by Emily Camp
“Like what?” I smiled, his nose close to mine. His breath smelled minty.
“I don’t know. A movie or something.”
“Something sounds good.”
His smile grew and I climbed out of the car before he could kiss me, even though I wanted him to. I liked to have something to look forward to.
Chapter Three
“Dylan Andrews?” Addi came waltzing into my room. Her dark hair in a big, messy ponytail. She flopped down on my bed beside me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I lowered my phone. A perma-grin on my face. “Nothing’s happened yet.”
“Still, I had to hear it from someone else that my bestie was seen in Dylan’s car after school.”
“He just gave me a ride home.” I leaned on my side, propping my head on my hand.
“I bet.” She giggled and nudged me with her boney elbow. Then she flopped back and looked at the ceiling. “Tyler’s talking to Maria.”
“Maria’s with Jesse.” I said remembering how I thought I was the coolest for snagging the new guy in our neighborhood until the day I walked up to the basketball courts and saw them playing a game. He grabbed her from behind, her long, tanned legs dangled from her spandex shorts. I didn’t remember that move being in basketball. She giggled when he put her down and grabbed the ball from her.
I didn’t go up to them. What was the point? I just went home, took off my Cleveland Cavaliers t-shirt and shoved it under my bed with the rest of the stuff from boyfriend’s past. Though Jesse and I had been talking for weeks since he moved here, we just stopped and by the time school started he and Maria were serious.
“They broke up.” Addi lifted her phone above us and started scrolling.
“At least you and Tyler were broken up before they started talking.” More than I could say for Jesse and me.
“We’ve been together for a year. How can he start talking to another girl just days after our breakup? No offense, but you and Jesse were together for like what, two weeks?”
“Three thank you.” I scrolled. “And it doesn’t mean it didn’t sting when it was Maria he ended up with.” Maria was the type of girl who thought she had to compete with everyone. She always had to be better than us.
“True.” Addi shoved her hand into the pocket of the oversized sweatshirt she was wearing and pulled out a bag of candy. She held it toward me. “Chocolate?”
“Would I ever say no to sugar?” I shoved my hand into the bag.
“Boys suck.” Addi popped a piece into her mouth.
Though most of the time I would agree with her, I was too elated by recent events with Dylan to agree today. My phone chimed and I couldn’t look at the text fast enough.
It was Dylan. Studyhall buddy, what’s up?
I smiled and squealed.
“Is that Dylan?” Addi reached for my phone, but I kept it from her as I texted him back and nodded.
I’m just hanging out with my girl, Addi, you?
A notification came across my screen D-man liked your photo, followed by another and another.
“Geez, what’s all the dinging about?” Addi tossed another chocolate into her mouth.
“Dylan’s liking my pictures.” I wiggled my phone.
Another message came in, Sorry, got distracted.
I got the notifications. I messaged back.
Then I went to his social media page and began liking his photos. Him standing by Cody in their football jerseys. Another of him in the weight room, wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off flexing in a mirror. The weights sitting behind him.
“Oh, that one’s nice.” Addi leaned over my shoulder, pointing a long fingernail at my screen. It was a photo of him standing by the beach in bright orange trunks and no shirt. His hands clasped in front of him, his hair blowing with the breeze.
“He is so hot,” I squealed.
“What is all the ruckus up here?” My mom peeked around my bedroom door. A laundry basket under her arm. “Hey Addi.”
“Hey. Chocolate?” She held her bag of candy out for my mom.
“Awe, that would be awesome, thanks.” My mom waltzed in. She was still wearing her pencil skirt and button up from her bank teller job. “It’s been a long day.” She tossed the candy on top of the clothes. “You have anything needing washed?”
“I think a little bit in the hamper.” I got up and walked over to it. At least the clothes made it to the hamper this week. I normally had a pile beside my bed.
“Anything exciting happen at school today?” She put the jeans and shirt in the basket when I handed them to her.
“Dylan Andrews gave her a ride home.” Addi sing-songed. If I was still sitting beside her, I’d jab her with my elbow. I didn’t like to tell my mom about every boyfriend. But Addi thought my mom was the coolest and told way too much.
“Oh?” A curious smile crept across her face. And that was why I didn’t tell her unless they took me on a date. She got way too excited about it. “Who’s Dylan Andrews?”
“One of the cutest guys in the junior class,” Addi said.
“Well, I don’t care how cute he is, I want to meet him before you get in a car with him again,” my mom said.
“Mom,” I flopped onto my bed dramatically.
Then she looked at Addi and asked. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Not tonight, but thanks.”
My mom nodded. I wasn’t sure why she’d invited Addi for dinner, it wasn’t like she cooked or anything.
“Pizza?” mom asked me.
“Sure.” I said as another text from Dylan came in while I was looking at his super-hot picture.
***
My brother, Gavin, shuffled out of his room in his space jammies and bed head. He rubbed his little eyes.
“Gavin, you are supposed to be dressed.” My mom said in a rush. “I’m going to be late again.” She hurried to her room in her black slacks and cami that was going to be under her blazer.
