by Cole Gibsen
Jeremy’s smile widened.
“Excuse me.” Nolan pushed in front of him. “That’s not what was going on at all. Before you so rudely interrupted, I was about to kick this guy’s ass.” He pointed a thumb at Jeremy. “Seriously, he had it coming.”
Jeremy’s smile disappeared.
The security guard sighed and tugged on his utility belt. “You think you’re funny? Let’s find out how funny the principal thinks you are with a visit to her office.”
“She does find me delightful.” Nolan tilted his head to the side as if considering the offer. But before he could say more, I kicked him in the shin.
“Ow.” His head snapped in my direction. “Did you just see that? I was assaulted.” He pointed at the security guard. “Mace and cuff her. She’s a menace.”
A vein throbbed along the guard’s temple, and I could tell he was losing patience fast.
“I’m really sorry about the disturbance,” I told him. “It’s all a big misunderstanding. We’ll go to class now, and I promise there won’t be any trouble.” Before Nolan could say anything else stupid, I grabbed his arm and squeezed it as hard as I could in warning.
“Good idea.” The guard narrowed his eyes. “Now clear out of my hall.”
Jeremy ducked his head and jogged away.
Nolan opened his mouth, but I jerked his arm, giving him no choice but to stumble after me. I released my death grip only after we were out of the security guard’s hearing.
“Jesus,” he muttered, rubbing his arm where I’d squeezed. “I knew you were mean, but I didn’t know you were violent, too. Have you ever thought about anger management classes?”
Un-freaking-believable. I spun around to face him. “Are you kidding me? What about you? Has anyone ever told you that you don’t know when to shut up?”
He folded his arms across his chest and smirked. “Just because I refuse to be a kiss-ass is no reason to be mean. Honesty is the best policy, after all.”
Usually, I went out of my way to avoid confrontation, but something about Nolan made my fingers strain with the urge to wrap them around his neck and squeeze. “You’re a moron.”
“Oh good, we’re back to name-calling. I was worried we were starting to get along or something.”
“As if that would ever happen.” I spun on my heels and continued the trek to my next class. Nolan quickly caught up to me.
“Oh my God,” I muttered. “Why are you so obsessed with stalking me?”
He shook his head. “I’m not following you. We’re in the same English class. I have to walk this way.”
Pressure built behind my eyes. Another trip to the nurse’s office was definitely in my future—at least this time it would be for an ibuprofen. “Can’t you at least walk, I don’t know, over there or something?” I waved at the other side of the hallway.
He cocked his eyebrow. “Why? Are you scared your new social-outcast status will tarnish my stellar reputation?”
“Aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t worry about things like that, unlike you.”
I pursed my lips. I didn’t know how Payton had managed to live in the same house with him all these years without murdering him in his sleep. “Jesus, Nolan, I—”
He interrupted with a dramatic sigh. “Fine. If you’re so worried about it, I’ll clear things up right now.” He stopped walking and cupped his hand over his mouth.
Panic rippled down my spine. Whatever was coming, it wouldn’t be good. I ducked my head and quickened my pace.
Before I got very far, Nolan darted ahead of me, blocking my path. “Attention, everyone!”
Oh, damn. I wanted to run, but with Nolan in front of me, there was nowhere to go.
“This is a public service announcement,” he continued. “I am merely walking to class in the same vicinity as Regan Flay. This does not mean I am in any way associated or affiliated with her. Our close proximity during commute is merely a coincidence. Now carry on.” He dropped his hands and looked at me—as did everyone else in the hallway. Half of them laughed while others rolled their eyes and shot Nolan annoyed glances.
My cheeks burned so hot I was sure my skin would melt right off.
Nolan smiled. “Happy?”
I glared at him. “Are you insane? If you want to make me happy, leave me the hell alone.” I skirted around him and practically jogged to contemporary lit.
I dashed inside the classroom, and Mrs. Lochte looked at me with narrowed eyes. As nonchalantly as I could, I slowed to a stroll and took a seat in the front row, as far away from Nolan’s usual spot in the back as I could muster.
