Surviving Elite High: The Next Generation, Senior Year

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Robbie stood, looking down the main hallway, as the world passed him by. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, searching for their lockers or doing their best to catch up with the latest gossip. As he took his first step, his attention fell on a couple of girls who were giggling and pointing at someone in the distance. A guy, no doubt. From where he stood, he spotted the guy, his blond hair and piercing blue eyes were now very familiar.

Josh stood, resting his back on a wall, as he chatted away with a short chubby girl Robbie had never seen before. Josh’s powerful gaze fell on him and he smiled happily with the girl in front of him and kissed her goodbye. He marched up to Robbie and gave him a nod. Josh was becoming an ally in everything. The previous year, he had been a little distant, but now he was more open and welcoming. From what Tim had told him, Josh could be a little cautious with strangers. But once you were in his personal circle, he was the best friend you wished for and wanted all your life.

“What’s up, Robbie?”

“Nothing much. You?”

“Here, socializing a little.” He looked behind him. “Where’s everyone?”

“Tim and Nicky had a short meeting with Coach Jordan while Abby decided to bail on me and ride with Taylor to school.”

“Really?” Josh led him down the hallway. “She’s trying to mend things between them? She f****d up big time by hooking up with Nicky. Out of all the guys in the world, she picked Nicky. Why him? Is she looking to get her ass kicked?”

Robbie couldn’t believe his ears. How did Josh know about Nicky and Abby? Who’d told him? Was he in charge of the gossip column in every major magazine across the world? “How did you know?”

“Tim told me all about it yesterday.” Josh turned down a hallway that led to the main office. “With details.”

“You two are worse than TMZ.”

Josh chuckled. “Well, it’s either that or die of boredom.”

Robbie laughed, pushing the office door open. Compared to the outside world, the main office was silent and still. A large counter decorated the center of the room while a few chairs stood on the left. Two secretaries looked up the moment they walked in, but continued working with whatever they were doing. Several cabinets stood against the back wall and a small glass door to the right held a sign, Principal, on its shiny surface.

“Yes?” One of the secretaries, an African-American woman with bright red lipstick asked. She was a beefy woman with hardly any neck and huge bat like ears. The other secretary, also African-American, was tall and had a long elegant neck with a short nose.

“Class schedules,” Josh answered.

“Oh yes!” the thin secretary exclaimed. She began to search for something among a pile of papers. “Names?”

“Josh Ashmore.” Josh gave her a charming smile. “And Robbie Carroll.”

She smiled to herself as she flipped through the pile of papers, looking endlessly for their names. The moment she found their class schedules, she handed them over, smiling triumphantly. “Here you go guys! Have a nice day.”

“Thank you!” Josh retrieved the papers from her hands. He examined them for a second and then handed Robbie his. As they stepped outside, Robbie studied his class schedule. All he wanted was at least one class with Tim.

“What did you get for first period?” Josh ran his eyes over the precious piece of paper.

“Spanish. I hate Spanish.”

“I got Chem. f**k me! When do you have PE?”

“After lunch.”

“Me too. At least I know someone in that class.”

“Hey guys!” Abby ran up to them.

Taylor silently walked behind her. Taylor didn’t look happy. In fact, she looked sleepy, tired and sad. Was she still hurt by what Nicky and Abby had done to her? Of course she was! It would take a while for her to get over it.

“You got your schedules already?”

“Yeah,” Josh responded to Abby’s question. “And it doesn’t look pretty.”

“I just hope I don’t get Old Bat Betty again. I hate her.”

“That old hog needs to retire already!” Josh added.

“So mean.” Taylor stepped into the office without saying another word.

“Later!” Abby ran behind her.

And just like that, Josh and Robbie were all alone again.

“Was it me or was there a little tension in the air?”

“It wasn’t just you.” Robbie looked away. He was afraid something like this would happen. The relationship between Taylor and Abby was hanging by a thread. Anyone could pull on it hard and it would snap in two. He highly doubted that things would go back to the way they were the previous year. He knew very well that the group would soon split in two again.

“Don’t worry about it. They’ll get through this mess.”

“I really hope so, Josh.”

