by Grace Reagal
My eyes widen and forgetting that I’m not supposed to look at Valentin, I turn toward him, my heart beating. “Did I just say that out loud?”
Valentin has his head back and is having the greatest laugh of his life.
“Oh, God. Oh, God.” My eyes go to Tom, who has turned to face me. He looks like he is trying to keep from laughing too and he shakes his head mouthing, “Damn.”
Mr. Mahor finally calms the room down enough to continue. Raising a wry brow at me, he continues with the choosing. I try to sink far enough into my seat so I disappear, but it isn’t possible.
Why do you keep bringing attention to yourself?
It’s not my fault that I talk my thoughts, okay?
It’s a real problem.
I agree.
Get some help.
Okay.
I raise the book up to my face so that it covers me from all the ogling eyes and try to wish my disappearance as Mr. Mahor continues. Slowly, people start forgetting as they became focused on their partners.
I become worried the longer I don’t hear my name.
I slowly peek up from the book and find Valentin’s eyes looking into mine. He looks strangely amused like he knows what is about to happen.
I refuse to break my silence and continue to stare at the front of the room as Mr. Mahor runs through the names.
Finally, there is silence.
My hand shoots up in the air when Mr. Mahor sets the hat down. “Excuse me, Mr. Mahor, I didn’t hear my name.”
He nods. “Oh, yes. Someone requested you specifically this morning, and I thought, why the hell not.” He shrugs. “I think you both would be a good match and coming before class was a commitment I had never seen from this person.”
I look at him thoughtfully. “Who was it?” I don’t really know anyone at this school and Tom already has a partner.
“Valentin Nikolaev.”
The moment he says that the bell rings, imitating my booming heart. “What?”
Thankfully everyone has already shot up from their seats and have started talking so they don’t really hear my loud voice.
I spin around to face Valentin. He is still sitting, his arms crossed with his legs open, looking relaxed. The amused smirk on his face has grown to an infuriating size.
My eyes blaze and I grip my book hard enough to rip. “What…the…hell…did…you…do?”
His eyes widen, “Oh, you swear, Kitten?” He grins. “Maybe this won’t be as much of a bummer as I thought it would be.”
Quickly, I gather my stuff into my book bag and I run up to the front of the room to the teacher. Mr. Mahor has his legs up and his nose in a book. Without looking up he says, “Yes, Ms. Callahan?”
I wring my hands. “Mr. Mahor, I can’t be partners with him.”
He flips to the next page. “And why is that?”
“Because he—because he’s a—he’s really a—” I run a frustrated hand over my face and blurt out quickly, “He’s an arrogant asshole who thinks he owns the school and that the world owes him something and everyone bows to him like he’s the king!”
Mr. Mahor peeks up from his book with a slight smile. “And you’re a know-it-all who already has the whole school talking about her and who destroys boys who flirt with her.”
That is not fair! “I—I was not.” I shake my head, and for the third time this week I’m at a loss for words. “He was being a pervert!”
Mr. Mahor sets his book down, looking at me wryly. “Danny is an autistic kid who flirts with all the girls.”
That cuts me off right in the middle of my sentence and I groan. I cover my face with my hands. “Oh, God.”
He laughs. “You have a lot to learn about this school, Ms. Callahan. And I think Mr. Nikolaev is the perfect person to teach you. That and,” he leans forward toward me like he is telling me a secret and whispers, “that was the first time Valentin willingly came to class before class time to talk about something class related. It touched me as a teacher.” Mr. Mahor shrugs and leans back, picking up his book. “That’s the end of it. Now, you better get to your next class or you’ll get a late slip, and if I pegged you right, Ms. Callahan, you don’t seem like the type to get late slips.”
I walk out of the class as new students stream in, my mind still in a buzz. What had just happened?
Muttering, “You just insulted an autistic kid…you got partnered up with Valentin Nikolaev…and you’re about to get a late slip for chemistry…” I hurry out into the hallway.
At the door awaits my worst nightmare.
Walking faster, I growl, “Why are you always at every corner?”
Valentin jogs up to me. “Simple, Kitten. It’s because your thoughts conjure me.” He grins as he says, “Freak.”
I freeze at the word and turn toward him slowly. Again, I feel the mortification of yesterday, but this time I’m not a deer in the headlights. I open my mouth to let out a string of the longest insults this boy has ever heard. “You little piece of—”
“Why don’t you want to be my partner?”
My words are cut off.
That is unexpected.
There’s no smirk on his face, no smug look, no I-know-all-of-your-secrets eyes shining, nothing but a smooth expression. If I don’t know better, I would say he is hurt.
I touch my lips involuntary, the memory from yesterday fresh in my mind. I look away, blinking slowly. There are so many reasons why I don’t want to be his partner that I would probably have laughed in his face any other day. But there’s only one thought in my mind and I tell him.
“You stole my first kiss.”
Chapter 8
Caterina
There’s complete silence before I turn around quickly and start walking to my class, muttering, “I need to go before the bell rings.”
