Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5)

by Veronica Blade

  At the entrance to the cafeteria, I quickly located Maya sitting with Zack and Trevor. I wanted to sit with them, but anyone else who knew we’d broken up would get confused if I sat at his table. I compromised and sat on the other side of Maya where I had only a partial view of my “ex.”

  I was about to say hello to him, but lost my chance when Maya asked me about my after-school plans. Maybe she’d noticed how uncomfortable I looked and was trying to distract me. A couple minutes later, though, Trevor captured her attention and I was back to feeling the awkward silence.

  How’s it going? Zack asked the second Maya turned to her boyfriend.

  I took a bite of my sandwich since we could easily talk telepathically with our mouths full. Okay. And you?

  Just fine. You did a good job with Maya, huh? You were pretty convincing.

  Of course he would’ve been listening to Maya and me in the bathroom earlier. But why did he seem irritated with me? I did exactly what he’d asked me to do. It was the right thing to do to keep us safe — what he wanted. I glanced at him and he looked up from his sloppy joe, zero emotion on his face except… was it just my imagination or was there a hint of the old Zack who had thought so little of me when we’d first met?

  Isn’t that what you wanted? I asked.

  Yes, but...

  What?

  It’s a little scary, that’s all. You’re very good at lying. He took a sip of his juice, then set it back down as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Zack was right. I’d been very persuasive in getting Maya to believe me, but demonstrating Zack’s unworthiness hadn’t been difficult since he had danced with Gina and he had been looking at drop-dead gorgeous Alura.

  Our lives are at stake, Zack. Would you have been happier if I’d done a crappy job?

  Never mind. I’m sorry I brought it up. He stared at the food in his hands.

  Sorry because he regretted ever getting involved with me? Or sorry he was being such a jerk? Acting like I was upset with Zack wouldn’t be so hard after all.

  I had no business sitting with him, which only made it all so much more uncomfortable. I gripped my food tray. Maybe I’ll sit with John and Janine.

  He’d already taken another bite of his sloppy joe without looking at me. It’d be more convincing, wouldn’t it?

  Ouch.

  “I’ll see you later, Maya,” I told her and walked away.

  When I sat my tray next to John, across from Janine, all eyes at the table were fixed on me.

  “Hi.” John stared at me cautiously, like he was bursting with curiosity, but didn’t want to upset me.

  “Hi.” I gave him a weak smile — it was all I could muster.

  “What’s up?” Ashley asked.

  “Zack and I broke up. We agreed to be friends, but it felt a little weird over there.”

  Trying not to notice their shocked faces, I took another bite of my sandwich. After a long silence, I set my food down and looked at John, then Janine and Ashley. “What’s the big deal? People break up all the time.”

  “Well, yeah,” Ashley said, setting down her fork too carefully. “But we weren’t expecting it from you and Zack. You seemed so happy.”

  I sighed, not wanting to go through all the details. I mean, geez, I wouldn’t want to upset Zack by lying too well, did I? “We were, until he danced with Gina at prom. Didn’t any of you see that?”

  “He danced with Gina? Are you kidding?” Janine scowled. “What a creep.”

  “And last night, we went out for coffee and there was this girl there.” I looked at each of them. “You know that girl who was sitting at our table on prom night?”

  Janine gasped. “Oh, no. Did he hook up with her behind your back?”

  “No, I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “But he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It reminded me too much of Daniel, so I got mad and broke up with him.”

  Ashley patted my hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.” I felt dirty for lying to my friends and that yucky feeling permeated my skin, seeping into my bones. Worse, Zack had to be listening and I wasn’t totally sure anymore where he and I stood. I wanted to go home and bury my head under my pillows.

  I ate the last bite of my sandwich and checked my watch. “I want to get to my next class early. See you guys later.”

  Stopping in the bathroom, I rooted through my purse for my makeup bag, finding it just as Gina walked in.

  “Hi, Autumn.” She stood beside me and smirked at my reflection in the mirror. “Heard Zack dumped you. Too bad.”

