As I waited in front of Payton's house to pick her up for our morning carpool, I sipped my morning latte.
"So Wes asked you to Prom?" Mia asked.
"Yes," I replied. "It wasn't what he planned at first, but it was still sweet." I smiled to myself.
"Hmm, what's up with Payton?" I mused. "Normally, she's not this late…"
"I'll try calling her again," Mia replied.
"No, wait—the door just opened," I announced.
But Payton wasn't alone. With her… was Autumn.
Payton walked up to the car. I rolled my window down.
"Hey Payton, what's up?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Autumn slept over at my house last night," Payton began. I noticed that Autumn's eyes were red and that there were bags under her eyes, like she hadn't slept at all. Eww, I thought.
"It turns out, she's been going through a lot and you guys have been meanies to her," Payton frowned. Usually, we would totally rag into people that used that type of infantile language, but Payton was an exception.
"Oh dear," I tilted my head, seemingly apologetic. "We were just trying to make conversation with her. I didn't know that she would overreact like that." I widened my eyes in innocence. Of course, Payton would buy it. As much as I loved the girl, she was much too naïve and trusting for her own good.
"Okay!" Payton chirped. "But Autumn's feeling under the weather, so I said she could ride with us today! Come on, Autumn!"
Dammit, I thought. Someone shoot me now.
Mia took one look at my face and handed me the rest of her frappe.
"Here," she announced. "I know you normally don't consume carbs, but I think this qualifies as an emergency. There's even caramel on the whipped cream."
"Thanks," I sighed. Even the sudden sugar rush couldn't halt my feelings of annoyance. Why did Autumn try so hard to get in with us? It's not like we even had anything in common. We were into Louboutins, and she was into ratty sneakers. And every single time she hung out with us, it would turn into a whine-fest. No one except for Payton, who was nice to literally everyone, even wanted her around.
Payton opened the back door of my car.
"Here Autumn, you can go first," she decreed to Autumn and beamed.
A white ballet flat stepped into the interior of my Mercedes and set a thick layer of mud into the plush carpeting.
"Autumn," I muttered in a seemingly polite tone that was actually condescending underneath. "I just got my car cleaned."
"Oh!" Autumn tried to lift her large foot, but made it even worse by raking a trail of crusty mud on the plush seats.
Fuck.
"Don't worry!" Payton trilled. "I'll go get some paper towels and we can get this whole mess cleaned up in no time." And with that, she left for her house. Fuck, we were gonna be late. No thanks to Autumn, I thought angrily.
"Hey guys," Autumn croaked.
Mia and I ignored her.
"Hey, did you see the new limited-edition Kate Collins purse in Vogue?" Mia asked me.
"I did. It was totes gorgeous," I replied, taking a sip of my frappe.
"Um, guys?" Autumn asked.
"Mia, did you hear something?" I inquired.
"Hmm," Mia craned her head. "I think I hear a psychopathic loser attempting to speak." I snickered.
Autumn tapped me on the shoulder.
"HELLO? ANSWER ME!" Autumn yelled.
Just then, Payton returned to the car.
"Autumn? Why are you yelling?" she questioned.
She pointed at us. "Mia called me a psychobabble loser!" Her brown eyes started to fill with tears.
Goddamn, like if this was a drinking game and I had to take a shot every time Autumn cried or whined, I'd be dead from alcohol poisoning by now.
"Autumn, please don't cry!" Payton exclaimed.
"I don't know what's up with Autumn," Mia remarked. "We were just talking about Kate Collins when she started yelling at us." She contorted her features to produce a look of utter bafflement.
"Ooh, I love Kate Collins!" Payton gushed. "Her purses are totally to die for!"
"Payton. The tissues," I demanded, stretching my arm out to get them.
"Oh, here!" Payton handed them to me.
While Payton was preoccupied with her phone (most likely from texting Ezra), I threw the paper towel roll Payton gave me at Autumn's head.
"Oww!" Autumn squealed.
"Chill, it's a freaking paper towel roll," I hissed. "Not a chainsaw. And clean up the mess you made in my car."
Autumn bowed her head down and got to work scrubbing the mess that she had made in my car.
Me: I s2g, if I'm late bc of this Autumn will be sorry.
Mia: Why does Payton have to love her so much?
Me: I have no clue. Did you hear that JULIAN asked her to prom?
Mia: WTF? And how did you know that? It's not even first period yet!
Me: Oh, I always stay on top of things. It's my job after all.
Mia: You know it!
Payton got in and Mia and I put our phones away. I started to leave Payton's neighborhood when—
"AAH! My head!" Autumn yelped. She was still cleaning the mud off my carpeting and she hadn't even taken a seat yet.
"Sorry," I crooned. "You really need to watch where you're going."
"Yeah," Mia agreed. "You could seriously hurt yourself if you keep doing what you're doing."
The double meaning of our words was not lost on Autumn when her brown eyes widened in realization. She scrunched up in the seat that she was sitting in and didn't say a word for the rest of the car ride.
Payton and Mia kept up a constant chatter on prom, this weekend's house party, and the latest fashions in Vogue while I deliberated my next move. Thinking for a while, I realized that Autumn was rather hesitant about talking about her old school.
I guess it's time to pay a visit to Twin Branches High, I thought.