Page 19 of The Teacher of Nothing
Except with Callum…
“Wait up!”
My hasty exit out of the classroom was a waste of effort. Dempsey easily catches up to me, slinging an arm over my shoulders. He smells like a hint of tobacco mixed with blueberry muffins, which is an odd, yet nice combination.
“Sorry,” Dempsey says with a chuckle that begs to differ. “I swear I didn’t do that on purpose.”
“Right,” I mumble. “Everyone knows you’re a manwhore.”
He laughs again. “Do they now? My reputation precedes me. I bet my dad’s super proud.”
I’m not sure why Dempsey is showing a sudden interest in me, but it unnerves me. People don’t notice me. I’ve managed to fade into the background for years. Why the sudden interest in Willa Reyes, school nerd?
“Can’t you go bother someone else?” I say, making the mistake of peering into his blue eyes that match Callum’s almost identically.
“Technically, I am.” He winks at me before turning his attention down the hallway. He does a chin lift and says, “‘Sup?”
I follow his stare to Levi. My stepbrother. His narrowed stare is on me, furious and accusing.
“Willa,” Levi growls, coming to a stop in front of us. “Stay away from Park.”
My skin burns hot. How dare this prick. He photographs indecent poses of me while I sleep, gets caught having them by our teacher, and then has the audacity to act like the moral hero in my story. Excuse me, but no.
“I can see whoever I want, Levi.” I adopt the bitchiest face I can muster. “Walk me to class, babe?”
I don’t know what’s possessed me to poke at Levi, but it actually feels good. Dempsey could blow my cover and I will die of humiliation.
Dempsey kisses the top of my head. “Yeah,babe. Of course.”
Being called babe, even by the wrong Park brother, does wonders for my ego. I stand taller and face off with the monster I live with. Levi blinks at me, a mix of confusion and rage.
“When you get knocked up or crawling with STIs, don’t come home looking for support,” Levi snarls at me.
“Don’t be a prick,” Dempsey snaps, his easygoing persona disappearing in an instant. “And stay away from my sister.”
Levi’s nostrils flare. “Is that what this is about? I fuck your sister, so you fuck mine?”
Dempsey vibrates with anger and drops his hold on me. He steps forward until he comes nose-to-nose with Levi. If I don’t do something, there’s going to be a fight.
“Stay. Away. From. Gemma.”
“Or what?” Levi taunts.
“It’ll be the last thing you do.”
A crowd has formed around us, a combination of curious students and those who are laughing, entertained by the impending fight.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing Dempsey’s bicep. “He’s not worth it.”
Dempsey considers my words and then steps back. He takes my hand, threading our fingers together. It’s all a ruse, but Levi doesn’t know that.
I tug at Dempsey’s hand, dragging him past my fuming stepbrother. The eyes of every student in the hallway are on me and Dempsey, quickly forming their own shocked conclusions. That we’re a couple.
“Care to fill me in?” I ask when we’re no longer in Levi’s earshot.
“Your brother is a dick.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. And he’s my stepbrother.”