“Gav.” I shook my head.
He glared at me.
“What?”
I wasn’t too worried about being late, because I wasn’t riding with my mom today. Dylan was giving me a ride to school and I was already ready to go in my leggings and oversized sweater.
When the doorbell rang, my mom shouted, “You’re not going anywhere until I meet him.”
Ugh. Last night I made the executive decision to forge her signature on my educational support note from Mr. Radcliffe. Yes, the school did send out emails as well, but in my mom’s frustration with so much paperwork at the beginning of the year, I filled everything out for her. Instead of her emails going to [email protected] they went to [email protected]. Which was a good call on my part. If she knew about my grades, she wouldn’t let me go with Dylan this weekend and so far, she approved as long as she met him first.
Chapter Four
As Jack rattled on about the body parts of a frog (ick), I wondered if the ceiling was going to cave in on us. It was loud upstairs and we weren’t even underneath the gym. Not even close.
“This is important, you’re going to have to know this when you dissect one.” He sounded frazzled as always when he realized I wasn’t paying attention.
“Wait what?” I flipped my face toward him. My ponytail swinging.
“One of the labs in biology is cutting open a frog and identifying it’s parts.”
How come I didn’t know about this?
“I’m terrified of frogs.” I whispered, as I leaned forward and brushed my ponytail off my shoulder.
“It’ll be dead.” He flipped the book open.
“Gross.”
“It wouldn’t hurt you if it was alive.”
“That’s not even the point.” I slumped in my chair. “I literally cannot slice through flesh. I’m not a serial killer.”
“That’s comforting to know,” he deadpanned as he flipped the pages.
“I’m not going to do it. I’ll be absent that day.” Just the thought made me want t
o throw up.
Jack looked at me with his less-than-impressed face and that lanyard hanging from his freckled neck.
“What?” I finally said when he mean-mugged me too long for my comfort.
“If you hadn’t have skipped three other labs you possibly could get away with skipping this one, but …”
“Oh my gosh, what are you, my dad?” Which was a really dumb question, because it wasn’t like my dad cared what I did.
“You know, you’re the most difficult person I’ve ever had to tutor.”
“Guess I’m not a failure at everything then.” I batted my eyes and gave him a smug smile. He still did not crack his I-cannot-believe-anyone-is-this-dumb expression.
My phone buzzed and as I dug it out of my pocket I said, “I need to take five.”
“That’s not allowed.” He said as I stood up. “What are you doing?” He ripped my phone from my hands and looked at it.
Appalled, I gasped.
“Dylan Andrews can wait for you to tell him where you want to go on your date on Saturday.”
“Give that back.” I swiped my hand toward it.
He held it above his head, out of my reach. “Not until you learn something.”
“Do you even have the authority to do this?” I looked over my shoulder at Miss Deeter.
“It is my job to make sure you pass these classes.” He poked one of his ridiculously long skinny fingers on the table.
“You’re a volunteer. It’s not a job.” I leaned across the table, still trying to reach my phone.
“You’re not going to learn with Dylan distracting you.” He then slid my phone into his shirt pocket. Now I could reach it, but I didn’t want to grab at his chest.
“Miss Deeter.” I moved so quickly, I knocked over my chair.
“You’re going to tattle?” He crossed his arms and leaned back.
I stomped to the desk where Miss Deeter sat with her feet up, reading a novel. I wasn’t sure what it was about, but her cheeks were flushed when she looked up at me, adjusting her glasses. “Yes, Kacey?”
“Jack took my phone.” I put my hands on my hips, unconcerned about the other tables looking at us today. It was bad enough I had to be here during my study hall, now I couldn’t even text Dylan back.
“Why did Jack take your phone?” She said flatly like she really didn’t care.
I looked back at him. He still hadn’t cracked a smile, he just stared, his lips pressed between his teeth.
“Because … I don’t know.” I couldn’t admit that I was going to use it while he was trying to tutor me.
She leaned around me and whispered, “Jack,” and waved him over.
Jack’s gait was relaxed as he strolled toward us.
“Why did you take Kacey’s phone?”
He put his hands in his pocket and with a straight face said, “She was texting her boyfriend while I was trying to instruct her.”
Instruct me? More like bore me to death.
“Is that true?” She turned toward me.
“Dylan isn’t my boyfriend.” Yet.
“Jack are you going to give her phone back when the bell rings?” Now Miss Deeter was just being condescending.
“Yes ma’am,” he said.
“Okay then, Kacey, go learn. You’ll get your phone back at the end of the period.” Miss Deeter said, lifting her book. More interested in getting back to it than solving our problem.
“I need a new tutor.” I protested and pointed at him. “He hates me.”
Miss Deeter sighed, lowered her book as if I was keeping her from more important things. “Do you hate her?”
“I do not,” Jack said.
She looked down at her three-ring binder. “Jack is the only one who can help with all three subjects.” She then leaned forward, placing her elbows on the chipped desktop. Her dishwater blonde hair was falling out of her bun. She said, “If you want out of here, listen to him. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can get away from Jack and back to Dylan.”