I feel a hand on my shoulder. It’s not tight or bruising. Just a slight touch. It stops me more than any other touch would have. Without looking back at Valentin, I whisper, “What?”
I feel him behind me. “That was your first kiss?” He sounds shocked.
I scoff. “Why wouldn’t it be? I’ve barely touched a boy before in my life. You obviously know my father enough to know that.”
Valentin walks in front of me, letting his hand drop to his side. For the first time, his green eyes are not cruel. They just seem interested. “I knew that…I just…” He raised an eyebrow. “Never?”
I worry my lip with my teeth. It was a habit I had picked up from Mom. “Yes, never.”
His green eyes flicker and I see his fists tighten by his sides. “Stop.” He says it very quietly.
“Stop what?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing, it’s just…I was your first?”
I scoff. He is pretending to be surprised. There is no way he is shocked by this “revelation.” I am sure he had been many girls’ firsts.
The bell rings, startling me and saving me from answering the question. “I need to go.”
“Kitten, I’m—”
I don’t know what his next words are because I start sprinting. I don’t know if it is toward my class or away from him, but my heart feels relief when I realize he isn’t following me.
***
During Pool, the whole group of girls is buzzing. Apparently, a dance is happening on Friday. I am thankful that they have more important things to discuss than what happened yesterday.
According to Mell, this is the first year the school is hosting homecoming, which means there is no chance of the cops busting them.
“It happened two years ago and everyone was banned from parties the whole year.”
“Why?”
“Underage drinking, sexual assault, etcetera, etcetera.” There was something dark about her tone, as light as she tries to make her face look.
She takes off her bra right in front of everyone. I spin around, getting my towel from my locker. Mell laughs, tying her bikini. “You know, you don’t have to look away.”
I ignore that com
ment. “So no one went to any parties for a whole year?” I find that shocking.
“Of course they did, but it was a hassle.”
“They always start off young, don’t they?” The snarky voice comes from one of the changing rooms. There’s laughter from the other stalls.
There’s no way Mell doesn’t hear them but she keeps walking toward the locker room exit to enter the pool.
“She might have also got it from her mother, who knows?”
“Yeah, I heard if your mother is like a…” the voice lowers to a whisper, “…s-l-u-t, the kid comes out that way too.”
My mouth drops open. What the fudge of heckity heck is up with these girls?
Mell freezes by the doorway. Her shoulder rises and falls, but she doesn’t turn around.
The other girls that aren’t in the stalls look at each other wide-eyed and scurry out. They all know this shouldn’t be happening and yet no one is doing anything to stop it.
Some people are really cruel, my God.
When I look down, I see my fisted hands. I slowly force myself to open them and am shocked to find nail imprints on my palms.
“Well, maybe now that her mother is dead—”
This does it for me.
I don’t know what issue they have with Mell, or if there is a legitimate reason why they seem to hate her, but talking about someone’s dead mother? That is screwed up.
I storm into the middle stall, which seems to be the most talkative one, and kick it open.
The girl inside squeals. “Someone’s in here!”
I kick it harder and it bursts open.
I laugh, watching her try to cover herself. “Oh, look who it is. Hawkeyes’ sidekicks.” Hawkeyes is the nickname I have given to Cassandra. Her eyes creep me out.
The girl jumps, trying to cover herself with her hands. “Get out!”
I step into the stall and slam the door shut.
From outside, I hear Mell’s voice call out, “What are you doing, Kitty?”
“Teaching this girl a lesson.”
The girl is screaming her head off now. “Ms. Martinez! There’s a rapist in my stall! Help—”
I laugh. “Stop screaming, I am not a rapist. And funny that you’re yelling for help when you and your friends left me alone here yesterday when two guys barged in here.” I cock my head, raising an eyebrow.
She snarls, “The way I remember it, so did the girl you’re defending now.”
There’s a commotion outside the stalls and I hear her friends say, “Hey, get out of there!”
“I’m going to call the teacher!”
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
I call out, “Are you scared I’m going to hit her?”
She loses her snarl. “You—you can’t. You’re going to get s-suspended for that!”
I smile widely. “You’re right. I would get in trouble for punching you. But,” I pick up her clothes from the hanger, “there are no rules about accidents.” And before she can move to grab her clothes, I dump them in the toilet.
“Oops.”
She shrieks and I laugh, opening the door and slamming it shut behind me.
In front of me is a group of girls, all with their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open.
“Did you just hit her?”
“I’m gonna call the teacher!”
Mell stands in the far back, her face void of emotions.
I shrug, getting in the next stall to change. “I didn’t touch a hair on her.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” is all she says before turning back.
“I know.”
She doesn’t talk for a long time until I confront her. “Are you mad at me? She deserved it!”
Mell scoffs, sitting down on a bench near the lockers. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself for not doing this for you yesterday.” She plugs in her headphones and leans against the wall with her eyes closed.
***
When Mom and Dad pick me up that day, I’m giddy.
“How was—”
“It was great.”
Dad looks at me in the rearview mirror. Mom turns from the passenger seat, a big smile on her face. “Really?”
