Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

Author:Samira Ahmed
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471407154
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Published: 2018-01-18T05:00:00+00:00

Violet fills the ride to school with spring break tales of kissing Parisian boys and exploring the villages of the Côte d’Azur. I nibble on the rose-scented macarons she brought me from Paris. But for once, I share stories, too. Good ones. Great ones. Life-altering ones. The stuff origin stories are made of. I devour the last macaron as we turn down senior hall.

That’s when I see Amber and Kelsey, two of Lisa’s best friends, leaning against my locker, arms crossed in front of their chests. Scowling. They both wear their matching cinnamon-brown manes in perfect, shiny ponytails that would make my mom weep with joy. We’ve been in school together since sixth grade, and in that entire time, I’ve probably exchanged fifteen words with both of them combined. If that. You can usually find them huddled with Lisa every morning, laughing or gossiping until Lisa breaks away to walk to class with Phil. When they see me, their scowls only deepen; they both straighten up.

My laughter comes to an abrupt halt.

Amber steps forward with one hand on her jutting right hip as Violet and I approach my locker. She stares down at me. “You know what I think?” she begins.

“That your parents shouldn’t have given you a stripper name?” Violet responds.

I stifle an anxious chuckle because Violet always has my back. But sometimes she escalates before I even know if the situation calls for escalation.

Amber’s mouth opens to a perfect “O” of surprise.

I put my hand on Violet’s elbow and pull her back a couple inches. “What do you guys want?” I ask. I notice we are drawing the attention of a few people in the hall. Luckily it’s still a bit early, so senior hall isn’t at full capacity.

Amber clears her throat and tries again, face sour, jaw tight. “Maya, don’t even think about going to prom with Phil.”

I laugh out loud. I expected them to hurl home-wrecker insults at me, so this is actually a relief. “That’s why you came over here. All shirty?”

“What’s ‘shirty’?” Kelsey asks, disgusted.

Violet speaks up before I can respond. “It’s none of your damn business who Maya goes to prom with.”

“Wait. Why are you even bringing this up? Isn’t Phil taking Lisa to prom?” I ask. My heart starts beating faster.

Amber and Kelsey look at each other nervously. Amber shrugs and lowers her voice. “They broke up.”

The news strikes me like an anvil. Truly, I’m not sure if I should be thrilled or ready myself for a shitstorm. Maybe both. Violet doesn’t immediately respond, either, so I know she’s in at least as much shock as me.

Kelsey fills the silence. “Phil promised Lisa he wouldn’t go to prom with anyone else. So Maya can’t go with him.” She pauses, straightens her shoulders, and adds, “We came to warn you.”

My brain is still spinning. Violet steps into Kelsey’s personal space; Kelsey stumbles back a step. Violet is at least a couple inches taller than Kelsey and far scarier.

Now everyone is watching. I feel like I’ve crossed into some surreal world that I can’t wrap my mind around.

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