  Ah, she’d come to gloat over the news that traveled very fast. “You’re welcome to him if he’ll have anything to do with you.”

  “Poor Autumn.” She gave me a sympathetic look, which quickly turned smug. “When I asked him about our science project this morning, he suggested we get together tomorrow night. In private.”

  I’d known Zack and Gina had Lab together, with a project due soon. It’s not like he could blow it off and get an F. He had no choice but to spend time with her, which would likely involve working on it outside of school hours. But Gina made it sound like a date. I knew it wasn’t but… Zack had seemed awfully irritated with me during lunch. Maybe the strain of keeping up pretenses was already getting to him and he realized our relationship wasn’t worth the trouble.

  Gina gave me a smug grin, spun and sauntered out. My temples throbbed and I worried I might puke. Checking the other stalls to confirm they were empty, I squeezed my eyes shut, leaned over and gripped the sides of the sink. Breathe in. Breathe out.

  My limbs felt strange, like that moment just before I morph when I’m not quite comfortable in my own skin. I took a few more deep breaths, willing the tiny tremors in my body to subside.

  My next class was English Lit with Zack. I didn’t want to see him again so soon, especially after he’d made plans with Gina. Mr. Hagar had a test last week so there was a good chance I wouldn’t miss much today. Leaving the bathroom, I headed straight to the nurse’s office. Since I’d never been sick at school, I’d never met the nurse. She turned out to be an Asian woman and I towered over her tiny frame.

  “I’m not feeling so good,” I told her.

  “Autumn Rossi, right?” she asked. I nodded, wondering how the staff learned the names of every single student, even those they’d never met. “What are your symptoms?”

  “A little sick to my stomach. Can I just lie down for a while and see how I feel next period? Maybe I won’t have to go home.”

  Giving her the impression I didn’t want to miss out on school was apparently the exact thing she needed to hear. She showed me to a cot right away, then found a thermometer and inserted it under my tongue. After a few seconds, she pulled out the thermometer and examined it.

  “It’s normal.”

  “Maybe it was something I ate and I’ll feel better in time for my next class.”

  She patted my shoulder. “Lie down. I’ll check on you in a bit and we’ll see.”

  I smiled but kept it subdued, since I was supposed to be sick. She wandered off, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Damn.

  Zack had made arrangements with Gina earlier in the day which allowed plenty of opportunity to tell me during lunch. But it was typical of Zack to withhold information, wasn’t it?

  Why aren’t you in class? Zack asked me. Where are you?

  Oh, crap. The long distance talking started off cool, but now I had no escape. After a lovely talk with Gina at lunchtime about your date with her, I didn’t feel like going.

  So you’re playing hooky?

  He wasn’t going to comment on his date with Gina? Zack really knew how to drive me crazy. The nurse bustled past me and I closed my eyes. Technically, no. I’m in the nurse’s office, but I plan to go to sixth period.

  I’ll meet you at your car after school, okay? he asked.

  After going to school, then the auto shop and doing your homework, then having Gina over tomorrow, are you sure you can squeeze me in?
/>
  Autumn, he growled into my head. Would you just wait for me at your car?

  I hesitated, too annoyed to willingly commit to more aggravation. Still, I wanted to see him.

  Autumn?

  Fine. I’ll see you then.

  Why were we meeting at my car if we were broken up? Did Zack want to break up with me for real? Apologize? I wished he’d just left me alone during fourth period. Now I’d spend the rest of this class and my last one dwelling on what he might say. Plus, I’d mentioned Gina twice and he hadn’t commented or denied anything either time.

  Now I really did feel sick to my stomach.

  I spent the next half hour agonizing over Zack, the same thoughts rolling over and over through my head. The bell went off and it was time to go to last class. I got up and found the nurse. “I think I’m okay to go to my next class.”