My jaw dropped. How dare a teacher talk to me like that?
Jack still showed no sign of emotion. No smirk that he got his way, not a smug smile because he won. No. He looked at me and motioned toward our table as if he was presenting a prize. “Shall we resume?”
I stomped back to my chair and made a show of flopping down and flipping my book open. It wasn’t like I was going to learn anything here now, as ticked as I was today, anyway. My phone buzzed in his pocket again and I glared at him as he kept talking about stupid frogs.
***
“He just makes me so mad.” I said from the passenger side of Dylan’s car.
“Who is it again,” Dylan asked.
“Jack Landry.” I spewed his name out.
“Figures.” He pulled into my house.
“You know him?” I reached for the door handle, but I wasn’t ready to leave his side yet.
“He’s the smartest senior. Plays football. Not very good at that.”
“Glad to hear there’s something he can’t do,” I said.
“You got a good tutor though. He should be able to learn you a few things.” His hand fell on my knee. There were those butterflies again. Inside I was squealing.
“Kacey.” He said and I turned toward him. He leaned forward, brushed my hair out of my face, and licked his lips before he put them on mine. I hadn’t had the chance to pull away. I would have saved this for our date, but I wasn’t complaining. His lips were soft, and his tongue like mint. I melted into the seat.
He leaned away, then smiled a hooded smile and said, “See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
That kiss.
I floated out of the car and into the house.
That kiss.
I twirled around in circles as soon as I shut my front door.
That kiss.
The squeal, behind me made me jump. I turned to see Addi. She knew where we kept our house key and was welcome to come in whenever she wanted. Things weren’t great at her house and my mom understood there were times she just needed to get out.
“Kacey Jones, kissing boys in the driveway, what will the neighbors say?” She giggled, we squealed and jumped. “How was it?”
I smiled and put my hand to my lips. “The best.”
“Tyler wants me back.” She said as we bounced, holding hands.
“What happened to Maria?” We stopped jumping.
“Just a rumor.”
“Really?” I swear I saw them together like something was going on yesterday. Maybe I saw wrong.
Addi and I went to my room. My mom and Gavin weren’t home yet. We still shut the door out of habit and turned on music.
“How’s educational support?” She shouted over our favorite girl-power song.
I crashed backwards on my bed. “My tutor is a know-it-all and hates me.”
“Who is it?”
“Jack Landry.” I spat the name out of my mouth like it was something bitter.
“Isn’t he that really tall, really smart senior?” She said flopping down in my vanity chair.
“You know who he is?” I kicked off my shoes.
She nodded as she twisted her mascara open. “He’s on the football team. Plays JV with Tyler.” She leaned forward and brushed her lashes with the wand. “He’s kind of cute.”
“He’s kind of a jerk.” I twisted my hair into a bun on top my head.
“I don’t know him. I’m just stating the obvious,” she shrugged.
“What’s going on with you and Tyler?” It didn’t need to be all about me. I sat up, curling a leg under me.
She smiled. “He’s sorry and he’s going to be better.”
I hoped so, for her sake. The reason why they broke up was because he was always rude to her. It was uncomfortable to watch. I couldn’t say anything because then she’d get upset and he’d be mad. I didn’t know what was going on at lunch the first time he snapped at her for basically breathing. I would have dumped him in
a second, she put up with it much longer than I would have. But then again, the longest I dated someone was six weeks. I just didn’t want her to have to be with someone like him, she already had to deal with that kind of stuff at home with her dad.
For me, boys were an escape not something I needed an escape from.
Chapter Five
“The Great Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet. Poe.” Jack rattled off my English reading list.
“The telletubbie?” I lifted an eyebrow, trying to get him to crack a smile.
There he went with the expression that made me feel dumb. “The poet.”
“You do know what a joke is, right?” I popped my gum then sucked it back into my mouth.
He turned my literature book toward me and flipped it open.
“Annabelle Lee.” He pointed to the page with his long, slender finger. “It’s good. Read it.”
Wait was that a hint of a smile? Okay now I was interested in seeing what was so great about this poem that it made Mr. Stoney-face smile.
I pulled the book closer. He leaned back in his seat, propped a foot on his knee. That would have been fine, but then he proceeded to watch me.
I wrinkled my brow. “Could you not.”
“What?”
“Stare at me while I read.”
He didn’t move.
“It’s creepy.”
He didn’t look away or change his expression, which was back to flat. I let out an irritated breath before I began to read the poem. I couldn’t comprehend much with him staring, but I did get that it is a love story between a man and a corpse.
I looked up at him and said, “It’s awful.”
“It’s Poe.” As if that was supposed to make it good.
“He was in love, and then she died. He spent the rest of his life by her grave.” That was too depressing.
“It’s about love and loss.”
“I don’t like it,” I said.
“You can have your opinion even if I don’t agree with it.” He lifted an eyebrow. Then looked back down at the paper. “Your teacher wants you to write your own poem.”
“Perfect, I can make something happy.” I tapped my pencil on the notebook.
