Changes and Chocolates: Untouchable Book Two

by Long, Heather

  Tiddles let out an annoyed meow from where he sat on the kitchen table, tail thrashing. Yeah, I was late.

  “C’mon, off,” I told him, scooting him off the table. It was almost three. If I was lucky, I could get three hours of sleep.

  I made it to the edge of the kitchen, when the light snapped on in the living room and almost blinded me.

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  Mom.

  Well, so much for being lucky.

  Chapter Ten

  Glass House

  Two and a half hours of sleep was not enough. My eyes were gritty, my head hurt, and all I wanted to do was crawl back in the bed and sleep for another eight hours. Not that it could happen. No matter how much I wanted it. A shower helped. Brushing my teeth helped. Coffee in the kitchen helped more. My mother sat at the kitchen table, dressed for work, an overnight bag by the backdoor, and a cup of coffee next to her.

  She wore the exact same expression she’d had when I walked in at three. One part irritated, one part resting bitch face, and one part—I had no idea how to define it. I hesitated to call it concerned. But her eyes tensed as she focused on me.

  I poured the rest of the coffee into the travel tumbler before capping it. “Do I need to put more coffee on?” Eight more words than I’d spoken to her before. I hadn’t answered her question. Instead, I’d just crashed.

  “No, I’m leaving in five minutes.”

  I took a long gulp of the coffee, then rinsed out the carafe and set it to the side to dry before emptying the grinds into the trash and leaving the top open to air out the condensation left behind.

  Another swallow of coffee, and I shouldered my backpack and headed for the door.

  “Frankie…”

  So close.

  I paused with one hand on the door.

  “I’m going out of town today.”

  Not really wanting to have this conversation, I waited.

  “I have to be in Los Angeles for the next three days, I probably won’t be back until Friday, but I might stay over.”

  Still, I didn’t turn.

  “Are you going to talk to me?”

  I considered my answer. Then pivoted to face her. “What would you like to talk about?”

  Sighing, she said, “Nothing, I suppose. I’m moving money to your account. I didn’t get to the shopping this weekend.”

  Color me not surprised.

  It was hard to meet her gaze and not glare. I didn’t understand her choices. I didn’t even like them. And had no say in them.

  “All right,” I managed finally when she said nothing else. With a sigh, Mom picked up her coffee and cradled her mug.

  “Have a good day. I’ll text you once I’m in L.A.”

  I wouldn’t hold my breath. With a nod, I turned to grasp the door, when she added, “And if you were out late because you were having sex with one of those boys, please be sure you’re being careful about it. The last thing you want is an unplanned pregnancy derailing your life.”

  Ice crawled up my spine, and I damn near bit a hole in my tongue to keep from telling her to do the same thing. I didn’t slam the door, no matter how satisfying it might have been.

  Coop was waiting at my car when I got there.

  “Hey,” he said, pushing away from the driver’s side door. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I motioned toward the car. “We need to go. I need to review for a test this morning.” My brain was currently mush, and the chill of my mom’s words left cold in my veins.

  “You sure?” He put a hand to my cheek, but I pulled away.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Just tired. We were out late. Can we go?” I shoved my backpack in the back, and Coop held his hands up before he circled the car.

  “Sure.”

  The drive to school passed quickly, and I wasn’t really in the mood to talk. I didn’t even want to head to our table. Ian’s bike was parked in the spot next to where I usually parked. My gut tightened. The bike last night hadn’t looked like his, but I never wanted to picture him in an accident like that.

  My phone had started buzzing as we headed inside. Aware of the looks Coop kept casting me, I avoided meeting his gaze. I didn’t want to talk about any of it. I wanted to focus on school. Just had to get through the next few hours, and then I could crash early tonight.

  The hum of conversation in the cafeteria was on the rise as we headed through. Archie was sprawled back in a chair at our table, his feet up with his phone in his hand.

  He glanced at us with a grin, but it faded. “What’s wrong?”

  “I asked the same thing,” Coop said, but I just shook my head.