“Hey!” Josh turned to his left, waving at someone. “What’s up, homos?”

Robbie’s attention fell on Tim and Nicky.

“What’s up, p***y?” Nicky gave Josh a high five. “You got your schedule already?”

“Yeah!” Josh answered while Tim walked up to Robbie and hugged him tight.

“Missed you.” Tim beamed him a happy and contagious smile. “So much.”

“I missed you too, ‘homo’.”

Tim chuckled. “Josh is such a bad influence on you.”

“Get a room!” Nicky rolled his eyes and focused on Josh again. “Are Abby and Taylor inside? We saw them heading this way.”

“Yeah.” Josh pointed behind him.

“Cool.” Nicky walked up to the door. “I’ll get your class schedule, Tim.”

“Thanks, man.” Tim focused on Robbie again. “How’s your day so far?”

“Good. Yours?”

“Hoping it gets better.” Tim cupped his butt and leaned into his ear. “I’m horny.”

“Jesus!” Josh rolled his eyes. “For real, get a room.”

“Hater.” Tim glared at him, letting go of Robbie’s butt.

“Okay!” Abby swung the office door open. “I got Old Bat Betty again.”

“I’ve got her for two f*****g classes.” Taylor sighed, defeated. “This day couldn’t get any worse. That b***h really needs to go.”

“Haha!” Josh laughed. “Told you so.”

“I didn’t get her!” Nicky jumped into the air. “But you did, Tim.”

Blood drained from Tim’s face. He walked up to Nicky and snatched the paper from his hands. Holding his breath, he studied his class schedule for a few seconds. “No! I’ve got her for two classes. f**k me!”

“Robbie probably has.” Josh smirked.

Robbie elbowed Josh in the stomach, shutting him up.

“Ouch!” Josh whined, holding his stomach.

“You’re hilarious, Josh,” Tim said. “What time do you guys have PE?

“Josh and I got PE after lunch.”

“I have it for first period again.” Abby sighed.

“Me too.” Taylor rolled her eyes. “Great! I love starting my day that way.”

“I have it for second period,” Nicky said.

“Thank God I have it last,” Tim told them.

Josh took a deep breath. “I’ve got Chem right now. So, later?”

“Wait!” Tim yelled at him. “I’ve got Chem too.”

“I’ve got History,” Nicky pointed out. “If anybody cares to know.”

“Well, I’ve got Spanish right now.” Robbie walked up to Tim, feeling empty and cold. He didn’t want to say goodbye to him. He wanted to spend the entire day with him. “See you after?”

“Sure.” Tim wrapped his arms around him and tasted his lips, sending Robbie’s body into a goosebump frenzy. Tim then turned to everyone around him. “Lunch at our table?”

Everyone nodded.

“Okay, guys!” Nicky said. “See you then.”

Everyone scattered. Robbie glanced at Taylor who looked away as she headed down the same hallway with Abby.

Nicky stood next to Robbie and sighed. “She looks sad and it’s all my fault.”

Robbie wanted to say ‘yes,’ but he needed to be supportive of his relationship with Abby. He couldn’t pick a side and would probably pick Taylor over him. But Tim had warned him about picking one over the other so he ignored his emotions and tried his best to make Nicky feel better. “It was bound to happen sooner or later. You couldn’t possibly stay stuck in the past for the rest of time. You both needed to move on.”

“Yeah.” Nicky led him down the crowded hallway. Everyone was looking for their classes or talking with each other in tiny groups. A few guys acknowledged Nicky and he politely gave them a nod. “I know, but I didn’t want to hurt her twice.”

“True, but you can’t control your feelings. We’re not robots. We can’t choose who we fall in love with.”

“Life would be so boring and lame if we could.”

“Amen to that!” Robbie said. “The reason that we can’t is what keeps life interesting and fun.”

“I just hope she moves on already and finds the perfect guy for her. Taylor deserves to be happy.”

Robbie thought of Taylor and Dustin. Hadn’t Taylor told them about her relationship with Dustin? Why was she keeping it a secret? Why didn’t she tell them when Nicky and Abby broke the news to her? Did she want to surprise them? What was her master plan? “What did you guys talk about Friday?”

