by E. L. Todd
He finished his plate clean then downed his whole mug of black coffee. When the waitress brought the check, Henry paid for the whole thing before Sydney could even grab her wallet.
“What was that?” she asked.
“What?”
“Why did you pay for everything? We always split the tab.”
“What’s the big deal? You can get mine later, right?”
“I guess.”
“Now you can calm down,” he said with a laugh. “Let’s go.”
Henry drove them back to the house. He turned off his car and walked Sydney to the door. She thought it was odd. He had never done that before.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you walking me to the door?”
He looked uncomfortable. “Uh—I left something inside.”
“Oh, sorry.” She opened the door and they both walked in. Henry grabbed his jeans and the shirt he was wearing the evening before.
“Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Henry.”
“Bye.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.
Sydney grabbed her phone and stared at it for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was call her mom. She didn’t hate her mom—she didn’t like her, but she didn’t necessarily hate her. Her stepfather was a different story.
She pressed the send button. “Hi, Mom,” she said when she answered.
“Hello. How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Good.”
“How’s school?”
“It’s a lot of work but I’m learning a ton.”
“And how’s the aquarium?”
“Eh—I wish I wasn’t a janitor, but I hope it leads to something else eventually.”
“At least you have your foot in the door.”
Sydney heard the loud sound of yelling in the background. “Is everything okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Dan is watching football.”
Sydney knew football wasn’t on Saturdays unless it was the playoffs. She didn’t bother to tell her mom she caught her in a lie. What was the point? “So, what did you want to discuss?”
“Dan suggested that we go out there and spend Thanksgiving with you.”
She felt her heart drop. She hadn’t gone home once since she moved to Hawaii and she never planned to. She never expected them to come to her. “Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I always have a lot of homework and I have to work on Thanksgiving.”
“Well, we could still see you for a little bit. And Dan really wants to see the island.”
“I guess you guys could stay at a hotel.”
Sydney heard her stepfather in the background. “Did she say no?” The anger in his voice was unmistakable. “I already got the vacation time. You tell that bitch to do what she’s told.” She heard the phone being wrestled from her mother. “Did you just tell your mother no?” he snapped.
“No, sir,” she said calmly, speaking like she was ordered to.
“You better. I’ll smack that pretty little face off your head.”
“Yes, sir,” she responded automatically.
“We are coming for Thanksgiving and you’re coming here for Christmas.”
“What?”
“What did you say?”
“I’m coming there for Christmas?”
“You bet your ass you are. You keep up this lip and I’m gonna bloody it when I get there.”
“Dan,” she heard her mother say. Her stepfather must have smacked her mother because Sydney heard a whimper.
“We’ll be there on Thanksgiving.” He hung up.
Sydney dropped the phone on the ground and buried her face in her hands. The last thing she wanted to do was spend the holiday with her tormenter and her tormentor’s son, who was just as terrifying. Before the tears could bubble up, she blinked them back and controlled her breathing. She wasn’t going to cry about this. She was tired of crying. She only had to see them for a few days a year. As long as she kept her mind and her sanity, she would be okay. Her heart still palpitated in her chest in direct opposition to her thoughts.
She changed into her workout clothes then went to the gym. She had so much adrenaline pumping in her veins she thought she could punch her fist through solid steel.
When she walked inside, her trainer greeted her. “Hey, Sydney.” He stared at her clenched jaw and her flexed hands. “Having a bad day?”
She walked down the hall and went into the private room, which was covered in mirrors on both sides and padding along the floor. “I’ve had better.”
“Do you want to discuss it?”
“Not really.”
“I still expect you to focus.”
“That won’t be a problem,” she said as she tightened her thin gloves around her hands.
Jeremy, her trainer for the past two years, was someone she considered to be a friend but she couldn’t talk about this with him—with anyone. She would take it to the grave. When they asked why she signed up for self-defense, kick boxing, marital arts, and street fighting, she always responded “recreational.” There was nothing recreational about it. The only way she could sleep at night was because she knew she could break her stepfather’s neck if she had to, along with that perverted son of his. They had tortured her long enough. If they made another move toward her and her mother did nothing to stop it, she would break their hand before they could even touch her. She was sick of the treatment. She thought she was safe living on an island but she wasn’t. They were coming for her.
Jeremy started their sparring match by aiming a punch to her face. She blocked it and kicked his knees from under him. Before she could pin him to the ground, he tripped her then pushed her to the mat. She wrapped her legs around his neck and pulled him down. Then, she rose to her feet again. Like a snake and a crane, they moved across the floor, neither one gaining the advantage for long. They were both covered in sweat within a few minutes. Their skin was too slippery to grab onto.
