⊹₊⟡⋆ 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 ..! ⊹₊⟡⋆

. ݁₊ ⊹ (The Bascketball Diaries) .. #

"because you and i we were born to live"

The warm, fluorescent lights of the mall spilled over the glossy tiled floor, reflecting off the glass storefronts. Adrian, Lauren, and Sasha stepped out of the nail salon, their nails freshly painted in soft pastel hues. The air smelled like pretzels and cinnamon rolls, mingling with the distant sounds of chatter and footsteps.

Lauren tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Ugh, I swear, my parents are gonna freak when I get back. I need to be home in time for my sister's spelling bee, but I also want to stay out for as long as possible."

𝑨𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏'𝒔 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "For someone who just scrapes by with average grades, your parents sure don't seem to care. What’s the deal?"

Lauren grinned, mischievous as ever. "Easy. I forge my grades. Change a B-minus into a solid A. Print them out, send them in, and they never ask any questions."

Adrian shook her head, smirking. "You can do all that but can’t be bothered to finish your biology homework?"

Lauren shrugged, feigning innocence. "What can I say? I have priorities."

They entered a boutique filled with racks of trendy clothes. Sasha pulled a bright top off the hanger and held it up against Adrian. "This would look so cute on you Adriy"

Adrian eyed it with mild interest. "I know, but that's not my color."

The three girls drifted through the aisles, browsing the clothes and laughing about their latest school gossip. As they approached the store’s large window display, Sasha suddenly stopped short. Her gaze landed on the food court below, where Jason sat with a group of friends, laughing loudly. A waitress walked over, flirting with him, and even though they couldn't hear the conversation, the way Jason interacted with her was obvious.

Sasha groaned, turning away sharply. "I can't deal with him right now." She stormed off toward another section of the store, the other two following.

Adrian and Lauren exchanged glances as Sasha continued. "He's been so distant lately, and it's just been fight after fight. Every time he comes over, it ends in some argument. Do you guys think I'm pushing him too much?"

Lauren shook her head immediately. "No way, Sash. You're not pushing him at all."

Adrian nodded in agreement. "Exactly. He's the one acting out."

Sasha bit her lip. "I don't know... I mean, we've been together for three years. I love him, but he's really getting on my nerves lately. I just don't want to throw it all away. If we just try a little harder, I feel like we could work things out."

sasha sighed. "Girl, what I would  give to be single like the both of you  again, without any of this drama."

Adrian smirked. "Speak for yourself. I'm not single."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You're dating the 'bad boy'."

Adrian shot her a look. "First of all, stop calling him that, it's icky. Second, Jim's not a bad boy. He's actually sweet and thoughtful."

Lauren grinned. "And good in bed."

Adrian shoved a shirt into her hands. "Okay, I wasn’t going to say that, but fine, since you brought it up..."

The girls laughed, and Sasha chimed in. "Okay, seriously, we don’t need to hear about how you guys fucked for the 25th time."

Adrian laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Make that 26," she teased, sending them all into another fit of giggles.

After a moment, Adrian continued, "But seriously, Jim and I are doing good. I haven’t seen him in a few days, though, since my mom’s been around more. He’s been keeping his distance."

Sasha’s expression grew more serious. "Are you sure everything’s fine? He did drop out of school. Do you think he’s okay, like, mentally?"

Adrian paused, looking thoughtful. "He hates talking about it. When he's not high, we can talk for hours, but when he is... it feels different. But he tries to stay sober when I'm around. I really think he’s fine—he just needs some time to get back to normal."

Lauren reached out and squeezed her arm. "You guys seem good, Adrian. We’re happy for you."

Adrian smiled softly, and then, in typical fashion, she reached for a purse on display. "Lauren, this would look so good on you."

Lauren inspected it, grinning. "Yeah, it would, wouldn’t it?"

Adrian remembered something. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Neutron says hi."

Lauren blinked. "Neutron?"

Adrian smirked. "Jim's friend. He asked about you when I saw him at the basketball game."

Lauren’s face flushed slightly, surprised but clearly flattered. "Oh. Well... tell him I said hi back."

Adrian winked. "Will do."

The girls continued shopping, chatting about clothes, relationships, and life. The tension from earlier slowly melted away, leaving behind the light, carefree banter of best friends.
₊˚⊹⋆

Adrienne pushed open the door to her house, balancing several shopping bags in her arms. The house was oddly quiet, which felt strange because she knew her mom and Wyatt were supposed to be home, cooking dinner. She called out, "I'm home!" as she slipped off her shoes, the faint smell of something cooking wafting in the air. She made her way toward the kitchen, thinking she might find them there.

