Chapter Two: That Girl is Fine 3
TJ pounded his steering wheel to the beat of the stereo, waiting impatiently for his passenger to arrive. It was a crisp October day, and he could feel a chill through his green hoodie. Just when TJ was about to blow the horn once more, he saw Spinelli pounding out of the house in her ridiculous shit-stomping boots, laces dragging in the dewy grass.
"Jeez, Spin, you tryin' to make us late?" he asked as she climbed breathlessly into the passenger seat and slammed the door.
"Sorry Teej," she wheezed, shrugging. "Overslept."
Once they were on the road, he looked at her more closely. She was flawless, as usual, total bombshell. But her eyes were heavy and dark shadows rimmed them. Her normally snarky voice was missing a certain zing, and her shoulders were rolled forward slightly. TJ knew girls, and this girl looked rough.
"You ok?" he asked, taking one hand off the wheel to rest it on the crook of her elbow.
She shrugged him off and looked out the window. "M'fine," she said.
As was already said, TJ knew girls, and this was the danger zone. Alarms went off in his brain at the word "fine." But he also knew Spinelli, perhaps better than anyone, so instead of coddling her he was blunt. "What's the problem?" he asked her, and when she ignored him he put his hand on her shoulder, still driving one-handed. "Out with it," he ordered sternly.
She jerked her arm and turned towards him, rolling her eyes. "Eyes on the wheel or I'll deck you," she said flatly. He put his hand immediately on the steering wheel, knowing she meant what she said. "It's really no big deal, Teej, I just didn't get enough sleep last night. I had to finish Erikson's stupid paper on Romeo and Juliet. That story is such bollocks." She fake-gagged for emphasis.
TJ's tense muscles relaxed. No problems at home, and Spin hadn't beat anyone up. That had the potential to get messy, and TJ always seemed to end up throwing a few punches at whoever had hit his best friend. He looked at her sideways and said slyly, "Did you finish the Physics homework?"
Spinelli gaped at him in horror and he burst out laughing. "I knew there wasn't homework, you dick!" she said, punching him in the arm and laughing. He winced but only laughed harder as he pulled his car into the school lot and parked. Spinelli checked her phone and glared mockingly at him.
"Quarter after seven? Dude, we're fifteen minutes early and you were worried about being late..." then she shook her head and climbed out of his car. TJ laughed like he only did with her and followed, watching her hips sway as she walked.
That girl, he thought to himself, is fiiiine...