“Well, we sat her down and told her that we were an item. She was surprised, but didn’t say much after it. I honestly thought she’d go crazy and murder us on the spot, but she didn’t. In fact, she looked calm and peaceful.”

Robbie nodded, wondering what in the world was going on. Why hadn’t Taylor mentioned to them her relationship with Dustin? Why did she keep quiet? She wasn’t ashamed of him. Right? No. Robbie had caught them, holding hands and loving life. “I see.”

“What the hell is going on, Robbie? Tim gave me the same answer after I told him what happened Friday. What do you guys know? What’s wrong with Taylor? Is she sick or something?”

“No. I just don’t know what to say.”

“Right and I’m a five year old who sucks his finger.”

Robbie chuckled as he came to an abrupt stop at the door to his first class. He couldn’t tell him. Taylor needed to tell him. “See you at lunch, Big Brother?”

“We need to finish this conversation later. You and Tim are hiding something from me and I want to know what.”

“No we’re not,” Robbie lied again. “Why should we?”

“Exactly!” Nicky headed down the hallway. “Later!”

“Later!” Robbie opened the door and stepped inside, bumping into someone. “Ouch!” When he looked up he saw he’d bumped into a guy with platinum hair and piercing silver eyes. “That hurt.”

“Sorry!” Dustin held Robbie’s arm, helping him to regain his balance.

“It’s okay. My mind was elsewhere.”

It was only then Dustin let him go. “You’ve got Spanish too?”

“Yeah.” Robbie walked in, heading straight for the first chair on the first row. A few students were already there, but almost everyone was sitting at the back.

“Cool.” Dustin walked to his seat next to Robbie and sat down. “Have you seen my girl?”

Robbie faked a smile. In reality, he wasn’t too happy with the fact that Taylor was dating Dustin and that he had to share a class with him. “Yeah, she has PE.”

“I know. She texted me her class schedule already. I’ll pick her up after PE and walk her to her next class. Where’s my man, Tim?”

“He has Chem with Josh. I probably won’t see him until lunch again.”

“Nice. I hope we can be friends. You seem like a cool guy and Taylor really likes you.”

Robbie nodded. He didn’t want to be friends with Dustin. There was something about Dustin that he didn’t like, but for Taylor, he was willing to try. Besides, Tim, Josh and Nicky really liked him so he had to get to know him or at least try. “Me too.”

“Cool.” Dustin smirked as he examined Robbie from head to toe, seeming to trace every inch of him with his gaze. “I can tell we’re going to be good friends.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So we’ve only got Algebra together?” Robbie asked Tim as they filled their plates with all the food that they could find.

“Yeah.” Tim picked up an apple. “This year is just going to suck.”

“At least we’ve got one class together. I only have one with Abby and two with Taylor.”

“Any with Nicky?”

“Not yet.” They made their way to the back of the cafeteria where their table was. “We still have the last classes of the day. I hope I get one with Nicky or with anyone else as a matter of fact. If not, this year is really going to suck Dustin’s balls.”

“I’ve got Literature with him.”

“I’ve got Spanish with him.” Robbie glanced at their table. Nicky and Abby were sitting next to each other, enjoying life. Josh sat next to them texting his fingers away and ignoring everyone else around him.

“What’s up?” Tim announced as they sat down next to each other.

“Hey, man!” Nicky gave him a slight nod.

“Sup?” Josh mumbled, eyes glued on his phone.

“How’s school so far?” Robbie asked them.

“f*****g hate it!” Nicky answered.

“Yeah.” Abby rolled her eyes. “It’s like they scrambled the crap out of us really good. So far I only have one class with Robbie and one with Taylor. I sat alone for all of the rest with people I haven’t spoken to in years.”

“Yup.” Josh placed his phone inside his front pocket. “I only got one with Tim and two with Nicky. I haven’t seen Taylor since this morning. Last year we had like three classes together.”

“There are just too many students this year,” Abby rambled on. “They should ex—” Abby went still. Her eyes and mouth wide. Who had she seen? A ghost? Bigfoot?

Robbie took a quick look behind him and his feet felt suddenly like ice. Taylor was happily heading their way with Dustin next to her. Robbie elbowed Tim who flinched and rubbed his stomach. “Why did you hit me?”

