and drinking, the music blasting with rap music, and she goggled at the close dancing that was happening everywhere.

On the other hand Lux seemed to be in her element. She poured the two of them some drinks, and passed Sasha hers.

Sasha smelled it, and the bitter scent made her nose scrunch. Lux drunk hers, next twirling her hips to the beat of the song.

“They tryna stop the wave but the wave don’t stop!” She yelled to the music, and Sasha laughed at the way she pointed her finger and rapped to the Meek Mill song.

She put her hand into Sasha’s, trying to get her to dance.

Sasha smiled shyly, and Lux was smitten. Sasha was beautiful and didn’t even know it, her skin like honey and her baby face both precious and sexy. It was weird, because Lux knew she was innocent, but everything in her swag told her she knew what she was doing. The way she brushed her hair back with her hand to reveal her face, or when she bit her bottom lip and oversized her. Sasha never noticed her mannerisms, but Lux did and she wasn’t sure if she was reading them well or not.

“Heyy, you’re Lux right?” A girl asked walking up on them.

Lux scrunched her brows, and her dancing ceased, “Yeah, who’s asking?”

“Zay, he told me to come get ya’ll” the stranger said looking between the two.

“Oh…okay” Lux responded before refilling her drink.

Sasha hadn’t even touched hers yet, and Lux was on her second one. They followed the girl to the patio, and Sasha looked around at the group of people that sat in a circle. Two open seats were reserved for them and Zay gestured them over.

“You girls like a cypher?” He raised a fat el in his hand.

“Hell yeah” Lux smirked, pulling out hers.

Sasha’s mind began to race, but she wouldn’t speak up and say she didn’t smoke. This was her first high school party, she couldn’t be the nerd who walked away.

Everyone lit their el in unison, each pursing their lips together as they inhaled. Sasha watched Lux who did it so effortlessly and let the smoke ooze out her nose.

“It’s okay, I’ll show you” Lux whispered, handing her the el.

Sasha looked at her nervously, and was hesitant to put it to her lips. However the rotation was still going and she figured she couldn’t stop it.

“Inhale…hold in…and release” Lux coached her.

Sasha did as she said, and immediately felt her head get cloudly. She did it once more, and then passed it to the guy next to her.

“You look pretty” Zay whispered into Lux’s ear.

Lux smiled awkwardly, “Thanks”

“We can get away from everybody if you want” he continued to whisper, and Sasha’s ears perked up at the conversation.

“No, I’m fine here” Lux assured him.

“So, Lux you should try out for the cheer team” one of the girls spoke up.

Another shot her friend a look, and Lux peeped the exchange.

“Ummm..I’ve never done cheerleading” she shrugged, taking her turn with the dutch.

“No? But you have the body” the girl continued.

“She sure does” Zay smirked, and Lux resisted to roll her eyes.

“And that way, you can cheer for Sasha. That is your best friend right?” He asked trying to be smart.

Lux glanced at Sasha and the two smirked, “I’m still not a cheerleader, but thanks for the referral. What’s your name?”

“Amber” the girl smiled.

“Amber, got it” Lux smiled back.

Amber didn’t know anything about Lux, but it was clear that she belonged in the ‘in crowd’ with her and her friends. She was cute as hell, and so far everyone was wondering where the trendy chick came from. While some girls were jealous, Amber was the type to want to be around anyone who had status.

When it was Sasha’s turn to smoke, she did what Lux had taught her. She could feel her eyes become heavy, snd she was definitely experiencing a feeling she never felt before.

“Where’s your bathroom?” Lux asked, standing from her seat.

“Upstairs on the right” Zay responded.

Lux gestured for Sasha to come along and she did so slowly, still trying to get a hang onto the feeling.

“I had to get away from him” Lux rolled her eyes as the two moved through the crowd.

“Why, I thought you guys liked each other” Sasha said confused.

Lux laughed out loud, “Hell no”

And while she didn’t want to admit who she really liked, she wished Sasha could catch the hint.

“You sure?” Sasha asked.

The two entered the bathroom and Lux closed the door behind them.

“Yes, I’m sure” Lux said looking into the mirror and beginning to put on her lipgloss, “I like someone else”

“Who?” Sasha asked, leaning up against the door.

“Someone”

“Does he go to the school?” Sasha inquired.