When he entered the room, I dropped my eyes to my backpack and focused on pulling out my books and stacking them neatly on my desk with my pen tucked at the side.
“Pssst,” a voice whispered.
My throat tightened at the sound, and I froze. Please, God, no. Slowly, I turned in my seat to find Nolan smiling at me from the next desk over. He waved.
I lowered my head and raked my fingers through my hair, hoping to relieve the pressure pounding inside my skull. Even if I believed in karma, was everything I’d done really bad enough that I deserved Nolan’s unending harassment?
“Pssst,” he hissed again, louder this time.
Class hadn’t started, but when it did, Mrs. Lochte wouldn’t tolerate talking. I knew Nolan couldn’t care less about getting in trouble, but I was willing to bet if I didn’t acknowledge him now, he’d only keep pestering me until I did.
I curled my lips into a snarl. “What?”
He propped his chin up with his fist. “Call it a hunch, but I get the feeling you don’t like me.”
Directing my attention to the board, I opened my notebook and pulled the cap off my pen. “Thanks for the report, Captain Obvious,” I muttered.
“Even after I helped you out earlier?” he asked. “With Jeremy?”
So that was his game? He thought he had a free pass to harass me because he’d helped me get away from Jeremy? I whirled around and glared at him. “I never asked for your help. I was doing just fine on my own.”
He snorted. “Yeah.”
Before he could say anything else, the bell rang. Mrs. Lochte rose from her desk and strode to the front of the room. She touched the Smart board, and a picture book with a puppy on the cover appeared on the screen. “Today we’re going to discuss children’s picture books and how most can be broken down into three parts.”
I silently rejoiced. With class in session, there was no way he could bother me without attracting attention from the teacher. I settled back into my seat and scribbled down picture books in my notebook. Mrs. Lochte began reading the book out loud. She got through two pages when a folded piece of paper was tossed onto my desk.
I tapped my pen against my notebook and exhaled slowly. So much for wishful thinking.
“Pssst,” Nolan whispered. Since he was oblivious and had no volume control, his whisper attracted the attention of our teacher. She spun away from the board, her brow pinched in stern lines. Her gaze swept over all of us, and I couldn’t help but squirm a little when it fell on me. After I endured several seconds under her cool stare, she finally turned around and resumed reading.
The threads pulled tight across my chest loosened. I looked over at Nolan to find him grinning at me. He pointed to the paper on my desk and mouthed the words “Open it.”
I knew he wouldn’t let up until I did, so I carefully pulled the folded triangle apart, smoothing it until it laid flat on my notebook. Written on the paper in sloppy handwriting was the question, Do you like me? Beneath it, two boxes were drawn with the words “yes” and “no” written below.
Oh my God, I was dealing with a kindergartner.
“Answer it,” he whispered.
My jaw was clenched so tightly that my teeth ached. I clicked my pen and checked “no” before handing the paper to him.
Nolan scribbled on it and slid it back over. My urge to groan was overwhelming. I glanced down at
the paper to find a new question.
Why not?
Mrs. Lochte was still reading, so I jotted down, There’s not enough room on this paper to list all the reasons. I placed the paper on his desk.
He glanced at it and smiled. After scribbling a reply, he handed the note back.
In large, bold letters were the words, Let’s talk about it at lunch.
I almost laughed out loud. As if I’d spend an entire lunch period listening to him tease and berate me. Besides, if I had any hope of building my popularity back, the last thing I needed to do was damage it further by hanging out with the biggest freak in school. I wrote back, Let’s not. I crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it on his desk.
He unraveled the ball and stared at my response. A second later, he looked at me, but before he could say anything, Mrs. Lochte turned away from the board, asking if we could detect the metaphor between the puppy’s lost mother and our current society.