Robbie pointed behind him.

Tim took a quick look and his mouth dropped open. “Fuck.”

It was then that Nicky noticed Taylor and Dustin. “No f*****g way.”

“Hi guys!” Taylor waved at them and sat down next to Robbie.

“Sup guys?” Dustin sat next to Taylor.

“What’s up?” Josh replied, casually. “Can anyone pass me the ketchup?”

Six pair of eyes silently studied him.

“Never mind.” Josh picked up a fry. “I’ll eat it without.”

“Dustin!” Abby broke the silence that had fallen among them. “With Taylor.” She grinned, almost flinching. “How are you, Dustin? How was your summer?”

“Pretty cool. We spent almost the whole summer, cruising around and going from party to party.”

“We?” Nicky asked, almost glaring at the two.

“Yes.” Taylor wrapped her arms around Dustin’s hard biceps. “We started hanging out at the beginning of summer when we bumped into each other at a party in California.”

“Yeah.” Dustin rubbed his nose against Taylor’s, Eskimo style. “We started dating about a week ago though. We were like, what the hell? Let’s give it a try.”

“Nice.” Josh glanced at the bottle of ketchup. “Will anyone pass me the damn ketchup?”

Robbie reached for the bottle on his left and handed it to him.

“Thank you!” Josh popped it open and poured some on his plate.

“So you guys have been dating all summer,” Nicky said, “and didn’t tell us.”

“Well, Tim, Robbie and Josh knew,” Dustin pointed out, smiling.

Nicky’s piercing hazel gaze fell on Robbie and Tim. Tim continued with his food while Robbie looked away, focusing on Tim’s red apple. He snatched it from his plate and took a bite out of the fresh fruit. Nicky was going to murder them. But why would he be mad at them? They’d kept his secret. They didn’t tell Taylor on him and Taylor had every right to be happy with anyone.

“Hey!” Tim complained while Robbie munched on his apple. “That was mine.”

“I needed it,” Robbie growled at him. “So back off.”

“Okay!” Tim lifted his arms in an act of surrender. “You can have it.”

“So we’re the last to know?” Abby glanced at Taylor.

“I guess so.” Taylor shrugged. “I did text you, but you never got back to me and I had no idea why.”

Abby looked away for a second. She smiled weakly and poked her food with her fork. Nicky picked up his protein bar and took a huge bite out of it, taking a quick look at Dustin. He glared at him and looked away, doing his best to ignore him. If looks could kill, Dustin would be dead and gone.

Taylor and Dustin were completely unfazed by Nicky’s silent death threats since they were laughing and eating their way through lunch. The table wasn’t quiet for long since Josh and Tim started a conversation while Abby tried to get Nicky’s attention off Taylor and Dustin.

“By the way, you’re all invited to my yearly Back to School Party this Saturday.” Dustin told them.

Josh and Tim high-fived each other.

“We’re so there, dude!” Josh said to him.

“Yeah!” Tim beamed. “I wouldn’t miss this one for the world.”

“That’s good. This year I want it to be epic. I want it to go down as the coolest party ever. I want everyone to remember it for the rest of their lives.”

“Sounds like fun!” Abby clapped her hands.

Nicky glared at her. Abby looked away, doing her best not to make eye contact with anyone else in the table. “We’ll see if we can make it. We do have plans for this Saturday.”

“What plans?” Josh looked at them, incredulous. “This is the party of the year.”

“Yeah!” Tim nodded. “Everyone’s going to be there. It’s our last Back to School Party! Cancel everything and let’s set the roof on fire.”

“I’m so getting wasted!” Josh told Tim.

“Well, I’m going all out.”

Nicky huffed, rolling his eyes at them. “I guess we can reschedule our plans for another day.”

“That sounds more like it, man.” Josh patted his back.

“Yeah, man. We’re going to have so much fun,” Tim added.

“Great,” Dustin said to Nicky. “It’s not a party if you’re not there.”

