by Emily Camp
“Give it.” She held out her hand.
“Mom.” I pleaded. Ready to start begging, working the tears.
“I pay the bill.”
“My tutor … I have to have it to talk to my tutor.” That wasn’t a lie. Jack and I were supposed to work on my paper this weekend.
“Oh, and who is your tutor?”
“Jack,” I said.
“I thought your date was with Dylan.” My mom rolled her eyes. “At least if you’re going to lie keep the names straight.”
“Mom, please I’m not lying.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that, why? You’ve been keeping this from me for weeks.”
Technically, over a month. “I brought the grades up.”
“But you’re still failing two of them?”
“Not really. The other two are D’s. I have to be in ES until they’re brought to a B. And … and I’m not lying about Jack. He is my tutor in ES. I swear. I can show you our messages.” I started to scroll through my phone.
My mom’s shoulders sagged, she lowered the papers to her side. “I don’t need to see it. You can keep your phone, but I’m not giving in to you going out until your report card comes out.”
“But that’s not until Christmas break!”
“Your grades are more important than boys.”
“Mom.” I whined. Like she had room to talk. She dated a different man almost every other weekend.
She crossed her arms. “Do you want me to take your phone or not?”
That’s when I realized how stupid I was being. She’d caved on the phone and here I was trying to get her to cave on the grounding when I should have just been happy. I wasn’t going to lose my cell. “No, not at all. It’s fine.”
***
“What do you think?” I asked.
Jack scribbled on the paper. Hopefully, this could bring my grade up enough that I wouldn’t have to be here anymore. I could find my place back in study hall with the rest of civilization. As I thought about that, even though Dylan and I were going to try to go out again when I was ungrounded, I kind of would rather be here with Jack.
Jack sat up, his face unreadable with his flat expression. He tapped his stubbled chin with his eraser. “It’s good.”
“Great.”
“But it’s shallow.”
My jaw dropped. Jack never ceased to insult me. Why was I just thinking about missing this place? “You think I’m shallow?”
“I didn’t say that. I think the paper’s shallow. Though, if you make the changes I suggest, you’ll get an A.”
“It’s an A paper, but it’s shallow?”
“Yeah, he’s not grading for depth. He’s grading your writing skills.” He squinted at the paper. “I know there’s more to you than your best date.”
“Not with Evan,” I said.
“I didn’t think so.” He laughed as he looked back down at it. Of course, I had to tell him about the whole parents-making-out-like-teenagers thing. “It does make me think I need to step up my game.”
“What game?” I laughed. Not meaning it as an insult, but after I said it I realized it sounded like one.
“Exactly,” he grinned. Guess he didn’t take as an insult either.
“Why do you want to step up your game? Is Mr. Lanyard interested in a girl?” I nudged him in the shoulder.
He shrugged.
There was a pinch of jealousy in my chest. I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like Jack and I were anything. I mean, yeah, I considered him a friend and all, but absolutely nothing else.
“Who is she?” I leaned in. When he didn’t answer I asked, “Do I know her?”
He looked at me for a minute then smiled and shrugged.
I gasped, wide-eyed. “I do know her.”
The bell rang before I got a chance to get it out of him. He was extra loud as he stumbled to remove his backpack from the chair.
“You can’t just leave me with that. You have to tell me.” I said as I hurried to catch up to him.
“I already said too much.”
“No you didn’t.” I bumped him with my shoulder as we walked. “You can’t just say something like that and not elaborate.”
“Get to class.” He said as he disappeared down the hall.
Once I was in Spanish, which was still awkward being in here with Cody, I immediately went to social media.
I clicked on Jack’s profile. He was friends with many girls. He barely liked anything though. I thought that would give me an idea. If he had liked a girl’s pictures more than others. He hadn’t. In fact, it didn’t seem that he had liked any pictures. Why did he have to be so socially awkward?
***
I sat across from Mr. Radcliffe, Jack on the chair beside me.
“Keep up the good work, Kacey.” Mr. Radcliffe said.
“I still have a C in English.” I needed Jack’s help with my paper.
Mr. Radcliffe nodded “I’m confident that you’re capable to bring that up before break.” Which was only a week away.
I looked at Jack, who seemed to beam with pride.
“But it’s only going to be a probationary period,” Mr. Radcliffe said.
“Okay.” I couldn’t complain any. Dylan and I had just started talking again. I could see him in study hall. I looked over at Jack. I wouldn’t see him every day. I ignored the sadness that that gave me.
“Good job, to both of you.” Mr. Radcliffe reached over his desk, shook Jack’s hand, and then mine.
I grabbed my backpack on the floor between my feet and Jack thanked him as he started out the door. When I was following him Mr. Radcliffe said, “Hey Kacey.”
I turned.
“Have you heard anything from your dad?”
“Nothing.” I shrugged. I guess no dad was better than a dad I had to be scared of like Addi.
“Sorry to hear that.”
“It is what it is,” I said. As long as he’d been gone, I didn’t care if he ever came back.