  She smiled and handed me a letter addressed to my parents. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  I took the envelope and left for Social Science, claiming my usual seat. Natalie perched on her desk at the other end of the half-full room. Usually, she arrived at the last second. Why was she early? As my eyes passed over her, I caught a sly smile. What was up with her?

  The teacher cleared his throat, sitting behind his wide desk. “Autumn, would you come here please?”

  Leaving my books on my desk, I approached the front of the class.

  “Your test from Friday.” He handed me a sheet of paper with a giant red F scrawled across the top.

  How was that possible? I’d aced that sucker. No doubt in my mind. “I don’t get it.”

  The teacher lifted his chin and put his shoulders back, giving me a stern look. “After class, I’d like to speak with you about this. Don’t leave, okay?”

  “All right.” I frowned and backed up.

  Every time I’d walked into Mr. Collins class, I was always left with the impression that every part of his life was a business arrangement. No exceptions. Of all the classes to have something go screwy with a test, this would’ve been my last choice.

  By the time I made it to my seat, the room was packed, but the only presence I felt was Natalie. I glanced over at her again. Her smile wasn’t sly — it was openly smug.

  She’d set me up on the test. But how? This had to be the surprise that witch Gina had been brewing up for me.

  When the bell rang, I stayed in my seat. Natalie weaved toward me through the tables and chairs. “Good luck,” she whispered conspiratorially. “You’re going to need it.”

  So she had framed me. Fury rose up and consumed me at her confirmation.

  “Autumn, come here, please,” Mr. Collins demanded.

  I obeyed, seeing Natalie’s smirk before she disappeared beyond the doorway. My hands balled into fists.

  Mr. Collins leaned back in his chair and watched me, brows raised as he pointed at my test sheet. “Care to explain this?”

  “Oh. I was hoping you would do the explaining. I don’t understand why I’d get an F.”

  He sighed, shaking his head. “Because all your answers are exactly the same as Peter’s.”

  Peter always sat to my left. That made sense, I supposed. “But if he copied my answers, shouldn’t he be the one getting an F?”

  The teacher gave a quick laugh. “He didn’t copy yours. You copied his.”

  “I did?”

  “Friday, you were distracted. You wanted to be anywhere but here and when the bell rang, you took off like a rocket. You didn’t do the test at all. Instead, because you couldn’t be bothered, you copied Peter’s answers.”

  Friday? Oh, yeah, Favianne was in the hospital and I’d been worried about her. True, I’d been fidgety, but I still took the test. And they should’ve been all correct. “Can I see that answer sheet?”

  He pushed it toward me. “Be my guest.”

  I scanned the page, but it showed only the answers. I couldn’t remember the questions that went with them. “And these are the same exact answers as Peter’s?”

  “Yes, they match exactly.” His lips thinned.

  I squinted at the page. “How do you know he didn’t copy from me?”

  He inclined his head. “I worked with Peter the other day after school. The exact questions he missed on the test are same things he had trouble with before. These are his answers.”

  I wiped my palms on my jeans and sucked in a breath. “Mr. Collins, if I’m sitting in class and I know the answers — which I did — why wouldn’t I just mark them? No matter what, I still had to stay there and I knew that. Why would I take a chance on messing up my grade point average by copying answers from someone else who might not get them right? It doesn’t make any sense. Mr. Collins, don’t you see? Someone set me up.”

  “Autumn, you know how long I’ve been teaching?” He continued when I shook my head. “Twenty-nine years. And in that time, do you know how many kids I’ve caught cheating?”

  “I have no idea.” My voice went flat. This wasn’t looking good for me.

  “Unfortunately, a lot.” He smiled, but it wasn’t pleasant. It was the condescending face you give your opponent just before you take your turn and end the game, slaughtering him. “No one ever admits to cheating. They claim they’re innocent, accuse me of favoritism, racism, threaten to get me fired and the list goes on. But the most common defense is that they’ve been set up.”

  I heard a slam as that last nail hammered into my coffin.

  “We’ll have to call your parents,” he said.

