Page 14 of The Flirty Forward

I don’t say anything as I walk to my car. I put my bag in the back seat and slide into the front seat. Before I can close the door, he stops it. “Listen, I’m sorry about the thing with my niece. I wasn’t trying to get her out of her work...okay. That was exactly what I was trying to do, but I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Thank you?” he questions.

I’m not going to keep going round after round with him. “Yes. Thanks. Have a good night.” This time, when I pull on my door, he releases it. I pull out, leaving the tall hockey player in the driveway and breathe a sigh of relief when I can’t see him anymore. The drive home only takes a few minutes. I crash at the table and finish the papers I was grading before I make my way to bed for the night. Spending the night with Aiden and Brielle and him who should not be named made for an interesting night. Sitting next to him all night was enough to make me crazy. I sigh as I stare up at the ceiling and remember his apology. I shake my head and roll over. I wonder if that means I need to be nice to him now. Then I think back to how he treated me when he didn’t know who I was, months ago. My face flushes, and I resolve once again to keep my distance from him.

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The next few days fly by, and I don’t get a chance to connect with Brielle until Thursday afternoon. “Oh good, you’re here,” Brielle says, coming into my classroom as soon as school finishes for the day.

I look up from my computer. “Uh, yeah, Bri, this is where I usually am on a school day.” I can’t help but tease her. She doesn’t smile. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she waves off my concern. “So, I don’t know how exactly to tell you this.”

“Well, that’s never good,” I tell her.

“There was a press conference after the game last night,” she begins.

“For Aiden’s game?” I ask, figuring that’s what she’s talking about.

“Yeah, only...”

She doesn’t get a chance to say anything more before the door opens, and Principal Goodman steps into my classroom. Rob, one of the single teachers, walks in with him as well. I watch as Brielle’s lips tighten, and I wonder what in the world is going on. “Miss Winston, we’re here to see about getting you out to your car safely.”

Now, I’m worried. “What are you talking about?” I ask as I stand to my feet.

“There are reporters and every crazy person imaginable out there waiting for you,” Principal Goodman says.

I must have heard him wrong; that’s the only thing I can figure out. “Why are there reporters waiting for me?” I ask.

“That’s what I was coming to tell you. Sebastian might have...at the press conference last night, he might have mentioned something about you.” Brielle finishes with a grimace.

“He might have mentioned something about me?” I am aware that I just keep repeating everything everybody is saying, but nobody is making any sense.

“Bri, what is going on?” I ask my friend.

"Miss Winston, we need to get you out so everybody else can go home,” Principal Goodman butts in. “Do you have your belongings?”

His words snap me out of my confusion. I quickly pack up my laptop bag. My eyes meet Brielle’s as we leave my classroombehind. “I’ll explain everything soon. For now, let’s just get out of here.” Her ominous words stay with me. When we get to the front door, I look out and see some people gathered around the front door. There’s only a group of about fifteen or twenty people or so.

“This isn’t that bad; you guys made it out to sound like there was a mob out here waiting for me,” I say as we get close to the door.

“I tried to get ahold of Aiden, but he’s still in practice. Let’s just get to the car,” Brielle says, sticking her hand in my arm.

“Ready?” our principal asks.

Rob steps on my other side, and we follow Principal Goodman out the door. As soon as we do, it turns crazy. Everybody turns towards us. Cameras flash in my face, and several people try to shove a microphone in my face. There seems to be more people than I originally thought. Principal Goodman does a pretty good job of making his way through the group, and we walk right to my car.

“I’ll call you,” Brielle says right before I slide into my front seat.

“Just keep on driving; you’ll be fine,” Principal Goodman says with a reassurance I’m not sure I feel. In a daze, I turn on my car and make my way towards the exit. Thankfully, nobody tries to do anything crazy. A glance in my rearview shows that Brielle is right behind me. I take a steadying breath and make the drive to my house, taking a few extra turns, just in case. I park and grab my bag and march over to Bri’s car. As soon as she opens her door, I’m all over her.

“What in the world was that? What happened? What in blue blazes did Sebastian do?”

Brielle climbs out of her car. “Come on; let’s go inside.” I reluctantly follow her and unlock the front door. “It’s not whathe did; it’s what he said,” she says as she walks past me into my house.

“What did he say?”

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