Page 57 of I Despise You
Chapter 20
IDON’T REALLY GETto see Chase for a few days, until we get the results of yet another one of the tests that count toward our score for the scholarship.
Since I have a one-point advantage over Chase, who is second, I can’t help but be excited. But when I look at Chase’s serious face while he’s staring at the score list as if he can’t believe it’s real, I instantly feel bad. This is a complicated situation. I want to be happy for my success, but my win also means that my boyfriend sort of lost. I’m not sure how to handle that.
“There are still more tests left,” I say in the end because I can’t bear seeing him sad.
“Whatever. Only one of us can win anyway.” He turns away from me.
“Hey, wait.” I catch up with him before he can stride away. “Um, is everything okay between us? I know we were both busy studying, but now we can talk and maybe—”
“There’s nothing to talk about, and we’re fine.” Except, judging by the look in his eyes, we’re not fine. He’s not fine.
“I heard there’s a party tonight,” I say. “Everyone’s going to try to sneak out. Looks the administration decided enough time has passed and that there have been no incidents, so they’re relaxing the security at night again.”
I know Chase likes to party, so if I have to sneak out and take a risk to get to the club to make him happy, I’ll do it. Maybe all he needs is a break from thinking about school and the scholarship, or from everything else.
“Do you want to go? With me?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything.
“I’m tired.”
“Um, okay. Can we talk later then?”
“Sure.” He walks away without another word.
I stand there in the middle of the hallway. Something’s wrong. I can feel it, but if Chase doesn’t want to talk to me, I don’t know what I can do to fix it. Maybe he just needs time.
“Lil!” Vanessa says with a smile on her face as she approaches. “Congrats! I see you’re number one!”
“Thanks.” I smile back.
“How does your boyfriend feel about that?” She eyes me carefully.
“I think he’s a little upset.”
“Bah! He should be glad he has a smart girlfriend. Oh, are you going to the party tonight?”
“Looks like I’m not. Chase is tired and—”
“Whoa, stop right there, girl.” Vanessa lifts her finger. “You should celebrate your win. If Chase wants to mope around, let him. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun. I don’t want to go alone to the party either, so you should come with me.”
“I don’t know. If someone catches us—”
“They won’t. We’ll be more careful. Do you know Brad?”
I shake my head.
“He’s a very smart guy. He actually secretly put up cameras in the hallways. The cameras are well hidden and they’re connected directly to a website. So before we go anywhere, all we have to do is check the website and we’ll know if we can go or if we have to wait. Cool, right?”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Wait, is this guy recording everything that’s going on—?”
“No, it’s not like that. He’s going to take the cameras down after the party because he doesn’t want the principal to find out or someone else to find them. And the cameras aren’t recording anything. They’re turned toward the ceiling. Since it’s dark, and the guards use flashlights, we’ll see them. Our phones don’t provide that much light, and we’ll keep them pointed at the ground since all we need to do is see where we’re going. Even if someone messes up or their phone light is too bright, it doesn’t matter. We shouldn’t all walk together anyway or someone might hear us, so it’s better to wait.”
I have no idea if that’s going to work, but at least it’s some kind of plan.
“So, are we going?” Vanessa grins, gently elbowing me in the arm. “Please!”
I think about my options. If I stay in my room, all I’ll think about is Chase. It’ll drive me crazy. I’ve spent too much time studying these past few days, and I don’t want to burn out. A party would be a good distraction.