  Sliding into a chair, I opened my backpack and pulled out my notebook. “Nothing. Just tired, and I have a test today. “

  Standing, Archie nudged the coffee over to me and then moved to sit in the chair next to me while Coop took the one on the other side.

  “Thank you,” I said, taking a drink of the coffee. The long, icy cold slug hit my system like a bullet. Hopefully, it would do more than the coffee I shot-gunned on the way in.

  Focusing my sore-eyed gaze on my notebook, I flipped straight to French and started mentally reviewing the material. I had submitted the paper the night before, but the test would have more essay questions.

  My phone buzzed again, and I dragged it out of my pocket.

  A half-dozen photos of me had been tagged on Instagram. Oh, yay. I just dismissed the notification.

  There were two texts from Rachel.

  Rachel: You okay?

  Rachel: Don’t worry about Patty. I already clapped back for you.

  Patty?

  “What the fuck?” Archie asked, and I caught him looking at my phone. “What’d she do?”

  “I don’t know. And right now, I don’t have time to care.”

  Thanks. I sent it back to Rachel, then locked the phone and put it face down and took another drink of the coffee.

  “Crap,” Coop muttered, and he pushed out from his chair and circled me to sit on Archie’s other side. I spared a look for where he was showing Archie something on his phone. Yeah, no time to focus on that.

  By the time Jake and Ian got there, I was over half-done with the review.

  “Hey, Frankie,” Ian slid into the chair Coop had abandoned.

  “Hi,” I told him. “Sorry, studying.” I tossed a smile to Jake. He looked almost as tired as me. He dropped into the chair opposite me and slid his foot over to nudge mine, I pulled my feet back, and tucked them under my chair as I kept reading.

  “Yeah, Frankie has a test,” Coop said. “So she’s not in the mood to talk.”

  “So I see,” Jake said. The noise level in the cafeteria continued to rise as more students poured in. The guys shifted positions so they could talk, but they didn’t abandon the table. Once, when I glanced up, Jake scowled at his phone.

  I was on the last page of my review when someone walking past the table sneezed “slut.” The words on the page wavered in front of me, but Jake was up and moving.

  “Fuck,” Coop muttered. I winced at the sound of flesh slamming into flesh, and I twisted in the chair to see Jake take the guy all the way to the floor. Ian and Archie waded in with Coop to try and separate them, but Jake was pounding the guy.

  Holy crap.

  Like everyone else, I was on my feet. The volume climbed, and Ian just got Jake off of—was that Rodney? I couldn’t tell. I thought it might be Rodney Dial. But his nose was a bloody mess, and he was almost in a fetal position.

  The school SRO was there, and Mr. Davis, the principal. Crap.

  Coop backed over toward me. Jake’s expression was filled with hostility as he glared at Rodney. The SRO was escorting him away, and Mr. Davis along with Ms. Ryerson was helping Rodney up. A whistle cut through the air as Coach Dodd sent people back to their tables. Nearly half the room had crowded around. Sharon bumped me on her way past, and I caught Maria staring off after Jake.

  Locking on Ian’s pained gaze, I s
aid, “Is he going to be okay?”

  “I don’t know,” Archie answered, raking a hand through his hair. His knuckles were a little reddened. Had he hit Rodney or Jake? “C’mon, let’s get to class.”

  I glanced over at the coach, then back at Ian. “Jake’s gonna get in trouble with the team.”

  “Maybe,” Ian soothed, rubbing my shoulder. “Maybe not. It depends.”

  On what? He just attacked Rodney, and yeah, Rodney did that stupid sneeze thing, but… the unsaid part of it all was Jake went after the guy for me.

  “Go with Arch,” Coop said. “I’m going to swing by the SRO office, see if I can see him.”

  I almost hated to ask. “Should we call his mom?” Jake’s mom was an involved mom.

  “I don’t think that one is going to be up to us,” Ian said, his expression turning stiff and angry. He wasn’t looking at me though, and when I twisted, I caught Sharon turning away.