Relieved, I relaxed into my chair and did my best to pay attention. Still, my thoughts kept returning to Jeremy’s arm twisted around my neck. My pulse spiked at the memory, and Mrs. Lochte’s words twisted together, forming an incoherent drone of sound. Had Amber put Jeremy up to it? Or had he decided to harass me because he thought no one would stop him?
But someone had.
When the bell sounded, signaling the end of class, I stood and gathered my things quickly. I’d rather take my chances out in the hallway than be forced to endure any more of Nolan. As soon as I had my things zipped up, however, Mrs. Lochte appeared in front of my desk. She arched a thin red eyebrow. “Miss Flay? Mr. Letner? Please stay seated. I need a word.”
A brick of lead sank inside my stomach, and I dropped back down in my seat. This was the second day in a row she’d asked me to stay after. Not good.
Beside me, Nolan smiled and gave a halfhearted shrug. “Sure thing. It’s always a pleasure to spend more time with you.”
Mrs. Lochte folded her arms across her chest. “Charming, Mr. Letner.” She watched the door until the last students left the room. When we were alone, she walked to her desk and perched on the end of it. “I couldn’t help but notice how much you two enjoy writing during my class.”
The weight in my stomach expanded until I thought I might sink through my chair. How on earth had she seen us? I’d been so careful.
“And since you enjoy writing so much,” she continued, “I’ve decided to give you two an extra assignment. You will work together on a picture book due on Monday. You will write the story, Miss Flay, and since Mr. Letner is so found of art”—she gestured to the doodles in his notebook—“he will draw the illustrations.”
“No.” My chair teetered backward before righting itself. “You don’t understand. I can’t work with him. He’s…impossible.”
“Oh?” Mrs. Lochte tilted her head. “You looked like you were getting along just fine when you were passing notes in my class.” She slid off her desk and pointed to the door. “The project is due Monday. If you fail to produce the book by then, you will be assigned detention. You are dismissed.”
“But—” I began.
“Dismissed,” Mrs. Lochte repeated. She moved around her desk and sat, giving her attention to her laptop.
I glared at Nolan, who appeared on the verge of laughing. The anger building inside me since this morning built to epic proportions. “You…” There were about a million names I wanted to call him, but with Mrs. Lochte sitting only a few feet away, all I could do was repeat the same word. “You.”
He continued to smile. I envisioned myself snatching him by the hair and slamming his head against his desk. The fantasy only made me feel slightly better.
“So, we’re going to have to get together this weekend to work on the book,” he said. “Do you want to call me or should I call you?”
I groaned and marched toward the door. I didn’t have to turn around to see it—I could hear the damn grin in his voice. It would be a miracle if we actually finished the assignment. The odds were so much greater I’d kill him before we even started.
Chapter Nine
“Regan,” a deep voice called from behind me.
Huh-uh. There was no chance in hell I was subjecting myself to any more of Nolan’s abuse. And since it would take his long legs no time to catch up to my much shorter ones, I darted for the only place I knew he wouldn’t follow.
“Regan. Wait up.”
I was out of breath when I reached the girls’ bathroom—the same one Payton, Amber, and I used to hide out in when we wanted to talk crap about everyone. The same one I’d hid in only yesterday. Because it was in the old wing and in desperate need of a remodel, most girls tended to avoid it. When I pushed open the heavy door, I was relieved to find no one else inside. I slowly made my way to the sinks and set my bag on top of the cracked porcelain. I was definitely going to need help calming down if I hoped to make it through today. I dug through my bag for the bottle of pills.
“There you are.” A voice rang out, echoing against the ceramic-tiled walls.
With a gasp, I withdrew my hand from my bag.
Nolan stepped inside the bathroom and let the door swing shut behind him. He ran a hand through his hair and made a show of looking around before letting out a low whistle. “This is really…shitty. Not at all what I expected. Where are the velvet lounge chairs? And the guy in the tux who hands you a paper towel when you’re done washing your hands?”
I pressed my back against the sink. There was only one way out of the bathroom and Nolan was blocking it. “You can’t be in here. You’ll get suspended.”