Lunch continued with Dustin, Josh and Tim talking nonstop about the party. They were pretty pumped up, but Nicky didn’t look happy at all. In fact, he looked annoyed and pissed. But why? Was Nicky jealous of Dustin? Was he still in love with Taylor? He must be if he had reacted so angrily with him. Or, maybe Nicky didn’t like Dustin for Taylor. Robbie didn’t like Dustin either, but he still supported Taylor’s decision to date him. So why couldn’t Nicky do the same? If he really wanted to see Taylor happy, Nicky should support her no matter what. Taylor had every right to be happy with Dustin or with anyone else as a matter of fact. If Nicky and Abby could date, so should Taylor and Dustin. Dustin didn’t seem like the perfect fit for her, but she looked genuinely happy and as long as she was happy, screw everyone’s opinion.

“So?” Taylor gently elbowed Robbie. “What do you think?”

Robbie felt a little lost. Think of what? What was she talking about? “Of?”

“Dustin. Sitting with us.”

“Oh! It’s cool with me.”

“Thank you.” Taylor glanced at Nicky and Abby. “They didn’t look too pleased.”

“So?” Why should Taylor seek their approval? They surely hadn’t sought hers. “It’s your life and happiness. Go for it. Screw them.”

“Thank you, Robbie. I knew you would back me up.”

“I can’t pick a side. But if I could, I’d pick yours.”

“Good to know. I cheered you and Tim on since day one.”

“He’s definitely cheering you on too. You know how much he loves parties and now that you’re with Dustin, he’ll be invited to all of them.”

Taylor laughed. “So true!”

“Stop talking about me.” Tim wrapped an arm around Robbie.

“We’re not,” Taylor argued.

“I heard my name.”

“You ready to go?” Josh asked Robbie.

“Go? Where?”

“We’ve got PE, remember?”

“Oh yes! I hate PE.”

“You guys got PE?” Dustin glanced between them.

“Yeah,” Josh answered him.

“Cool. Me too.”

“Nice, man!” Josh jumped to his feet. “Want to head out right now?”

“Sure.” Dustin stood. “What about you, Robbie?”

“I’ve got to pick up my gym bag from my locker.” Robbie pointed behind him. “Meet you guys there?”

“Sure, man.” Dustin kissed Taylor’s soft lips “Don’t miss me too much. I know I will miss you.”

Taylor grinned from ear to ear while her cheeks burned bright red. “I won’t. See you after PE.”

“You bet!” Dustin grinned. He and Josh quickly walked out of the room, leaving them behind.

“Want me to walk you to your locker?” Tim asked Robbie.

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got to go too.” Taylor stood.

Tim and Robbie jumped to their feet and waved Nicky and Abby goodbye. Abby answered them with a polite smile, but Nicky completely ignored them. As they walked to the nearest exit, Tim focused on Taylor. “You shocked us today by bringing Dustin over to our table.”

“They were going to find out sooner or later. You of all people should know how fast rumors spread in this school.”

“True.” Tim pushed the cafeteria door open. “After the party, if Dustin breaks your heart, I’ll break his neck.”

Taylor laughed heartily. “What about before?”

“I really want to attend that party.”

“Jerk!” Taylor pushed him slightly. “See you guys later.”

“Later!” they said in unison.

She smiled and headed down another hallway, disappearing into the crowd. Taylor looked happier now, like she’d had her revenge or something. Had this been her master plan? To surprise Nicky and Abby with the news that she was now dating Dustin? Robbie shook his head and silly thoughts away.

“Did you see Nicky’s face when he saw Taylor with Dustin?” Tim asked Robbie.

“Yeah. He hates him.”

“Do you think he’s jealous?”

“Good question.” Robbie came to an abrupt stop in front of his locker. As he swung the tiny door open, Tim stood next to him. “Maybe he is, maybe he’s not. I would be slightly jealous too if I was in his shoes.”

“Would you?”

“Yes.” Robbie switched his schoolbag with his gym bag. “Wouldn’t you be?”

“A little.” Tim embraced him.

Pleasant tingles spread to every part of his body. His breathing intensified while his knees went weak. He loved Tim and Tim loved him. He felt it deep in his bones with every muffled breath that his body took.

Tim gently pressed his forehead to Robbie’s and exhaled deeply. “I love you, Robbie.”

