Page 41 of My Heart to Keep
“Not yet. I wanted to be sure you would agree to it first.”
I hated to disappoint Principal Sanders. She’d always been nice to me, and I also wanted my college applications to look good.
“Can I check with my parents?” I didn’t have to, but considering I was the only one at home to do chores and help Daddy, it was a good idea to run it by them.
“Sure. Let’s revisit this topic tomorrow, then.”
“Again, if you hear anything on the prank, can you at least call my dad?”
She pressed her red lips together with a hint of a smile. “In this town, nothing stays hidden for long.”
I couldn’t agree more. Daddy had a way of finding out things before me sometimes. Besides, with the way kids gossiped around school, it was just a matter of time before the truth came out.
But the prank was the least of my worries. I had to find an excuse not to tutor a boy who scared the pants off me.
My legs were like Jell-O as I walked up the stairs to my dorm room, feeling spent from a hardcore practice. Every morning and afternoon, Coach Green had us training and working out—suicides, jumping jacks, push-ups, running laps around the track, basketball lessons, plays, and tapes of other teams. I was living and breathing basketball and school. I barely had time to sleep. I wasn’t complaining, though. I was in the best shape of my life. My back wasn’t giving me problems, and I didn’t have time to wallow in how I was missing Quinn, although I did think about her every chance I had.
I missed catching a glimpse of her pretty face and sweet smile in between classes. I missed the quiet moments we’d had in one of the supply closets at Kensington last year.
When I dragged my butt into our dorm room, I saw Ethan with his back plastered to the wall and his knees raised as he lounged on his bed.
“No football practice?” I tossed my gym bag on the floor and flopped down on my bed.
Our room wasn’t anything to write home about. It was just a simple setup with two beds, two dressers, two desks, and a window that overlooked the sports complex. A communal bathroom was located at the end of the hall, as well as a common room where we could watch TV or hang out.
Ethan lobbed his phone into my lap. “You have to see the video Jessica sent to me.”
I sat up. “Of?” I hit play, and my eyes widened. “What the? Pigs in school?” I immediately recognized Beast. “Are those from Quinn’s farm?”
Ethan dove into a fit of laughter. “I wish I’d been there. It’s some senior prank.”
“When did this happen?”
Ethan reached for his phone. “This morning. Didn’t Quinn text you?”
I returned his phone and dug mine out of my gym bag, curious why Quinn hadn’t called or sent me a text to let me know what had happened. Then I saw that I did have a text from her. “It looks like she did a few minutes ago.”
Quinn:I had a day from hell. How was yours?
“What did she say?” Ethan probed, eager to hear more about the pigs.
“Not much. Let me call her.”
“Before you do, I need to tell you something.” His excitement died a quick death.
My pulse took a nosedive at his grim tone. Jasper, Marcus, and Emma were at school with us. Either Marcus had gotten into trouble, which wouldn’t surprise me, or something had happened at home with Mom that I didn’t know about.
Ethan scooted to the edge of his bed. “Sloane didn’t move. Rumor is that her and her brother are responsible for the pigs.”
I didn’t like Sloane, although I got the attraction Marcus had for her. She was pretty, but man, she was trouble.
“Say what?” My brain was still processing the pigs in school.
“We can’t tell Marcus.”
I stared at Quinn’s text message and the heart emoji at the end of her sentence. My own heart beat a little faster. Man, I was dying to see her. I would give anything to have her at school with me. If she were in the dorms, I could sneak out of my room and into hers.
Absently, I flipped my phone in my hands, my mind conjuring up images of Quinn and the sweet taste of her soft lips. An entire school year without her would be painful. Hell, the last week without her had been. What was I thinking?