  “Don’t,” I told him, covering his hand with mine. “Don’t pick a fight for me.”

  “She hasn’t taken them down,” Ian warned.

  “Ignore her.” It was my only advice as I squeezed his hand once, then went to stuff my notebook back into my backpack. No way I was going to study anymore after that. “Trust me. She wants your attention. Ignoring her will hurt more.”

  I spoke from a lot of experience.

  Ian studied me a beat. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just worried about Jake now.” The more I lied about it, the easier it was. I did not want to talk about Mom or bad meatloaf or anything. “And tired.”

  “You guys were out late,” he said quietly. “Did you at least have fun?”

  “Yeah,” I admitted. “We went to a drive-in movie. It was a lot of fun.”

  “Good.” His expression gentled, and his smile widened. “Go on.” The noise volume in the cafeteria was louder, and I wasn’t the only one catching the looks being thrown our way.

  Archie and I caught a few more looks and comments on the way to class, including Dobie Masterson slinging an arm around me and asking if I could juggle an extra guy.

  I elbowed him in the gut and got between him and Archie before Archie threw a fist.

  “Assholes,” he snarled as Dobie laughed and walked away, all the while saying, “Just curious.”

  Dick.

  First period wasn’t so bad. The walk from first to second was a joy. I had to swing by my locker, and there was a lovely slut note taped to the front. I tugged it off and crumpled it up. Rachel bumped the locker next to mine as I opened the door.

  “Don’t let them get to you. They’re just a bunch of sharks scenting blood in the water.”

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I told her. “Thanks for—the thing with Patty.”

  “Anytime,” Rachel said, smiling. “You good to get to class, or do you want me to be a bitch on wheels for you?”

  I laughed. “I’m good. I’ll see you later.”

  “Count on it.”

  Ian was waiting for me outside of class. “Jake’s still in the SRO office, and his mom is on the way.”

  Crap.

  “I talked to my dad, too. He said he could come up. Might help, but he was gonna call Jake’s mom.” Even that reassurance wasn’t a bright spot.

  I’d checked my phone a dozen times in class, but nothing from Jake. He probably couldn’t text, and I didn’t want to distract him.

  Calculus sucked, and it was all I could do to focus on the numbers and the formulas. It didn’t help that two of the girls on the other side of the room kept up a whispering commentary with pointed looks at me. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Ian walked with me to French, his determined expression seemed to hold some of the comments at bay, or I was overreacting.

  Mathieu smiled when he saw me and nodded to Ian. “I’ll keep an eye on her,” he promised, and I frowned.

  “I can look after myself,” I told them both. “I’ll see you at lunch?” The last was to Ian, and he nodded, then gave my hand a squeeze before he looked at Mathieu.

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Of course.”

  The test in French should have been easy, but it was hard to focus, and took me longer than usual to work my way through it and the two essay questions. I had maybe ten minutes at the end of it, and I was exhausted.

  At least the test kept people quiet. The walk from French to AP Lit brought me eye to eye with Patty, who opened her mouth then shut it abruptly as Rachel bumped my hip and smirked at her.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think you wanted to say anything,” Rachel said as we continued past her. Great. They were all pissed at me. After we were down the hall and around the corner, she glanced at me. “Keep your chin up. Haters are going to hate.”

  “I noticed… thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” She gave me another bump. “See you later.” She continued up the hall as I diverted into AP Lit. Coop shot me a smile as I walked in.

  “Frankie,” Ms. Fajardo said as she rose from her desk. “Can I have a word?” She motioned me back to the door, and I nodded. Worry and guilt collided in my gut. Had I forgotten something else? Ms. Fajardo didn’t usually pull me aside—at least, not before class. Though we talked a lot the mornings I’d hung out in here. Coop tracked us with a worried look as I squeezed past two students to get out of the room.

  “Everyone take your seats, and if you haven’t done the chapter reading for today, get to it. If you have, then pull out your journals. No talking.” Then she closed the door as the bell rang, leaving us in the deserted hallway. Worry filled her eyes. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” I said slowly. Other than being worried about Jake, while also being labeled a slut, and having to endure kids I didn’t know whispering about me, and some of my former friends treating me like a pariah. Discounting all of that, I was awesome.

