On the day after Halloween, Carter's lunch table was considerably emptier than usual.

Many people in his broad circle, like Joey Ashley, Bobby Gonzalez and Scott Meyers, hadn't showed up for school. Jenna Torres and Chaz Wheeler sat with them, but they both looked like they had seen better days.

After lunch, Mr Thomas handed out the Calculus tests they had on Monday, already graded. Since transferring to AP class, Carter's grades had seen a small drop, which was concerning, seen as he relied on his math classes to give his GPA a needed boost.

His knee bounced up and down anxiously under the table as the teacher made his way down the room. When he finally reached Carter's row, Mr Thomas shot him a bland look behind his large glasses.

"Well done, Mr Parrish," he delivered tonelessly, placing the test on Carter's table.

A+.

He bit down his smile, trying not to look too excited in a room full of people drowned in top grades at multiple classes. He still couldn't help a grin, when he looked up to see Johnny smiling back at him.

As he walked into the locker room for practice, Carter was convinced his mood was too good to be demolished. Not that Coach Mason didn't seem to try.

Joey and the others had shown up for practice. Surely, they measured their options well enough to realize the risk of angering Coach wasn't worth a few extra hours to sleep off their hangovers. They looked terrible though, as did half the team. 

Coach grilled them for thirty minutes about the irresponsibility of skipping sleep and making unhealthy choices at their age—even more so during football season, when they were expected to be at their best. He made up for those thirty minutes in extra practice time, despite the increased difficulty he chose for that day's training session.

By the time he told them they could go, there wasn't a single player who wasn't red-faced and drenched. Except maybe Seth, but that was just favorable genetics.

As the team scattered off to the locker room, tired and lead-footed, Coach called Seth over to see him. Carter hung back.

"I only need a word with Queens, Parrish."

"It's fine," Seth said, walking up to Coach. Carter followed after a hesitant beat.

Coach nodded, scratching at his jaw. "Some of your teachers came to talk to me," he said, looking at Seth. "Apparently you're not putting in the necessary amount of work in your classes."

Seth crossed his arms over his chest. "I know my grades aren't great so far, but I'm working on it, Coach."

"I can help," Carter chimed in. This wasn't his conversation. He was there only as a spectator. But he couldn't help himself.

"That's not all," Coach said. "I heard you got detention today. As well as last week twice. And your attendance isn't stellar."

Carter looked at Seth. His best friend's eyes were dead set on their coach, though, with a sort of bland resolve.

"I'll work on my attendance, and my attitude, and my grades," Seth promised.

"You better," Coach told him. "I've been trying to defend you, but if you don't show some sign of improvement I'll have to bench you some day."

Seth nodded. "Yes, sir."

They didn't mention any of it as they made their way to the locker room. Carter waited with his head cast down, while Seth undressed to go to the crowded showers. There was no need to act like he was searching for something in his bag as there was no one around. When most of his teammates had returned to their lockers wrapped in towels, Carter moved to the vacating shower area and it was Seth's turn to wait for him as he got dressed in the end, despite both being late to different commitments. 

They walked to the detention room together, in silence. When they got there, Carter was surprised to see people gathering at the door. Not just any people either.

"Of course you're here too," Bella spat with an eye roll.

"'Sup, C-dog," Frankie greeted, lifting a fist for Carter to bump.

Seth followed with an easy familiarity Carter had not yet gotten used to see. It occurred to him then that this particular context might have been how his stepbrother and best friend got so acquainted with each other. Both Frankie and Seth seemed to spend a great chunk of their time in detention.

Carter assessed the two people standing behind his step-siblings in a sort of semi-circle disposition.

The black-haired girl with the black combat boots shot him a lopsided grin from Frankie's side. "It's Reggie," she introduced herself. Though Carter had already deduced that a while back.

Carter's gaze fixed on the boy he knew only from sight, from Mr Thomas's class. He had brown roots sprouting from beneath his seaweed green hair. And freckles. Carter had never noticed the freckles on the bridge of his nose, whenever he saw him sitting behind Johnny in class.

"That's Forrest," Frankie volunteered, slapping a hand on the kid's shoulder. "He's the coolest. His family breeds goats."

Carter's eyebrows drew in. "Goats?" He repeated.

"Minnesota," Bella explained, with a sort of musing sigh to her tone. "That place is a national treasure."

Carter's eyebrows shot up as he heard Seth let out an actual audible laugh.

"Right," he said slowly. "I have somewhere to be..."

Bella rolled her eyes. "We wouldn't dream to keep you from your busy social life. Mr Snot-face will probably be returning from the gents' room any time now too, so you should leave before he mistakes you for one of us, no-good troublemakers. It would be a shame to taint that golden reputation of yours."

Carter didn't answer. She was taunting him and he wouldn't give into it.

He walked into the library with the casual ease of someone who had spent his after-school hours there, nearly every day for the past few weeks. When Mrs Lewis saw him, she lifted her eyes from a thick, yellow-paged, hardcover book with a smile.

"We're almost closing, dear," she said.

Carter returned the smile as he made his way to the back, nonetheless. Johnny shot him a sly smile, watching him sit in front of him.

"Sorry."

"Practices. I know."

Carter smiled apologetically regardless. "Do you know that weird green-haired kid who sits behind you in Calc?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Did you know his family breeds goats?"

Johnny looked at him with a kind of expression Carter couldn't quiet read. "You mean Forrest?" He spoke evenly. "Yeah, he's got relatives in Minnesota."

Carter furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "Is this a thing in Minnesota? How does everybody know this and why isn't it a bigger deal?"