“And I love you too. See you after classes?”

“Yes. Your last class is English, right?” Tim asked.

“Yeah.”

“See you then.” Tim tasted his lips again, then spun around and headed down the main hallway, waving goodbye to a fellow team member.

Robbie exhaled and shouldered his gym bag, heading down the opposite direction. As he walked, a few students saluted him with a warm smile or a simple nod. He replied by smiling or waving back at them. Once he found the locker room, he pushed the main door open and stepped inside. As he looked around, he saw no sign of Dustin or Josh. He began to look for them from aisle to aisle until he finally found them on the last one. Josh stood shirtless in front of Dustin who was down to his blue jeans.

“Hey, man!” Josh’s powerful stare fell on him. “You finally found us.”

“I almost didn’t.” Robbie opened an empty locker and threw his gym bag inside, taking off his shirt. “Why did you guys come all the way back here anyway?”

“It’s the best spot.” Josh sat on the bench, taking off his shoes. He took off his pants and showed off his black boxer briefs. “And there’s more privacy.”

“Yeah.” Dustin took off his pants.

Robbie looked away. Dustin wasn’t wearing any underwear. He had been free balling all day long. Robbie scratched his head and did his best not to look his way.

“Jesus!” Josh glanced at Dustin’s crotch. “Platinum pubes? Really?”

“Taylor digs it.” Dustin winked, showing off his package.

“Too much information.” Josh reached for his gym shorts and blue jockstrap.

Dustin laughed, picking up his gym shorts and putting them on. “So? Do you really like her or you just want to bone her?”

“Bone her.” Josh took off his underwear. “I’ll take her to your party on Saturday. I’m so getting laid, dude.”

Robbie had to look away for a second time, doing his best to control his fast breathing and rapid heartbeat. Now Josh stood in front of him fully naked. “Sweet God! I’ve seen too many d***s today.”

Josh laughed, slipping into his jockstrap. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just give me a warning next time.” Robbie removed his shoes and pants. He dug through his bag and found his gym clothes at the bottom.

“You trimmed your pubes?” Dustin focused on Josh’s pubic area.

“Yeah.” He slipped into his gym shorts. “I’m too lazy to shave.”

“I usually shave.” Dustin put on his shirt. “Just wanted to try something new.”

“With platinum dyed pubes?” Josh pulled his shirt over his head.

“Yeah.” Dustin’s eyes fell on Robbie who was only wearing his underwear and socks. “You know how much I love experimenting, trying new things and tasting everything I see.”

Robbie’s blood froze. He put on his shirt and gym shorts, not stopping once to catch his breath. He didn’t like the way Dustin had looked at him. In fact, he didn’t like Dustin at all.

“I’m done!” Dustin announced, tying his last shoelace. “See you guys outside?”

“Yeah, man.” Josh gave him a polite nod.

“Later.” He winked at Robbie before disappearing from sight.

Robbie felt safer now. “Can I tell you something, Josh?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“There’s something I don’t like about Dustin.”

Josh chuckled. “Me too, to be honest. Dustin can be a little s****l sometimes. To him, everything revolves around s*x. When I first saw him with Taylor, I thought they were just fooling around, but from what I can see, he’s pretty serious with her. He even told me that he wants to change his old ways.”

“Really?” Robbie put on his shoes. “I had no idea.”

“He’s bisexual too.”

Robbie shivered.

Josh laughed, pointing at him. “You should have seen your face! It was white as paper.”

“You jackass!” Robbie glared at him. “I really don’t like the guy.”

Josh wiped the tears from his eyes and gave him a slight nod. “Don’t worry. He’s not a s****l predator as far as I know. If you want, I’ll do my best not to leave you alone with him. How does that sound?”

“Thanks. That would make me feel better.”

“Cool!” Josh stood. “Let’s go then. We don’t want to be late.”

Robbie jumped to his feet and followed Josh to the nearest exit. As much as he didn’t like Dustin, he had to get use to the idea that he was now dating Taylor. He couldn’t do anything about it and even if he could, he wouldn’t do anything to disrupt her happiness. Maybe Josh was right and Dustin was doing his best to change his old ways. Or maybe, Dustin was simply biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.