  If my mom and dad had to come back to deal with this, they’d be annoyed. And disappointed. They’d also be very insistent that I leave with them. I wouldn’t go and they couldn’t make me, but it would be very unpleasant while they tried. No way could I allow the school to call them. “Mr. Collins, how about I redo the test? Give it orally right now and you’ll see I know all the answers.”

  He groaned. “Autumn, getting an A won’t prove to me you didn’t cheat. I already know you could do better — if you wanted to. This is about copying answers from someone else because you didn’t feel like making the effort that day.”

  He rose as if done with me.

  “But… you can’t call them. They’re out of town.”

  “No problem. We have their cell phone numbers on file.” He locked a desk drawer and closed a cabinet, then picked up a briefcase.

  “Wait. What can I do? What if I can prove to you I was set up? Please don’t call my parents. Please give me a week. Please. Please.”

  He stared at me as if he couldn’t believe I was begging, couldn’t believe a cheater would have such nerve.

  “Since I came to this school, my conduct record is perfect in academics.” Panic was setting in and breathing became a chore. “If I really didn’t cheat, which I did not, I deserve the chance to set things right. It’s just a week. It won’t hurt you, but it could mean everything to me. Please!”

  He nodded. “You’ve been an ideal student on all counts, it’s true. Fine. You have one week to gather evidence and make your case.”

  I almost wept in relief. He motioned me out and I left, stopping at my locker to get my homework.

  One week. How would I prove my innocence if I had no idea how Gina and Natalie nailed me? I had to find out. But how?

  Lugging my backpack on one arm, I stopped in my tracks and stared straight ahead, unseeing. Would cheating go on my permanent record? Either way, word would spread to the other teachers, maybe even the rest of the school. For the remainder of my senior year, I’d be known as a cheater.

  After graduation, I may never see any of them ever again, but that wasn’t the point —I was innocent and refused to go on record as being a cheater. And ignoring what had happened wouldn’t stop Gina from sabotaging me again — or someone else less capable of defending herself.

  Damn Gina! No wonder she’d seemed overconfident. It wasn’t about stealing a boyfriend or starting a vicious rumor. Nothing so frivolous. She was out to make me miserable.

  Chapt
er Sixteen

  “Autumn. Why are you just standing there?”

  I looked up at Zack, my mind blank.

  “You were supposed to meet me at your car.”

  Should I spill it and burden him with my problems? Between his job, werewolf scouts and a dying mother, he had enough to worry about without piling my crap on his plate. Besides, I wasn’t even sure if we were still together.

  “Um… Mr. Collins wanted to go over last Friday’s test with me. No big deal.”

  He scrutinized my face. “Not sure if I believe that’s all there is to it, but okay. C’mon.”

  Zack walked me in silence down the corridor, through the double doors of the school building and along the path to my car, stopping at the driver’s side. “So…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Did you break up with me?” he asked.

  “Well… that’s the story we’ve been telling everyone,” I answered.

  “No.” He leaned on the side of my car. “I meant did you break up with me for real?”

  “Uh…” I stared at him, unsure how to answer. I hadn’t broken up with him, of course, but if I said no, would he be relieved or disappointed? “Is that what you want?”

  “You’re not answering my question.” He studied me, eyes narrowed.

  “I… thought maybe you broke up with me.”

  His brows drew together. “Why would you think that?”

  “You were annoyed earlier.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You were… weird. Distant. And it kinda freaked me out how good you are at lying. It still does, actually.”

  “So you do want to break up with me?” I asked, hoping and praying his answer was no. After my awful day, being dumped might start me bawling like a baby.

  “No.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Are you coming over tonight?”

  Much to my horrification, my eyes blurred with tears. “I’m sorry. It’s been a very stressful day.”

  He growled deep in his throat. “I can’t touch you right now. Someone might see.”

  I nodded and wiped my eyes.

  He inched toward me, but kept his arms at his sides. “This morning, I told my mom about our breakup.”