For some reason, Johnny seemed genuinely annoyed by that. "Why should it be a bigger deal?"

Carter shrugged. "It's just weird, isn't it?"

"If you say so."

Carter's eyebrows shot up at the harshness in Johnny's tone. "Are you angry?"

Johnny showed him a hard stare. "Forrest and his family can do whatever they like," he delivered, gratingly. "Why is it anyone's business?"

"That's not what I mean," Carter said. He frowned. "Why are you—Is this because I was late again? I was just talking to Seth."

Johnny rolled his eyes derisively. "Right."

"He's having problems with school," Carter said defensively. 

"What else is new," Johnny mused dryly.

Carter's lips parted. He honestly didn't understand how their interaction had taken such a sour turn.

"Why are you being like that?" He asked, and he had not intended it to sound so defeated.

Johnny took in a sharp breath. "Because it's true," he said simply. "I know he's your friend, but he's a dick. He's always been." Johnny gave him a plain, stoic look that bothered Carter more than he could explain. "His grades have always been shit, his attendance has always been pitiful, but it's all fine because he's a football star. In the end it'll all work out, because the school and my dad have got it covered."

Carter pursed his lips, fighting that aggravated tickle down his spine. "You don't know him," he stated.

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't," Carter countered. "He has a lot of shit going on in his life."

"As does everybody else," Johnny shot back, dismissively. "The only difference is that the rest of us doesn't get to use that as an excuse to be shitty people."

"He's not a shitty person," Carter said, affronted.

"Yes, he is," Johnny scorned. "And he gets away with it because he's the guy who's got the QB's back. Just like everyone else on that stupid team gets away with being a jackass. Because all your friends are jackasses."

Carter pulled back. "My friends are not jackasses."

"Yes, they are, Carter. You're the only one who keeps denying it," Johnny insisted. "Even they know it. The only exception is probably, maybe, Melanie Jones. But even she's no better, because behind all the pretty smiles and polite words, she's just as indifferent to it all as you, without being as hopelessly blind."

That struck Carter like a punch to the gut. He tried swallowing down what felt like a golf ball stuck in his throat, only to find it wouldn't budge. He bit down on his bottom lip, shaking his head. He might've looked like a child who couldn't understand why he was being scolded.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked feebly.

Johnny's harsh expression faded into something softer. "Maybe I'm just tired," he said.

"So I have to take it?"

"Nothing's keeping you here," Johnny spat.

Carter gulped. "Fine."

Johnny didn't say anything as Carter got up and left. He couldn't quite manage to return Mrs Lewis's kind smile on the way out. 

As he made his way back to the detention room, Carter felt oddly sick. Like he had eaten something out of its expiration date. 

The detention supervising teacher was inside the room, sitting on his desk. Carter watched him reach for a crumpled tissue to wipe his seemingly constantly congested nose. Mr Snot-face. An unkind nickname, but not entirely inadequate, Carter thought reluctantly. 

He dropped his bags on the floor and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and eyes cast down to his shoes, while he waited.

The first people to leave were a couple of students he didn't recognize. The girl waved at him with a smile as they walked past, though. He tried returning the smile, but wasn't entirely sure he had succeeded.

When Seth finally stepped out, Carter grabbed his bags determinedly, faltering a bit as he noticed who came at his side.

The easy conversation between Seth and Bella died out, as they both saw him and their smiles faded. Wasn't everyone just so pleased to see him that day.

Frankie, Reggie and Forrest stepped out behind them, but only Frankie greeted him with a grin. Frankie kind of greeted everyone like that, though. Santoro friendliness. Which had obviously skipped Bella as well.

Carter cleared his throat as they all stood at the door frame, clogging the way. He looked at Seth. "Can you drive me home today?" He asked.

For a split second, surprise seemed to cross his friend's features, just before he tucked everything back into the usual neutral mask.

"Sure." Seth glanced at Bella. "Want a ride too? Since I'm driving him."

Bella's lips parted hesitantly, shooting Carter a doubtful look.

"We'll take your offer," Frankie declared, popping up between them to lace an arm around their shoulders. The angle looked awkward though, due to the significant height difference between Seth and Bella.

"Right," Seth said. He looked around. "Anyone else?"

"I brought my bike," Reggie answered, shaking her jet-black hair off her face.

Seth's pale green eyes landed on the green-eyed kis, Forrest. The kid looked between the group, seeming surprised. "Oh, uhm, my dad's out front," he said.

Seth nodded. "Great."

They walked to the door, like a pretty strange, heterogeneous group. Or maybe—if Carter truly gave it some deeper thought—he was really the only one who stood out. 

Frankie, Reggie and Seth blended right in with each other, with similar zipper-riddled black leather jackets. Forrest's dark jeans and open black-and-grey button down seemed to fit easily into the aesthetic. As did Bella's one-size-too-big The Killers t-shirt. 

Carter was the odd one out. With his light faded jeans, and white and green varsity jacket. Next to them, he looked... preppy. The thought made him inexplicably uncomfortable.

Reggie and Forrest parted with nonverbal goodbyes, before Carter followed the others to Seth's car. Bella and Frankie slipped into the backseats, fastening their seat belts as Seth adjusted the rear-view mirror.

"Is it cool if I crash at yours tonight?" Seth asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Carted nodded wordlessly, avoiding Bella's ebony-brown gaze in the rear view mirror.

And they proceeded to have the strangest car ride of Carter's memory.

***

Since I already have the full first draft of this story, I decided to just keep posting without the schedule I initially tried to follow.

I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter. Was it clear why Carter and Johnny's conversation got so heated, or were you as confused as Carter with the mood swing?

Once again, thanks for reading!