Just as she was about to step inside, her mom suddenly appeared from the living room, her face tense. "Where have you been, young lady?" The sharpness in her tone made Adrienne stop dead in her tracks.

"I told you, Mom, I was shopping with Lauren and Sasha," Adrienne said, slightly bewildered. She held up the bags, her voice unsure.

Her mom didn’t look convinced. She snatched the bags from Adrienne's hands, rifling through them as if the receipts or the clothes inside might tell a different story. After a long pause, Adrienne awkwardly pulled her mom's credit card from her pocket and held it out, but her mom barely acknowledged it.

"Come to the living room. Now," her mom ordered coldly, already walking away.

Adrian’s heart began to race as she followed her mom. Something was off. When she entered the living room, her stomach dropped. Grayson, her mom’s fiancé, was seated on the couch, his expression dark. He looked even more furious than her mom.

"Sit down," her mom instructed, gesturing toward a chair. Adrian hesitated, but eventually obeyed, perching on the edge of the seat. She swallowed hard, confusion and dread pooling in her gut.

Her mom’s voice was low, but laced with a tension that made Adrian's skin prickle. "I'm going to ask you this once, Adrian And you better tell me the truth. Have you been sneaking anyone into our house?"

Adrian felt her heart drop into her stomach. They knew. How could they know? She tried to stay calm, even though her mind was racing. After a pause, she forced the words out. "No, Mom, I haven’t. No one."

Grayson scoffed, shaking his head. "Don't  fucking lie to us. Who have you been bringing in?"

Adrienne shook her head. "I don’t know what you're talking about."

Her mom's voice grew icy. "Adrian don’t you dare lie to us. Have you been sneaking someone in?"

Adrian couldn't answer. The silence between them hung like a thick fog until Grayson slammed his fist onto the coffee table. Adrian flinched.

“Answer us!” he barked. “You think this is a joke? Who have you been bringing here? What were you doing? Is it the same person you were sneaking out with a few months ago?”

Adrian stammered, “Mom, I’m sorry, okay? But why are you acting like this? You’ve never cared when Lauren or Sasha came over before.”

“This isn’t about your friends,” her mom snapped. “This is about someone else. Is it a boy?”

Adrian felt cornered, and stayed quiet again. Her mom’s eyes narrowed. “Is it a boy, Adrian?”

When Adrian didn’t respond, Grayson stood up, his temper rising. "You brought a bastard boy into this house? Into your room?" His voice was full of disgust. "What the hell were you thinking? Have you been sleepinvwith him?"

Adrienne’s eyes widened. “Mom, Grayson, no! It's not like that!”

Her mom interrupted, her voice shaking with anger. “Are you sleeping with him? then, Are you being safe? Do you even know what you're doing?”

"Mom, calm down, it’s not a big deal—"

"Not a big deal?!" Grayson practically shouted. "If you bring someone into this house, you tell us! We are responsible for you!"

Adrian threw up her hands, exasperated. “I said I’m fucking sorry! It’s not like anything happened. It’s not like he stole from us or something!”

Her mom glared at her, then reached into her pocket and threw a small bag onto the table—a pack of powdered pills. “Then explain this!”

Adrian's blood ran cold. “Mom, no, those aren’t mine—”

Her mom’s voice shook with fury. “Don’t you dare lie again. Are you doing drugs? Is this what you’ve been hiding? Did he bring this into our home? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble we could be in if this got out?”

Adrian’s mind was spinning. “Mom, it’s not what you think. I don’t— I don’t do that stuff. It’s his, not mine. I don’t—”

“So, he’s the one?” Grayson asked, his voice dripping with contempt. “Who is this guy? Is he dealing? Is that why you’ve been sneaking him around?”

Adrienne shook her head, fighting back tears. “No, he’s just... he’s going through a lot right now.”

Her mom’s expression hardened. “Well, he’s not your problem anymore.”

The room went quiet for a moment, the tension heavy and suffocating. Then, her mom spoke again, her tone cold and final. “You’re grounded. No going out, not on the weekdays or weekends. No more Sasha, no more Lauren. You’ll come straight home from school, no excuses. And you’ve lost all your privileges—TV, and everything. You’ll do your homework and your chores. That’s it.”

Adrian blinked, trying to process the harsh restrictions, but her mom wasn’t done. “And to make sure of it,” she added, “Grayson is going to lock your windows. You won’t be sneaking anyone into this house again.”

Grayson stood, his expression dark as he left the room. Her mom lingered for a moment longer, staring at her with disappointment. “I don’t even know who you are anymore,” she said quietly before following him, leaving Adrienne alone.

Adrian sat there, the weight of everything crushing her. She knew she had made mistakes, but it didn’t feel fair. She let out a long sigh, her emotions a whirlwind of guilt, anger, and frustration.