Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

school ended, not until he crossed the stage to accept the diploma that Hinata knew full well he had to finish four more courses over the summer to earn. Hinata had every faith Peter would earn his degree. Without Rachelle's steady pragmatism, and Peter's beauty, Hinata feared his next year at his beloved public high school would be a dreary affair.
    He was dead wrong. Through the subversive efforts of the Posse, Hinata was elected first Homecoming and then Prom Queen. None of the adults who might have stopped them dared to, as too many had family and friends who were beholden to the Kenkyusha empire for their employment. They also got him elected student body President, where Rory Hamilton, the Vice President and Captain of the football team, took great pleasure in snidely referring to him as Madam President. Hinata mentioned it in passing to Caroline, and suddenly the only football player the Warrior's cheerleaders couldn't remember to root for was Rory. They called him by other player's names, misspelled his name, and on one memorable occasion the pyramid they were in 'accidentally' crumbled before they could get to the pinnacle where his name was to be called out.
    Within a few games Rory lost his spot as Captain, as the coach saw the other players no longer followed him, but had given their loyalty to his wing-man, Joshua Henderson. Henderson even replaced him on the student council when he was removed by a vote of no confidence. Hinata caught wind of what was going on by that point, and called a Posse meeting. He told the girls it was a spa date, and waited until he had them all in their little pink robes waiting for the masseur before he pounced.
    "You can't fire someone from student council for teasing me." Hinata looked around at the girls. Seven pairs of overly wide eyes blinked back at him. Caroline glanced down first, and he understood where the weak link lay. "Caroline! We do not operate that way. Now listen here… I don't know what you are going to do, but you are going to do something. Somebody had better come up with a rehabilitation plan for Rory, cause this Posse stopped rolling like that when we got rid of Michelle." Hinata squinted his eyes in his best imitation of his mother in a mood . When Caroline stuck out her bottom lip, whining out the words, "But Hinata, he's— he's a total douche." Hinata knew he'd gotten the look just right.
    He scratched his head. "What is a douche?"
    The girls scrambled away, leaving only Caroline and Martha. Martha squeaked, blushed, and pointed a finger at Caroline. Caroline glared at him, her bottom lip still stuck out. "I'm not gonna tell you that. That's Hinata corruption, and you can't make me. It's in the by-laws."
    Hinata rolled his eyes.
    "Well, what are you going to do?" He arched a sleek black brow at her.
    "I. Dammit, do we hafta rehabilitate him?"
    Martha chuckled from beside her, and the other girls crept back around the corner.
    Suzanne giggled.
    Holly chortled. "Re-hab-bi-li-tat-tion!"
    Hinata swung a steely glare her way. They had all watched the movie Idiocracy together a few weeks before. "There will be no small and poorly made cars with purple weenies on them!"
    The girls all collapsed in laughter, and Hinata could get no sense out of them for the next few minutes. Once the hilarity quieted to a snicker here and there, they came up with a plan to help give back to Rory what they had taken. Caroline stipulated that rehabilitation required he be educated along the way, and Hinata decided he could live with that.
    In the limo, on the way home from the spa, Caroline leaned against his side. "Hinata, we're gonna miss you next year." Her voice sounded small and as sorrowful as a wet sparrow.
    Hinata pulled her closer. "You must find another who needs your protection. And you must train someone to take your place as I have trained you."
    Caroline sniffled. "Okay. But we still are gonna miss you."
    Hinata blinked against the stinging in his eyes. "Yes. Just as I will miss all of you."
    CHAPTER 5
    Peter pulled out the picture his mom had saved for him, and placed the silver frame carefully on his desk. Marcus clapped a hand on his shoulder. Only the knowledge of his father's burning desire for him to be the first Jenkins to ever graduate from college had brought Peter back to school this year.
    He'd wanted to retreat with his mother back to the holler, and be folded back into the arms of his family. His ma shook that notion clean outta his head at his pa's