Sydney laid the final strike when she kicked him then pinned his arms behind his back, bringing him to the floor. Jeremy was a big guy, easily twice her weight, and it made her smile knowing she could be his adversary. When they started years ago, she could barely block a single blow. It took them a long time to get to where they were now.
“Good job,” he said, out of breath.
“Thanks,” she said as she bent over.
“As much as I hate saying this, there’s nothing more I can do for you. You’re going to need to find another trainer.”
“What? But I love working with you.”
He smiled. “But in order to learn and grow, you need a new opponent and new teacher. I can train you and take your money for as long as you want, but I want the best for you. Whoever pissed you off has it coming. I definitely wouldn’t want to be in a dark alley with you.”
She laughed. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do. You can totally kick my ass.”
“Well, I try.”
“I’ll give you a friend’s number. He and a few guys work together. I’m sure you can find what you need there.”
“Thanks.” She walked over to him and hugged him. “Thanks for everything.”
He patted her on the back. “Don’t mention it. So now are you going to tell me who you intend to use this weapon on? An ex-boyfriend? A bully? The president of the United States?”
She smiled. “None of the above.”
“Ex-girlfriend?”
“You wish.”
“I’m not judging.”
She was quiet for a moment. “My stepfather and my stepbrother.”
He nodded. “I hope they get what’s coming to them.”
“Oh, they will.”
“What did they do to you?”
She pulled her hair out of her face. “I’ll take it to the grave.”
5
“What does he want to talk about?’ Henry asked as he walked beside Sydney and Nanc
y.
“Do you think you failed the exam?” Nancy asked.
“I don’t know,” Sydney said. “He just told me to meet him in his office.”
They both looked at each other.
Sydney stared at them. “I’ll tell you what he said as soon as I’m finished.”
Henry met her gaze. “It’s probably nothing. I doubt you failed the test or are being reprimanded for something. He probably wants to give you a basket of mini muffins because you’re his favorite student ever.”
“I hope so. And if I get some muffins, I’ll share.”
He smiled then hugged her. “You’ll be fine.”
When he pulled away, she realized they had been hugging a lot lately. That wasn’t normal for them. She turned and walked down the hall, approaching the office. It was open when she reached it.
Professor Jones was leaning back in his chair, staring at his computer. When she walked inside, she noticed the human skull sitting on his filing cabinet. Football banners decorated the room along with a few pictures of his kids. One chair sat in front of the desk so she lowered herself into the seat.
“Hello, Dr. Jones.”
He smiled. “Hello, Ms. Quartz. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Did you want to discuss my exam?” She knew how nervous she sounded but she couldn’t control her voice. A professor never called you in for good news—only bad.
“Well, no, but I guess that’s relevant to this discussion. You got a perfect score—like usual.”
She released the air from her lungs.
He laughed. “Were you worried?”
“I’m always worried.”
“Well, you can calm down. I wanted to ask if you were interested in a tutoring position. I have a student in my class that requested one. Since you’re at the top of the list, I decided to ask you first. It pays twenty dollars an hour.”
She smiled. “Wow. I was not expecting that. Twenty bucks? I could use the cash.”
“Great. I’ll let him know. Could you start today?”
“When my classes are finished.”
“That’s perfect.”
“Who’s the student?”
He turned to his computer and searched for the name. “Let’s see…here it is. Coen Marshall.”
That caught her off guard. She knew he failed his exam but she never expected him to reach out for help. Perhaps she should have asked who the student was before she agreed. “Oh, okay.”
“Is that a problem?”
Her cheeks flushed. “No. There’s no problem.”
“Okay. I’ll tell him to meet you in the library at three.”
“Thank you.” She rose from the chair then left the office without saying goodbye, forgetting her manners completely. She didn’t have a problem with Coen, hardly ever spoke to him, but she was attracted to him. She would just have to suck it up and be professional—and not think about kissing him. He was an asshole with a girlfriend anyway. She shouldn’t want him. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts before she returned to her friends.
“What happened?” Nancy asked.
“He gave me a tutoring job.”
“Oh, that’s great,” Henry said. “It’s no muffins, but that’s still good.”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Henry immediately knew something was bothering her. “What’s up?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Who are you tutoring?” he asked.
“Coen.”
Nancy’s eyes widened. “Really? He actually requested a tutor. He seems like the type of guy who wouldn’t care.”
Henry was silent but his eyes were wide and his jaw tense.
“Well, apparently he does care,” Sydney said.
“Did he personally request you?” Henry asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Can you refuse the job?” he asked.
“She already agreed to it,” Nancy said. “Besides, it’s not a big deal. It’s just Coen. He’s not dangerous or anything.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Henry asked as he looked at her.
