Here we are!” Joss called out from the back booth at Primo’s.
She was sitting in a booth with Carlos, Eva, Ferg, and Durand. She waved Rainie over. “Slide over!” she whispered to Eva. Eva slid toward the wall, leaving space for Rainie beside Durand.
“Dang! I hoped you’d be wearing that cute little apron!” Durand said, moving over to give her more room.
Rainie rolled her eyes. “As if I’d ever wear that thing in public!” She laughed. “How long have you guys been here?”
“Just got here. We waited for you before ordering. What do you like on your pizza?” Joss asked.
“Anything you want is fine with me,” Rainie said.
The waitress came to the table and took their order.
“So did you guys work on science today?” Joss asked the guys.
“We meant to,” Ferg said.
“Yeah, but it quit raining, and one thing led to another, and before we knew it…” Durand said.
“They shot hoops all day,” Eva said, rolling her eyes. “Blew off the whole day.”
“Hey, I told you it wasn’t our fault,” Carlos said. “We were walking toward the library, and my uncle drove by. He was on his way to the Trinidad Rec Center and told us he needed players. So it’s his fault!”
Carlos’s uncle was a police officer who coached basketball at the rec center.
“So who played?” Joss asked.
“Some guys were there from Coolidge, and then some others from Cap Cent showed up—JaQuel Rivas, Jair Nobles, Luther Ransome, Chance Ruffin, that freshman Tyrell Wilkins—just a lot of guys,” Durand said.
“I can never figure Jair out,” Eva said.
“I know, right?” Carlos said. “One day, he’ll be trying to prove he’s a stud by trying to punch anyone around, and the next day he’s okay. Today was one of the good days.”
“Good thing too!” Ferg said. “I don’t have enough eyes to watch Jair as well as Luther and Chance. They’re the ones I don’t trust. At least Jair’s not sneaky. But Luther and Chance? They’re dirty.”
“I hear that!” Rainie said. “They came into FreeZees the other day, poured themselves huge cups of yogurt, and never paid. Chance even dumped his on the floor, and I had to clean up after him.”
“What a pig,” Joss said.
“They cheat, and lie, and do anything they can to get ahead,” Carlos said. “Seriously, if one of their grandmothers were in the way of what they wanted, they’d run her right over. There’d be tire marks down her housedress!”
The girls laughed at the image.
“Luther’s the smart one, and he gets Chance to do his dirty work,” Durand added. “I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve heard that Chance has stolen tests for Luther so he can keep his grades high enough to stay eligible for sports.”
“I never understood why they haven’t gotten caught,” Eva said in disgust. “Everyone knows they’re cheaters.”
“Wish they’d get caught,” Ferg said. “Just not during football or basketball season,” he added with a laugh.
“Wait, back to your plans for the day,” Rainie said. “I’m a little confused. So you guys were on your way to the library but got waylaid, right? Did you have all your science stuff with you when you played ball?”
No one answered.
“You are such liars!” Joss yelled. “You were never going to the library.”
“And here I was so impressed,” Rainie said when she quit laughing.
Right then, the waitress showed up and put two large pizzas on the table.
“Saved from any more confessions,” Durand said. “Man, I’m starving!”
He helped himself to two pieces. “What kind do you want?” he asked Rainie.
“Just give me one of those,” she said, pointing to the pepperoni pizza and sliding her plate over.
Durand put the slice on her plate. Soon it was quiet, as they all tore into their food.
Joss watched Rainie pinch off a piece of cheese. She played with it without eating it.
“Aren’t you going to eat that?” Durand asked as he reached for another piece.
“It’s still a little hot,” Rainie said. She looked as if she took a bite but wiped a napkin across her lips. Joss could swear she spit the pizza into the napkin. Rainie did this with the rest of the slice until only the crust was left.
“Mmm, I’m stuffed,” Carlos said when the last piece was gone.
“Me too! I love Primo’s pizza,” Ferg added.
“How about you?” Joss asked Rainie. “Are you full?”
“Mmm. I’m stuffed. That was great!” Rainie answered.
Joss shook her head at the lie.
“So what’ll we do now?” Rainie asked.
“Let’s sit on the hill and watch the sun go down,” Eva said. Cap Central sat on a slight hill. Students liked to sit behind the school building and look out over Washington, D.C., as the sun set.
“Shotgun!” Ferg yelled, racing toward Eva’s car. He got in the front seat, and Carlos and Joss got in the back.
“Good thing you drove, Butler!” Carlos said to Durand. “There’s not enough room for you and Rainie in Eva’s piece of junk.”
Durand turned to Rainie. “So you want to ride with me?” he asked, pointing to a red coupe parked behind Eva’s car.
“Sure.”
“Hey, you two,” Eva yelled out the window. “Don’t get lost!”
Rainie waved, and Eva closed one eye in an exaggerated wink. Rainie rolled her eyes and got in Durand’s car.