She didn’t know why she was interested in knowing, but she was.

“Maybe, do you like anyone?” Lux fished.

“No” Sasha snickered as she took a seat on the edge of the tub, disappointing her, “I don’t date”

“What do you mean you don’t date” Lux raised her brow, “You’ve surely dated someone”

Sasha remained quiet, and Lux was stunned.

She took a seat next to her on the side of the tub, and placed her hand on Sasha’s knee.

“It’s okay, dating is overrated anyway” she chuckled.

The two sat in silence, as Sasha frankly didn’t know what to say. She was awkward, and although the past two days she was holding it together, her current environment was causing her to go into her shell. Not to mention she was sure that she was still high, and that alone was causing her to not speak. Lux rested her head on her shoulder, and Sasha stayed still. Lux was a little tipsy from her two drinks, and that was definitely the reason she was feeling more bold than usual. Whereas Sasha was just … nervous. About everything.

The two shared a glance, and Lux leaned in, planting a small peck on Sasha’s lips. Her cheeks grew warm and Lux could tell she had made her uncomfortable.

“Sorry I~”

“Hey, any day now” a voice on the other end shouted out.

The two jumped up, and awkwardly got ready to leave the bathroom. Lux opened up the door to reveal Josh, who gave the two a weird look.

“What?” Lux asked, pushing her hair behind her ear, “Never seen two girls use the bathroom before?”

She grabbed Sasha’s hand once more and led the two past the waiting line. Sasha just followed behind, too busy trying to grasp the concept of what just happened.

“Ayyy, Lux, Sasha. Come play beer pong” B shouted
from the dining room once the two made their way downstairs.

Lux decided to take a whack at it, since at the moment she would do anything to ease the awkward moment between her and Sasha.

“Don’t play if you can’t hang” Zay smirked, his eyes glossy as he was just getting started with the liquor.

Lux gave him one back and caught the small ball in her hand, “Boy, you’re talking to a pro”

She tossed it forward, and just like she predicted she aimed it perfectly into the cup. Zay nodded as if to say he was impressed, and then took his turn. Sasha watched the game, however she suddenly began to feel her phone vibrate. She reached into her pocket to grab it, and she quickly picked up when she saw Ty’s call.

“Hey” she answered, her pointer finger in one ear as she held the phone to the other.

“I just talked to mom and dad, they’re leaving the movies and you have t-minus…twenty minutes to get here” Ty said rounding off the time in his head.

Sasha gulped, and again she was torn between being truly rebellious and saying fuck it or running home before her parents could catch her.

“Okay, thanks I’ll be there” She said before hanging up.

She knew telling Ty where she was going was risky, but it was either that or have no idea when her mom and dad would be arriving back home. She would be doing his chores for the next week, but she figured it was a fair trade. She turned back around to meet Lux, who was having one hell of a time playing the drinking game.

“Did you see that!?” She laughed, throwing her arms around Sasha’s shoulders, not even aware of her nervous expression.

“Lux, I gotta go” she blurted out, and Lux’s smile faded.

“Why? We only been here like an hour” she said as if it was no big deal.

“Yeah but my parents are on their way home. If I’m not there, they’ll kill me”

The two battled looks; Lux’s eyes telling her to stay, whereas Sasha’s was begging for her life. Lux’s shoulders dropped, and she decided she didn’t want her new friend to get in trouble. She liked Sasha, really liked her, and knew getting her into trouble with her parents wasn’t exactly one of the first impressions she wanted to make.

“Fine, let me tell Zay that we’re going” she said, causing Sasha to be able to breathe a little.

Lux walked over to Zay, and Sasha watched as the two had a short conversation and then both heading back over.

“He’s going to take us home” she said pointing to the basketball player, who was too ecstatic to be getting a chance to drop Lux off. He had to drop off Sasha too, but the reward of getting some alone time with Lux was well worth it.

“Really? Thank you so much” Sasha said grateful and even more relieved.

Zay nodded, and led the two to his car. Sasha stayed close behind, nervously checking the time on her phone as she prayed that she would make it home on time. She was already in trouble for lying about basketball, so there was no telling the consequences for sneaking out. Either way, all she could do was sit in the back of Zay’s impala, staring out the window as her mind raced. T-minutes twenty minutes, she repeated. Twenty minutes, that felt like a lifetime.