When I walked out, I was surprised that Jack was waiting on me, leaning against the wall. His hands wrapped around his backpack straps. “Good job.” He said.
“I’m nervous about this essay,” I fell into stride beside him.
“I’ll still help.”
“I know, but …” I didn’t want to seem too bummed out that I wouldn’t see him anymore.
“I’m gonna miss you too, Kacey Jones.” He nudged me with his shoulder.
“What? I never said that.”
“You’re not going to miss me?”
“Yeah … I mean.” I fidgeted with my backpack straps and stared at the empty hallway ahead.
“We can still be friends,” he said.
“I didn’t know we were friends.”
“I mean you were my favorite person to tutor.”
“Even though I was a pain in the butt?” I ignored the little flutter in my heart at his words. He was just being nice. It wasn’t like he liked me like that or anything.
“Even though you were a pain in the butt,” he grinned down at me.
“What?” I elbowed him in the ribs.
He laughed, flinching away from me, “Your words, not mine.”
“For the record you were a pain in the butt, too.” Something about this conversation made it feel too final.
“You brought your grades up didn’t you?”
I felt sad when we reached study hall. This was my stop and he’d go on down to ES. There’d be someone new for him to tutor.
“This is my stop.” I said, “I’ll see you around, Lanyard.”
“See you around.” He kept walking. I strode into study hall and handed my pass to the monitor, who sat me by Dylan again.
***
Dylan passed me a note. I opened it. Do you think Miss Bradford is a robot or an alien?
I looked up at her as she sat stiff at her desk, her eyes roaming the room behind her wire-framed glasses. I snorted a laugh, her face turned toward me quickly. I looked away.
; “This is study hall.” She reminded me. “If you don’t have something to do, I will find you something.”
I scribbled on the paper. Alien, definitely alien.
I looked over my shoulder and waited until she turned before I passed it back to Dylan. I have to say I didn’t miss Miss Bradford while I spent my time in ES.
I did miss Jack though. I missed talking to him and having something to do.
The bell rang. Dylan called for me to wait up before I could get my backpack off my chair.
“Hey,” he fell into stride beside me. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been thinking.”
“That’s dangerous.” I said as I turned the corner. Jack was on the other side of the hall. He smiled and waved when he saw me. I hadn’t even realized how automatic it was for us now. I waved back.
“Are you dating Landry?”
“What? No, we’re friends.”
“Maybe you should tell him that.”
I snorted a laugh. “I’m pretty sure he knows.” I stopped at my locker and turned toward Dylan. “Did you want something?”
He ran a hand over his hair and let out a long breath. “Yeah. I was wondering when you’re ungrounded so I can take you on that date.”
“Christmas break.”
“Next week?”
I nodded.
“Wanna do something over break?”
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll text you later.”
I couldn’t wait for break to get here. Not only because I was tired of school with all the early mornings and homework, but because I could have a life again. Addi still came over, but lately she’d been spending more and more time with Tyler. Maybe my mom would let me out of this grounding thing early since I was out of ES. By now she would normally forget about it, but this time she hadn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I poured macaroni into boiling water when my phone chimed. I tossed the box in the trash. Christmas break officially began an hour ago. I was free for the next two weeks.
Mom was at work, but was going to go to Greg’s house with Gavin when she was done. So that meant not only was I free from school, I had the entire house to myself. I could play my music as loud as I wanted. I could dance through the house without anyone telling me to stop or be quiet. I could watch tv without anyone complaining they needed a turn.
In fact, I had my music on so loud, that I barely heard the doorbell. I picked up my phone and turned the volume down before making my way to the front door. I opened it. There stood Tyler in his crisp jeans and an NFL jersey, the Patriots, of course. A long sleeve shirt covered his arms underneath it. He had his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans. He looked back at the driveway where his truck sat by my useless car.
“Addi’s not here.” I said, and began to shut the door, but he stopped it with his palm.
“I’m supposed to meet her.” He then pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I might be early?”
“Okay?” I didn’t know what his point was.
“Heater’s broke in the truck.”
“Bummer.” I also didn’t know why he wasn’t wearing a coat if it was this cold out and he didn’t have a heater.
He rubbed his hands together. “Can I wait inside?”
I rolled my eyes. Tyler wasn’t my favorite person in the world, but I could tolerate him for a minute until Addi arrived. What I wondered though, was he actually going to take her out in a car with no heat? But I wasn’t mean enough to make him freeze. I opened the door a little wider, letting him in.
“When’s Addi supposed to be here, anyway?” I turned from the door, toward him. He was staring at his phone.
“Ah, man,” he said. “She has to wait for her mom.”
“Okay?” I waited for him to turn around and leave now, perhaps come back later, but then he walked further into my house after removing his shoes at the door. Why did he remove his shoes? Even though he was Addi’s boyfriend and I was her best friend and he picked her up here all the time, he’d barely been inside. Still he found his way to my living room and sat down on the sofa.