I nod, putting my bag next to me. “Yes.”
“What happened?”
“I made friends.”
Apparently what I had done today was a true official stamp of friendship in Mell’s eyes because as I went to Pool, she hugged me and left, skipping class.
“Is it a boy?” There is a warning in Dad’s voice and I know I have to tread lightly.
“Nope. A girl.”
“What’s her name?”
“Mell.”
“What grade is she in?”
“Same as me, Dad.”
“Who are her parents—”
Mom smacks his arm. “Dom!”
“What? I’m only—”
“Interrogating her. Our baby made a friend!” She beams at me. “That’s enough for me.”
He grumbles. “Not for me. How do you know that she—”
I sigh. “Dad, she’s normal…” Kind of… “She’s nice.” Just not to some people… “She’s a really good student.” But is she really? “Anyways I like her so…” I do.
I shrug, smiling, and lean forward to turn up the radio. “I made a normal friend in a normal high school and my parents didn’t do it for me. That deserves some celebration.”
Mom laughs, ruffling my hair.
Dad just looks ahead in thought.
Maybe he had picked up something about Valentin in my voice which I know is impossible, but then again, I keep forgetting that he isn’t always Dad…sometimes he’s Dominic Giovanni. The guy who became one of the youngest billionaires by starting his own business, and the man who Valentin thinks he knows more about than I do.
***
The next day, the whole school is buzzing about the party that will be hosted the next day. What happened yesterday is forgotten. Again.
I smile in relief as I walk into Psychology. I fall into my seat in the front and take out my homework.
“You know half the girls population hates you because of what you did during Pool, right?”
Or not.
I groan as Tom takes his seat to my left. “Are you kidding?”
He shakes his head, taking out his homework. “No. You’re making enemies everywhere you go, Cat.”
“You’re right. I’m too dangerous to be around. You should probably stop talking to me.” I say it in a joking tone, but I am being serious. If half the girls hate me and Valentin and his guys are on my case…I am practically a bomb waiting to go off.
Tom shrugs. “Maybe.”
I put my elbows on the desk and rest my face in my hands. “So why don’t you?”
“I think what you did for Melanie was…kind. Especially for someone you don’t know and for someone so…”
“So what?” I say, getting defensive.
“Nothing, it’s just…she doesn’t seem like the type to make friends.”
I flash an irritated smile. “Well, obviously she is. Stop judging her. You have no idea what she’s like.”
Tom nods, looking sheepish. “You’re right. Sorry, I—”
I shrug. “It’s whatever.”
Our Psychology teacher comes in and the class quiets. I avoid talking to Tom for most of the class, even though he tries on many occasions to start up a conversation.
As we’re leaving, he grabs the sleeve of my sweater. “Cat.”
I turn toward him, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “What?”
He pushes his curly hair back and looks down sheepishly. “I really am sorry about what I said earlier, it’s just—”
“Look, I’m not mad. I just don’t like how people around here judge others they don’t know so fast. The only reason I did what I did to the girl yesterday was because they were talking about Mell’s dead mom. They were calling her a slut.” I shake my head, disgusted. “And even though people saw how
wrong it was, no one made a move to help her.”
“Oh, you’re such an angel, aren’t you?” The snarky feminine voice comes from behind me. I turn and see it’s Cassandra. And those eyes.
God, she creeps me out.
I sigh and waving goodbye to Tom, start walking out of the class.
She and her group of girls follow close behind me.
“Where are you going so fast?”
“Oh, wait up, Caterina. Don’t go so fast now.”
“Hey, Cassie is talking to you!”
Finally, I turn around again, rolling my eyes. “What do you guys want? An apology?”
I look at the group to find the girl from yesterday. She’s in the back, her face looking like it has permanently etched on a scowl. I lean toward her with a grin. “I…am…not…sorry.”
I flash a grin at Cassandra. “Goodbye.”
She looks me up and down. “You think you’re an angel, don’t you? Get friendly with the weirdos of the school, protecting Melanie at all costs. You’re pathetic.”
Thankfully, at that moment, a teacher comes out of the room, because there was a part of me that wanted to smash her face against the nearby locker.
Cassandra smirks and whispers, “We’ll finish this later.”
***
I sit down at lunch, alone.
Mell isn’t here today.
So much for a friend.
Picking up Catcher in the Rye, I start eating and reading. I have a couple of chapters left to go before I’m finished. Every time I think about the project for the book, I want to vomit. I have to find a way to get out of it but I have no idea how.
“Hey, are you Caterina?”
I look up and find a tall guy in a football jersey looking down at me with a smile. He is really good looking. Like really good looking.
Looking away quickly so I don’t get caught staring, I say, “Uh, yeah…”
“Cool.” He sits down across from me.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” I am confused. I have no idea who he is.
He laughs, moving his blond hair from his eyes. “Oh, where are my manners? My mother would be disappointed.” He extends his arm. “Name’s Chase.”
“Chase?” I cover my mouth to keep from laughing.
