Connor by Dormaine G Page B

huh…
    what… that's okay, I totally understand. I wasn't sure if you were really going to show up or not,” I said, stumbling over my words, as if English was not my primary language. From the corner of my eye, I could see the girls laughing at me.
    “I got to represent. I think everyone from school is here. Besides, I had to see how the commoners compete, being an extremist myself, of course,” he said, giving the guys a hard time. They went back and forth, giving each other crap for a minute until someone remembered food.
    I was about to say we can't, but Tony cut me off. “That's cool, Connor, do you want to ride with me?”
    I refused to look at either Hope or Angela and said yes. He was throwing me off; obviously, he had to tell me something. Maybe the meeting was canceled, which was fine with me. Fridays are for going out.
    We decided to meet up at our favorite burger joint, Juicy Burger, then went our separate ways to our modes of transportation. I was about to ask him something when he shook his head no.
    Walking to his car in silence, I wondered, did something happen to one of the others? He steered me toward a midnight-blue racer-striped 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. This is one of my top favorite cars ever. I fell, no, I melted against it. “Is this mine?” That accidentally slipped out, but that didn't stop me from hugging the car.
    He blinked a few times, then said, “No, it's mine, and if it goes missing, I'm coming for you. Please get off the hood and get in the car so we can go.” I said just kidding, trying to play if off, but first chance, this car is mine.
    “So I guess you like her, huh?” he asked, spinning out the lot, showing off how fast she can go.
    “She is only one of the hottest cars ever. I asked my dad for one last year, and he told me to get real. Instead, I needed something cute and durable. Men are so chauvinistic.” For some reason, Tony found that to be funny. “It's not funny. I like muscle cars, so why can't a girl have one if a boy can? Everybody knows women are better drivers anyway,” I said, all riled up.
    “I'm not about to debate sexism with you, or we will be here all night. I believe in equal rights, so you can take that up with your dad,” Tony said, half looking at the road and me.
    “Fine, what's up with the change of plans? Or are we bailing on my friends because if so, I am not okay with that and…”
    He cut me off, telling me to calm down and take a breather. “One day I will let you drive the car, okay. I can respect any woman who can appreciate a nice car.”
    Flattered he called me a woman, I had to conceal a smile. “Good, so then I can show you how this puppy really handles. Like I said, women are better drivers. We can multitask. Sorry, I got excited,” I apologized, but chauvinism irks me. “What is with the change of plans and the secrecy in the lot?”
    “It's cool. I set the meeting back an hour, remembering the step competition today. I knew how badly you wanted to go. That way you could hang with your friends a bit, so the meeting is at midnight now. I just needed to catch up with you to let you know. As far as hushing you in the lot, we have to be extra careful in case anyone, like that punk, is watching or listening to us,” Tony said, sounding still angry that the boy stepped to me and not him.
    Men and their egos. I handled myself quite well, but he was right. “I understand, especially since we know there is someone else who knows about us but we don't know a thing about him. Thank you for thinking of me. What did the others say when you told them?” I asked.
    “Don't worry about them, they always set the time. I explained the situation, and they understood. I really didn't care if they didn't like it,” he said.
    “Afterward, we will come up with some excuse to leave, then I will take you home after. Is that okay?” he asked.
    “Works for me, and thank you, Tony, that was really sweet of you.”
    We drove the rest of the