Page 5 of Wylder and the Secret Rockstar
Her dad smiled. “Who knew all we had to do to prevent our girl from cutting school was call to annoy her?”
Beckett leaned in until only his eye was visible on the screen. “Class starts in five minutes. Get to English, Wylds.” He hung up, leaving her staring at a blank screen.
“Wait,” she said as if he could still hear her. “How do you know my schedule?”
Dragging herself from the bed, she slid her messenger bag over one shoulder and stepped into her Converse sneakers, bending to pull the back of them over her heels. “Come on, Diego. Wouldn’t want the school crying to my brother about how I’m a bad influence on their smartest student.”
Beckett not only paid her tuition, he was the school spokesman in commercials. It was the only way he’d gotten her in after she’d broken into her last school and thrown the most epic of epic parties. Seriously, kids in town still talked about it.
She wasthatgirl. The one students at Twin Rivers High spoke of in whispers, wondering where she’d disappeared to, probably assuming she’d gotten herself thrown in juvie somehow.
By the time Wylder and Diego reached the red-brick quad surrounded by ancient academic buildings, they only had two minutes to get to Cambridge Hall.
“How are we in the same English Lit class?” Diego asked as they ran up the stone steps.
“You mean how am I in the smart class?” Wylder elbowed him, reaching for the door.
“Well, yeah.” Diego hid his smile behind his ever-present coffee mug.
“I happened to have done really well in my English Lit class last year, so they put me in with the smarties this year.”
“Good for you, Wylder. Better hurry, we’re almost late.” Diego held the door to the classroom open for her.
“Come in, come in,” the teacher said, facing the whiteboard. “We were just getting started, so take your seats.”
Diego rushed past her, but Wylder stood frozen in place, her books falling to the floor as the teacher turned around.
“Bash?” Her mouth went dry as she stared at the man she’d spent the summer with, the one she hadn’t been able to get out of her mind.
The blood rushed from his face as he met her gaze. He opened his mouth, seeming to take all the oxygen in the room into his lungs. “My name is Mr. Cook. Please take your seat.”
Please take your seat?That was all he had to say?
No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening.
“Wylder.” Diego pointed to two desks near the front.
She didn’t see any of the other students as she slid onto the cold blue chair. Her bag dropped to the floor as she folded her hands underneath her ripped jeans. A single dreadlock escaped from where she had them braided back into a thick ponytail, and she blew it out of her face, using the action to distract her for just a moment.
It didn’t work. Her heart pounded against her ribs. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Crash.
Everything rushed in at her. Sebastian’s words at the front of the class as he introduced himself. The disrespectful chatter of her classmates—the girls in particular—as they stared at the new teacher, the man who was too young to teach them, and way too good looking.
And hers.
No, not hers.
“Oh, gosh.” Folding her arms on the desk, she lowered her forehead, trying to get her breathing under control.
It made so much sense now. Logan being here.
The new job Sebastian had told her about. He’d said he was a teacher. She’d just never imagined he’d beherteacher.
From the scathing look he sent her way, she realized she’d never told him she was a high school student. Nineteen wasn’t a lie, but not many kids had to repeat a year.
Lordy, this was messed up.
“You okay?” Diego hissed.
