Page 71 of Tutoring the Bad Boy
“Right.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Mr. Quinn, I’m not stupid. I know you told Ginny about the deal.”
My pulse jumps. She knows I know? But how?
Kaleb is quiet a moment and then says, “She overheard us that night. How else was I going to gain her trust?”
I suck in a sharp breath and hide before my mom can catch me. He’d seen me that night? He’d known the whole time that I knew? Tears cloud my vision, and my heart plummets to my stomach, crushing every butterfly I’ve ever had.
They continue talking, and I gather myself together enough to peek through the door again.
My mom’s mouth has parted a bit as she stares at Kaleb. “I wondered if that wasn’t the case, but I didn’t realize you’d seen her eavesdropping.”
The laugh that pours out of him is more like a cackle. “All I had to do was show a little interest in that stupid zombie movie, act a little troubled, and spill my guts. I knew she’d buy it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. My mom wanted my heart broken, and Kaleb delivered. But my heart isn’t broken. It’s been ripped out and thrown against a brick wall.
“To be honest, I’m a little shocked. With the way Ginny spoke of you, I thought maybe you’d actually fallen for her.”
Kaleb scoffs. “Not hardly. I needed my grade up in Mrs. Yates’s class, and you gave me the chance to go to MIT. Because of that, my dad isn’t pressuring me to go to Baylor and study law anymore.” He chuckles. “I guess I can thank you for that too.”
I can’t listen anymore. If it was just Kaleb, maybe the betrayal wouldn’t feel so bone-deep. But it’s not just him. It’s my mom. Ultimately, she’s the reason for what’s happening. Still, Kaleb took those marching orders of hers and played me. I let him do it, too.
I stumble out of the administration office into the hallway and find Dixie with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyebrows are knitted together with her lips twisted into a snarl I’ve never seen before.
“If you wanted Chris, all you had to do was say something. We’re friends, or so I thought. But if you want him, have him. I sure don’t want your leftovers.”
“Chris?” With all the arrows I have buried in my skin, I may as well be an archery target. “Dixie, what are you talking about?”
She rolls her eyes. “As if you don’t know. And just so you know,” she wiggles her finger between us, “we’re not friends anymore. Don’t call me, don’t talk to me, don’t come near me.” Her shoulders square, and she spins on her heel, marching away from me.
A second later, someone bumps into me. It’s Kaleb. I thought my heart had hit bottom, but when he looks at me, there’s a coldness in his eyes I’ve never seen before.
“Thanks for the help, sweetheart,” he says and winks before sauntering away like I’m nothing.
Fat drops of tears roll down my cheeks. I’ve been used and lied to and now one of my closest friends is telling me I’ve committed a sin so horrible that she no longer wants to speak to me. I don’t even know what I’ve done wrong.
I pull out my phone as I reach the classroom. My head is saying to talk to Ronnie, but I don’t have the words. I’m gutted. The circle of friends I have is small, and I’ve just lost two-thirds of them. What is there to say? Even if I did have words, I’m not sure I could get them out.
More droplets of tears streak down my cheeks, and I’m wiping them as quickly as I can. I take a deep breath, hold it, and then let it out through my nose. I need to pull it together long enough to get through this class. After this, I don’t know what I’ll do, but for now, I’m going to make myself into stone. I think it’s the only way I’m going to survive this.
The day grows longer by the second. By the time the final bell rings, I’m a wrung-out rag. I’ve cried, gotten angry, cried some more, and I’ve used more hall passes than I’ve ever used before.
When I reach my locker, I set my forehead against it, letting the cool metal seep into my skin. I close my eyes, searching for signs I missed. I’ve done that all day as well. What didn’t I see? There had to be signs I missed. Something that could keep me from making the same mistake again.
“Are you okay?” Ronnie’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
I step back from the locker, shaking my head. “No, but I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Something’s wrong with Dixie too, and she said the same thing. What’s going on? Do you know?”
“No.”
Ronnie crosses her arms over her chest. “Someone needs to tell me what’s going on. My two best friends look like the world has crumbled, and neither of them is telling me why.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I snap.
My friend flinches as if I’ve physically slapped her. “I was just trying to help. Geez. Why are you biting my head off?”
A shudder runs through my body. I can’t. I just can’t talk. I know I should, but…grief is slowly swallowing me whole. “I’m sorry,” I manage to say.
