Eighteen Below Him

Samira's POV

"I'm telling you, babe. College is going to be wild, and you're going to need experience to survive it." Amanda said with absolute confidence.

I scoffed. The logic was hollow and made zero sense.

"It's almost exam season." Novia added, her eyes brightening as if she had just decoded the secrets of the universe. "You have from now until summer break to at least get a boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes hard enough to feel the strain. "Shouldn't we be focused on exams and getting into a decent university?" I asked, taking a thick bite of my burrito.

We were tucked into our usual booth at the downtown diner. The cracked red vinyl of the seats poked at my legs, and the overhead lighting was a permanent, hazy amber that made everything look like an old photograph. The milkshakes were thick, sugary masterpieces that tasted better than they had any right to. Saturday evenings here had become a sacred, predictable routine for us.

Amanda groaned at my practicality while Novia dramatically slumped her weight against the booth.

"Besides..." I said, shifting my weight so I faced them fully, "Why are you two pushing me into a relationship when neither of you is dating anyone? That's hypocrisy."

They exchanged a look. It was a slow, knowing communication that was far too smug for my comfort. I let out a long sigh. That particular expression never signaled anything good for my future.

"What?" I asked.

Novia shoved a salty fry into her mouth and clapped her hands together. "Because, dear best friend, you have never been in a relationship. We have."

"And we don't want you going into college completely clueless," Amanda added. "You wouldn't even know how to respond if a guy showed interest."

I stared at them, flat and unimpressed. "You do realize this is bullying, right?"

"No, it's not." they said together.

"It absolutely is." I shot back. "It's peer pressure."

My voice must have carried across the small space because the ambient chatter of the diner suddenly dipped into silence. I turned away immediately, becoming very invested in the swirling whipped cream of my milkshake.

They giggled and pivoted to school gossip without missing a beat, whispering about social dramas that I had no interest in following. I stared out the large diner window to tune out the noise, and that was when the atmosphere shifted.

Four boys stepped out of a sleek black car, moving with a coordinated ease that made it seem like the world was built to make space for them.

My eyes found him without effort.

Calvin Simms.

He walked with an effortless, predatory confidence, hands tucked into his pockets and his posture perfectly relaxed. Raven hair fell in dark silk over his forehead, and at six foot one, he loomed over the sidewalk. He was annoyingly handsome. Unfairly so.

Too bad I couldn't stand the sight of him.

I was about to look away when he stopped mid-stride and turned his head. His gaze landed directly on me.

I looked away so fast my neck muscles protested the movement.

Shit.

Why was he staring? We never spoke. That had been the unspoken, comfortable agreement for years.

Except for that one project we had been forced to work on together. We earned an A+, but every step of the process had been miserable. Heated arguments replaced actual cooperation, and sharp insults hid behind layers of thinly veiled sarcasm. It was a miracle we survived the semester without a physical altercation.

"The guys are here." Novia whispered loudly.

Amanda quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. "Stop. They can hear you."

Both of them were suddenly red-faced and flustered, their bravado from earlier vanishing.

I laughed quietly. Amanda had a massive, long-standing crush on Chris, and Novia had been obsessed with Denver for as long as I could remember. Unfortunately for my friends, all four boys had a specific reputation. Serious relationships were not their thing.

That was when I felt it again. The prickling sensation of someone watching me.

I followed the feeling and met Calvin's gaze through the glass a second time. His expression was unreadable. It was calm and distant, which was different from the way he usually went out of his way to avoid looking at me altogether.

Why was he acting so strange?

Calvin Simms. Frederick Myers. Chris Jackson. Denver Andrews.

The untouchables of Trenton High.

I scowled, rolled my eyes, and forced myself to turn away.

"I'm ready to go." I said.

Both girls stared at me like I had just uttered something deeply offensive.

"Please close your mouths." I added lightly. "Your crushes might be watching."

"I need the bathroom." Amanda muttered, her confidence replaced by a sudden shyness.

We tossed our trash and headed inside toward the back. The bathroom was cramped, barely holding the three of us in the small, tiled space. Novia checked both stalls for privacy then turned on me.

"What was that about, Sam?" she demanded.

"What was what?" I asked, shrugging as I stepped into a stall.

She was not dropping the subject.

"This is not over." Novia warned, pointing a finger at the door before disappearing into the stall beside mine.

I exhaled slowly. Why was this such a big deal? We exchanged a look through a window. That was all.

Outside, the cool evening air hit us as Amanda unlocked the car. Novia claimed the shotgun seat, so I slid into the familiar shadows of the backseat.

"I saw the way you two looked at each other." Novia said excitedly as we pulled away. "Do you think he's interested in you?"

I grimaced at the thought. "Absolutely not."

"Oh, he likes you." she insisted.

Amanda met my eyes in the rearview mirror, her expression thoughtful. "I don't know. It wasn't flirty. Calvin didn't show any emotion, but this is the first time I've seen him openly stare at you. And Sam, you've always hated him, but you've never really said why."

Amanda had always been the observant one. She noticed the smallest shifts in tone and the details most people ignored.

I leaned back, genuinely amused. "That was a whole lot of nothing, Amanda. I expected better logic from our reasonable friend."

Novia groaned into the headrest. "You're useless."

I smiled to myself as we pulled out of the parking lot and the diner faded into the distance.

A whole lot of nonsense.

Or so I thought.