Page 19 of Keep Me Never
“Yes, sir,” I answer quietly, hoping this might be one of those time the privileges often given to athletes come through.
It’s not.
Professor Michaels shakes his head, turning back to his computer screen with a single muttered word. “Shame.”
Shame is fucking right.
I’m out the door and in the hall in seconds. Shaking my head, I burst out the double doors and out into the afternoon sun. “Fuck!” I can’t help but shout.
“Hey!”
I jolt, whipping around a moment later, and there’s Paige, sitting with her legs tucked under her on the grass, a tea and cookie in her hands.
My jaw clenches, and I spin around, hurrying away before I say something I shouldn’t.
“Chase!” she calls. “Hey, hang on a second.”
My feet move faster, but as I round the corner of the building, she catches my arm, jumping in front of me. My hands shoot out, catching her around the ribs so she doesn’t tumble backward. We both trip, but I manage to steady us before we fall. Letting her go, I take a step away, staring at nothing over her head while I try to chill myself out, but panic is building in my chest at a swift pace.
I’m going to fail that exam, and when Coach gets our grades reported in a few short weeks, I’ll be screwed. Can they take my scholarship away mid-season?
Can he bench me for one bad grade?
Fuck, what if Professor Michaels?—
“Are you okay?” Paige whispers, her voice soft.
I laugh, but there is nothing humorous about it, and my back falls against the wall. “No, Paige, I’m not okay. I just got kicked out of class, and Professor Michaels is probably going to tell my coach I got caught cheating on the fucking test and I’m going to lose my last chance and—” I cut myself off, not having meant to say so much, and lock eyes with her. “Sorry. I’m sorry.Just…I gotta go, all right?” I try to sidestep her, but she blocks my path.
Paige tips her head, and then she slowly shakes it. “No, not all right.”
I frown at the girl.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” she begins. “But you’re really bad at having friends.”
A laugh sputters out of me, and I find myself giving her a grin—if only a small one. “Oh yeah?”
She nods, her smile playful if not a little sad.
I stare down at the blue-eyed, blond-haired, little doll, and I don’t know why, but the words pour out of me. “I’m screwed, Paige. Royally screwed. I’m in a bad spot, and because of that, I can’t get so much as a C on any one assignment, let alone any disciplinary actions, or I risk losing everything, and I meaneverything.”
She frowns slightly. “You think you’ll be punished for cheating?”
“No. Shit, I don’t know.” I sigh, not wanting to make her feel bad, but admit, “I wasn’t cheating, but I did have my phone out when I knew the rule against them. He saw it and I didn’t exactly stick around to argue, but he let me turn in what I had finished, so I think that means he knows I wasn’t cheating.”
Realization dawns, and misplaced guilt tightens her features. “Your text. You were checking on me and he caught you. Chase, I’m?—”
“Do not say sorry right now, Paige.” A heavy, chuckled exhale leaves me. “This is in no way on you. I worked myself up, let myself get worried when I should have just waited until I was finished. It’s just Ari had her accident freshman year, and Cam crashed her dad’s truck over the summer, so I…” I take a deep breath, meeting her gaze. “I’ve got a lot going on right now, and my head’s all over the place. I can’t sleep, and every thought that goes through my mind is drowned out by a negative one.”
Her blue eyes soften, and I’m not sure what she’s about tosay, but she surprises me. “I went to this wellness camp once in the tenth grade. Only because I was trying to set my dad up with this lady that opened a coffee shop down the road from our house. I volunteered to be a helper, planning on it being my dad, only to find out later it was a women-only camp. I spent thirteen days honoring trees and flowers with nothing but a cold river to shower in.”
Despite the stress coiling in my gut, a laugh leaves me, and Paige smiles in response. “Sounds fascinating,” I respond, not sure where she’s going with this.
“Yeah. But do you know what I gained out of that trip, other than a profound appreciation for warm running water?” She lifts her chin proudly. “You’re looking at a Certified Negativity Exorcist.”
I turn so one shoulder is leaning against the building and look down at her as I fight a grin. “Impressive.”
“It is. I quite literally have a certificate and everything. And do you know what a Certified Negativity Exorcist does?”