He looked up at me and said, “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Addi said this is her second home.” He looked around.
It was true. She was probably here as much, if not more, than her own house. That was until she and Tyler got together, anyway. There was even a picture of me and her hanging on the wall from when we went to homecoming. We were wearing our dresses and makeup. Tyler noticed it, too. She’d gone with him. I’d gone with Carson. We doubled, but Carson and Tyler had nothing in common and barely spoke to one another.
“Do you want something to drink?”
He smiled and tilted his head toward me. “I thought you frowned upon me drinking and driving.”
“I meant water.” I pointed toward the kitchen. The timer I’d set went off, the macaroni was done. “I gotta get that.” I’d tell him to make himself at home, but he’d already done that.
I went to the kitchen, poured the water off the macaroni and set it back on the stove. I needed that box I threw away earlier. I didn’t know why I didn’t know how much milk and butter to put in it, as often as I made this for me and Gavin.
When I reached into the trash, fished out the box, I turned around, and Tyler was standing right behind me. It startled me so much the box tumbled to the floor.
“Sorry about that.” He stooped down and picked it up for me.
“I didn’t even hear you.” I looked behind him, what was he? A ninja?
“I didn’t have the chance to say yes to that water.” He put his palm on my back when he gave me the box. I stepped aside so his hand fell. Then I went to the fridge, fetched the butter, milk, and a bottle of water. When I handed him the bottle, his hand grazed mine.
“Has Addi texted you again? Did her mom make it home?” I asked, because this was getting weird.
“Not yet.” He hovered behind me as I measured out the milk and butter. I poured them in the pan and mixed the mac-and-cheese. I reached for a bowl, but again he was standing in my way. He could at least sit at the table if he insisted on being in here.
“Want some?” I pointed to the food.
“Sure.”
I grabbed the bowls from the middle shelf, having to stretch to reach them. When I turned back around, he was staring at me. With a slight smirk on his face. I sat the bowl down rather hard, scooped the mac-n-cheese into it and handed it to him. We didn’t talk as we ate. The only noise was the sound of our chewing. His was rather loud, too.
“Did she text you yet?” I asked to fill the silence because this was getting awkward.
“Not yet.” He smiled when he glanced at his phone.
I picked up my bowl and carried it to the sink. “Maybe I should text her.”
“No need. She’ll get here when she gets here.” Again, he was strangely right behind me. I looked toward the table. He was just there two seconds ago. What the heck?
“You need to put your shoes back on. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“Am I making you nervous?” his smile was slightly off and he didn’t make a move to get out of my way, blocking me against the sink.
“Let’s wait in there.” I pointed toward the sofa. I just wanted him and his strong cologne out of my personal space.
“Why don’t you like me?” He stepped away.
“Didn’t realize I had to like you,” I said.
“Are you jealous?”
“Of what?” Addi? Sure, I’d like to hang out with her more, but I didn’t care that she had a boyfriend.
“You want me, but Addi got me first.”
“Um…” My hands gripped the counter behind me. I looked toward my phone, which buzzed on the table now.
“Don’t worry.” He moved toward me again, “There’s enough of me to go around.”
“Step back there, Cassanova.” I held my hand up.
&nb
sp; “I won’t tell her.” His left eye twitched.
“She’s not coming, is she?” I tore my arm from him.
He shook his head. “Her dad won’t let her leave.”
“Jack will be here soon.” I said the first name that came to my mind.
“Landry?” He laughed. “What are you doing with that nerd?”
“He’s my friend.” I suddenly felt the need to defend him. Just like I did Addi.
“No one has to know.” He said softly and reached for me.
“Okay, well, I don’t like you because you’re a creep.”
“How sweet,” he said.
I swatted his advancements away. “You should go.”
“Seriously?” He said in disbelief as if I hadn’t just shot him down more than once.
“Yes, seriously.” I stepped backward. “Addi’s my best friend and even if she wasn’t … ew.”
A snarl came over his face, “You’re just a stupid slut anyway.” He headed toward the door.
Finally, he was leaving.
“Just wait until Addi finds out.” He shoved his feet in his high-tops.
“Hopefully she’ll be done for good this time,” I said.
“With you, because you came on to me.”
“Me?”
He stood, flicked his hair out of his face. “You like guys. Who do you think she’s going to believe?”
My jaw dropped at his audacity. “We’ve been best friends way longer than you’ve been dating her.”
“Just try it.” His voice lowered and he narrowed his eyes.
Since her dad was home and he wasn’t letting her leave the house, that wasn’t a good sign that I’d be able to talk to her tonight. At least she wouldn’t be able to talk to Tyler either.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“How could you?” Addi came storming into my room. Looked like Tyler did get to her first. “You can have any boy you want. There’s only one off limits …” her face was streaked with tears, her eyes red-rimmed.
“Addi, he came on to me,” I sat up on my bed, where I’d been lying on my stomach, sending selfies to Dylan.
She glared at me, nostrils flared. “And now you lie about it?”