“Yeah. I don’t know him very well—or at all—but we should be fine. It will probably only be an hour a day anyway.”
Henry fell silent.
“Well, good luck with that,” Nancy said with a smile. “I have to get to class.”
“Bye,” Sydney said.
Henry didn’t watch her go. He was totally zoned out.
“You okay?” Sydney asked.
“What?”
“Are you okay?” she repeated.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get to physio.”
“Okay.”
They went to their next class and sat in the back like they usually did. Henry didn’t take notes again and she scribbled away on her notepad.
He leaned toward her and whispered, “I don’t think he’s a good guy.”
“Coen?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“He was fighting with his girlfriend at the bonfire the whole time. That’s all I ever see him do. Fight with chicks.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
He shrugged. “Just in case you were wondering.”
“I’m just tutoring him—that’s it.”
“So you aren’t interested in him or anything?”
She shook her head. “He isn’t my type.”
“And what is your type?”
“I actually don’t know.”
He nodded and returned his attention to the front of the class. At the end of the period, they were given a quiz. Sydney scribbled her answers down while Henry left his blank. He obviously hadn’t been paying attention for the entire period. She offered to let him copy but he refused the offer. Henry was always noble in that way. He wasn’t a cheat or a liar. Sydney always liked that about him.
After class, they walked outside.
“I’ll see you later,” she said as she walked the opposite way to the library.
Henry walked beside her. “I can walk you.”
“That’s really unnecessary.”
“I have to go to the bookstore anyway.”
“For what?” she asked suspiciously.
“Scantrons.”
“Oh.”
They walked into the building together. When Sydney found Coen sitting in a study room, she stopped. “Well, thanks for walking me.”
Coen looked up at them and watched them for a moment.
“Yeah.” Henry wrapped his arms around her and held her for a long moment. Sydney returned his embrace awkwardly. He had already hugged her twice in one day. “Let me know if you want to do something later.”
“Okay.”
He turned around and walked away.
She took a deep breath before she walked into the room and shut the door behind her. “Hi,” she said as she placed her backpack on the table.
“Hey,” he said with a nod. His brown hair had slight curls at the end. It complemented his pale skin tone, which contrasted against the ridiculously blue color of his eyes. They were so bright she wanted to ask if he wore contacts. She knew she couldn’t ask him that without getting yelled at or slapped. His t-shirt revealed the shape of his chest and torso. His shoulders were wide and so was his chest. His thin hips looked sexy on his small waist. When she glanced down to the floor, she saw his feet were in sandals. He even had nice toenails and feet. She liked it. When her thoughts turned lustful, his body on top of hers while he licked her everywhere, her screams of pleasure as he made her come, and her nails digging into his back, she immediately stopped them. She knew she needed to get laid soon. She hadn’t had an orgasm in six months and it was really getting to her—really getting to her.
“So, I guess we can get started,” she said awkwardly.
“Yeah.”
Just him saying a simple word made her spine shiver. She hated herself for being shaken so easily. He was an asshole and a piece of shit boyf
riend. She couldn’t feel attracted to him. Besides, she knew nothing would ever happen between them even if she wanted it to.
She pulled out her book and notepad and sat across from him.
“Shouldn’t you sit next to me?” he asked.
“Wha—what? Why?”
“So I can see the textbook,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, of course. Yeah.” She rose from her chair then sat beside him. When her arms brushed his, feeling the heat of his skin, she bit her lip. Sitting beside him was better than sitting across from him. Now she didn’t have to look at his handsome face and could pretend he was a clown or something. “So what don’t you understand?”
“Nothing.”
She sighed. “Well, we can start from the beginning.”
“No,” he said. “I said I don’t understand nothing, meaning that I understand everything.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to be a smart ass right now? Maybe you should change your degree to English.”
He laughed. “No, I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I just meant that I understand the material.”
“Then why are you paying me to tutor you?”
“I’m not paying you—my father is.”
“Well, why are you in need of my services at all?”
“Because I failed that test.”
“I assumed so because it was blank.”
“Why were you looking at my test?”
She stilled. “I just noticed when I walked by.”
He stared at her. “When I failed that test, my dad called the professor and arranged a tutor. Since you’re at the top of the class like a good little student, he picked you.”
“So did you fail the exam on purpose?”
“No, I just couldn’t concentrate.”
“Why don’t you ask to retake the exam?”
“Professor Jones said no.”
“Why couldn’t you concentrate?”
“It’s personal.”
She closed her books then leaned back in the chair. “Then what would you like me to do?”
He shrugged. “I can sit here and keep myself occupied and you can study. I’m sure that’s what you would be doing anyway.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s very unethical for me to take your father’s money without providing a service to you.”
“Then don’t take the money.”