He held up his hands. “Oh, no. Please don’t ban me from a place I hate.” He leaned against the sink beside mine and folded his arms across his chest. Leave it to Nolan to look relaxed in a girls’ restroom. “How else was I supposed to get you to talk to me? We need to plan out this project.”
“There’s a reason I don’t talk to you, you know. We hate each other.” I licked my lips and looked at the door. All I needed was for one person to come in and distract Nolan long enough for me to escape.
“‘Hate’ is a really strong word. I think ‘loathe’ is more like it, don’t you?”
Voices from outside the door interrupted me before I could answer. Hope swelled inside me at the thought of Nolan getting busted, but as the voices drew closer, they became clearer, and my excitement gave way to terror.
Amber.
Shit. Fear clenched my stomach. The only way I was going to survive my fall from popularity was to blend into the background until my social scandal became old news. Being caught in the bathroom alone with Nolan would kill any chance I had at staying out of the spotlight. Since we couldn’t sneak out, we’d have to hide.
“Come on.” I grabbed his arm and yanked him off the sink.
His eyes grew wide. “What are you—”
“Shhh,” I hissed. I pulled him with me into the handicap stall and locked the door behind us.
His lips parted, but before he could say anything to give us away, I rushed forward and clamped my hand over his mouth just as the restroom door squeaked open. I pushed him against the wall next to the toilet and said a silent prayer no one bothered to glance under the stall.
“I can’t believe she hit on your boyfriend,” a girl said.
I leaned forward and peered through the crack of the stall to see if Payton was with Amber—she wasn’t. The speaker was Taylor Bradshaw, the girl who’d been penciled in next to my scribbled-out name on the cheerleading roster. Apparently Amber had a new groupie.
“It just proves what kind of girl Regan really is,” Amber replied. “Fucking skank.”
My hand fell from Nolan’s mouth, and my fear that we’d be discovered fizzled into a horrible, hollow feeling.
“I heard she practically threw herself at Jeremy before third period,” Taylor responded.
Amber laughed. “Pathetic, right? She probably thought she could regain her popularity or get back at me by hooking up with him
. As if he’d want anything to do with her skanky ass.”
My pulse thundered inside my head. As if I wanted anything to do with that douche bag. Obviously Jeremy had either told Amber a very different version of our encounter or she was too stupid to realize the truth about her sleazebag boyfriend.
I didn’t realize I’d reached for the door lock until Nolan grabbed my arm and drew me back. I wanted to fight him, to burst through the door and launch myself at Amber, even though I’d get suspended and my mom would be furious. I didn’t care. In fact, I was finding it harder and harder to care about anything.
I heard the sound of a lipstick top being popped off. “She’s lucky I haven’t seen her today,” Amber said. “I’d fucking beat her skank ass to the ground.”
Tremors ripped through me, growing in strength until my teeth started chattering. Great. Now was not the time for a panic attack, but I was powerless to stop it. Nolan grabbed my shoulders and pulled me against him, wrapping his arms and his heat around me. I should have backed away—his arms were the last place I should want to be—but I just didn’t have the energy. And despite the fact that I couldn’t stand him, his chest was warm and his strong arms were rigid. I felt safe for the first time in a long time.
Taylor giggled. “I would so pay to see that fight.”
“Oh sweetie, you wouldn’t have to pay.” I heard the click as Amber’s lipstick lid snapped back on. “I’d do that shit for free. I bet I wouldn’t even get suspended. As much as the entire school hates her right now, they’d probably throw an assembly in my honor.”
“Totally,” Taylor agreed.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Amber said. The sound of their footsteps moved toward the door. “If she so much as looks at Jeremy again, I’ll rip her eyes out.”
The bathroom door squeaked open, and their footsteps disappeared into the hallway beyond.
And yet, I remained inside Nolan’s arms. I wanted to shove him away, to scream at him to let me go. But I also knew if he did, I’d fall to the cracked tile at my feet. His arms were the only things holding me up.