Chapter Sixteen

"How dare she say that to you," said Rosa angrily, a muscle jumping in her jaw. "She can't tell you what to do, or who you can date for that matter."

"I've never liked that bitch, I swear she is so up herself," Cody muttered as we all got into his car.

"It was definitely really strange," I admitted, plugging in my seatbelt from the back seat and chucking my bag onto the empty seat beside me. "Especially when she said we'll be watching you." I shivered involuntarily. So creepy!

"Frickin Elijah Stalker Fanclub," spat Rosa.

"I'm still confused, did she say that you aren't allowed to date him or that you needed to back off?" asked Cody as he pulled out of his parking space in the section just for students.

Rosa had a car too. Hers was less flashy than Cody's convertible as her parents were more about car safety than how it looked. They both tended to take driving us to and from school in turns. I had a license too, but my dad was nervous about me driving and without him funding me, I couldn't afford a car on my own. I had been working on him so I had my fingers crossed that he would eventually show me a little mercy.

I pushed my head back against the headrest, folding my hands in my lap. "She said that if I tried anything there would be consequences." Which was the thing that concerned me the most. How did she even know I was thinking about it? Or was this just a threat she gave all people that got too near to Elijah? That idea was even weirder.

"What so he's just not allowed to date someone unless it's her?" asked Cody uncertainly. "Or whoever this we are."

"I think she was trying to get me not to join the student council because Elijah asked me to," I said, thinking back to my discussion with Elijah at the locker. He wanted me to join, which had clearly ruffled Danicka's feathers.

Rosa looked over her shoulder at me, her eyebrow cocked and loaded. "Elijah Walker asked you to join the council? Is that why you wanted us to join?"

"Yes," I admitted sheepishly. "But also because I really do think we need to do something about these rules. It's not fair that Cody gets singled out for liking to dress the way he wants to dress."

"Jeez Mae, I can't believe you got him to ask you to join the council," laughed Cody. "I think you've gotten further in a couple of days than any girl has gotten in his entire time at this school."

I glanced out at the kids walking down the road away from the school, smiling when I caught the eye of someone I knew. They were probably heading into town. We had so many café's and restaurants within walking distance of the school, we were really lucky to have such a lively town to hang out in as teenagers. Most kids on television shows our age hung out in the one restaurant in their town or had to get the bus at weekends to get anywhere interesting. Whereas we had pool halls, arcades, bowling places, a cinema and endless escape rooms. Let alone the fact that pretty much everyone of age owned a car. Except me that is. It was a wonder that anyone wanted to head out of the area for university when there was so much going on here.

"Do you think?" I asked Cody uncertainly. "I think maybe he just really needs to fill those places."

"Don't let that Danicka girl get in the way now, you're seriously making headway," said Rosa sternly. "At this rate Alex will be eating your dust and sadly watching you trade the heck up."

I looked down at my folded hands. "She's the council secretary though. Won't it be a bit awkward if I join the council now."

"Not if I join with you," said Rosa, throwing me a grin. "She'll have to get through me to get to you, and I have a mean right hook. Just ask Dex."

I smiled my eyes widening excitedly. "Are you seriously going to join with me?"

"Abso-frickin-lutely," said Rosa. "And so is Cody."

I cocked my head at Cody, who caught my eye in the rearview mirror. "Erm no," he said emphatically. "I'm still joining the play, but you girls have fun now."

I reached across into my bag for the flyer Elijah had given me. "We need to meet with the council at lunch tomorrow," I said thoughtfully. "Guess there's no swim meet tomorrow."

"Damn," said Cody. "There goes the only thing I look forward to in my miserable school day."

I smiled a little, still looking down at the flyer. "Elijah is really nice to look at–"

"Yeah he is," interrupted Rosa with a smirk.

I laughed and puffed out my cheeks at her. "He is nice to look at, but he is more than just pretty. He's really sweet and kind too." Especially if that poem was penned by his hand.

Rosa twisted in her seat; her eyebrows raised. "Wow Mae-be, you fell hard quick."

I shook my head at her. "I barely know him. I just mean, from what I've seen so far, he's just very lovely."

"To be fair," said Cody. "You could say that about most people if you were comparing them to Alex. He has the looks but fails immensely in the personality department."

Sighing, I looked back out at the passing traffic. Why did all conversations have to come back around to me ex-boyfriend? Did all roads have to lead to Alex Johnson?

**Author's Note**

Poor Mae, it's like she can never escape her ex-boyfriend, even with her friends. Please vote if you liked the chapter and absolutely comment below your thoughts <3