  “Well, I was informed about the online bullying, and your counselor has asked that you come down and speak to the student support advocate, and then she’ll go with you to see the SRO to give a statement.”

  Was she kidding?

  “Really?” That was the last thing I wanted to do.

  “We have zero tolerance policy for a reason, Frankie. I’m sorry that this happened to you. But—go on down to see Dr. Miller?

  “If I’m not the one complaining, do I still have to go?”

  “Yes,” Mrs. Fajardo said. “I’ll make sure Coop has a copy of the notes for you, and I’ll email you any assignments. I know you don’t like to make a big deal out of these things, but it is a big deal.”

  Oh, shoot me.

  “Okay.”

  She gave me a pat on the arm and then returned to the classroom. My phone buzzed, and I fished it out.

  Coop: ????

  Me: I have to go see the Student Advocate and the SRO.

  Coop: Why?

  Me: Post. No big deal. See you at lunch.

  I checked my messages with Jake and then sent him one.

  Me: You okay?

  I wasn’t expecting him to answer right away, and he didn’t. The counselor’s office was hell and gone from Mrs. Fajardo’s room, so I made the hike. The receptionist glanced up when I came in, and she smiled.

  “Frankie Curtis,” I said. “I was told I had to see Dr. Miller.”

  “Have a seat, I’ll let her know you’re here.”

  I wasn’t the only one sitting in the office. There were two other students present, one waiting like me, and the other one a student aide. As soon as I sat down, she had her phone out to text.

  Great.

  Yep, I was definitely getting paranoid. I was too tired for this. It took twenty minutes before the receptionist sent me back to Dr. Miller’s office. The woman in question was about my height, and had light brown hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. She had to be in her late twenties, but she looked unsettlingly closer to my age, which made having to talk to her even weirder.

  The fact she was an actual licensed psychologist didn’t help. Like I said
, Curtises didn’t go to therapy.

  This was as close as I ever intended to get, and I was not here of my own volition.

  “Mrs. Fajardo told me you needed to see me,” I said, lobbing the ball firmly in her court.

  “Yes,” she said, kindness practically perfuming the air around her. “Have a seat.” She waved me toward the chairs and closed the door. Then she picked up files from one of the chairs and moved them around the credenza behind her desk.

  Reluctantly, I perched on the edge of one chair, and I didn’t take the backpack off. I had zero intentions of staying here very long.

  “First, let me say it’s very nice to meet you, Frankie—I can call you Frankie?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.” I flattened my palms against my knees, even as I started to bounce one foot.

  “Thank you. I find it’s easier if you just call me Diane, rather than Dr. Miller. Doctor is so formal.”

  Yeah, I didn’t have a problem with formal. Still, I nodded. It wasn’t a big deal to not argue that point.

  Exhaling, she studied me as she leaned her elbows on the desk. “I’m sure this has been a tough morning.”

  “Not really.” I gave her what I hoped was a bland smile. “Gonna be tougher tonight when I have to make up for missing my class.”

  “Mrs. Fajardo understood, and you’ll be allowed to make up the work. I understand if you’re uncomfortable…”

  Foot bouncing regularly now, I kept my gaze fixed just to the right of hers. It let me look like I was staring right at her and avoiding meeting her eyes all at once.

  “Cyber-bullying is a very important issue…and like all forms of bullying, it takes its toll on someone. The post on Instagram was reported to the principal this morning. It was also flagged yesterday to the attention of the counselors.”

  Oh. God. “Okay.”

  “You do know the post I’m talking about?”

  “Yep.” Because it had to be the I’m stupid one. Or I was supposed to be the smart one. Whatever.

  “Frankie,” she continued when I didn’t add anything more. “There are a couple of things you need to understand. One, this was done to you—you’re not in trouble. Two, it’s okay to be upset. Bottling every emotion isn’t healthy.”