Page 15 of Isabella and the Slipper

What did he mean by that? She hesitated.Like what?

We live in a big house we can’t afford. My father lost his job last year. Money’s been tight.

A lump formed in her throat. She was pretty sure Chase Hawkins didn’t go around telling people at school that information. Why was he sharing it with her?

That sucks.

Yeah, and if I don’t land another acting job, it’s going to be my fault no money’s coming in.

Wow.

Sorry. Didn’t mean to dump on you.

Isabella stared at the words on the phone. How could she tell him it meant a lot that he shared that with her? What could she say to make him understand?

It’s okay. You can dump on me anytime.

That sounded lame. You can dump on me anytime? What was she, a trash can?

She waited to see if he would respond. Suddenly, her phone rang, and she fumbled with it. Expecting to see Savannah’s name on the screen, her heart thumped in her chest when she saw it was Chase. What should she do? Answer it? Ignore it? It continued to ring, and she made a fast decision, swiping her finger across. “Hello?” Her voice sounded hollow and high-pitched.

“Is it weird that I called? Because if it’s weird, let me know. I don’t want to creep you out or anything.”

His deep voice sent a wave of nerves through her. “No, it’s not weird.” She clutched the phone to her ear.

“Good. Because I just wanted to talk to you. My fingers were tired.”

She chuckled, shifting because her back hurt from leaning up against her door. “Yeah.”

He paused. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

It was? She didn’t know what to say to him, so she just said, “You, too.”

“I didn’t mean to tell you all that about my family.” He sounded nervous.

“It’s okay. I have a weird family life, too.”

“The thing is ... people at school don’t really know my full situation.”

Ah. He was worried she’d blab about it to the school. Her backside was starting to fall asleep so she stood. “I won’t tell anyone.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Thanks, Five.”

She tried not to giggle at the silly nickname he’d given her. “You’re welcome.”

“You know, it’s weird—I don’t even know who you are, but I feel like you’re easy to talk to.”

Isabella smiled at the compliment. “You, too.”

“Can I call you tomorrow?” His voice was soft. Tentative.

“Sure. Just wait until I’m done with my—chores after school.” It wasn’t an outright lie.

“What time is that?”

“Seven.”

“She makes you do chores until seven o’clock at night?”

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