Mistletoe Bully

by Amy Brown

  As I approach the locker I’m surprised to find it wiped clean. The words that were spray-painted in red yesterday are no longer there. I frown and glance around, but nobody seems to be paying any attention to me. Did the janitor clean it off this morning? It seems odd that the administration would have just cleaned it off without calling me into the office. I open my locker and shove my backpack in, and as I shut it I turn around and find Palmer walking past me. The look he gives me his odd. Usually he looks at me like he loathes me, but this morning he just looks blank.

  Sabrina isn’t with him, which is a relief. I pull my gaze from his, and head in the direction of our art class. I can feel him behind me. It feels like his eyes are boring into me. I find that I have trouble walking straight when I think about it too much. I suck in a breath and continue on quickening my pace so that I can get some distance between us. I get to the art class first and I slip into my seat.

  I ignore Palmer as he sits down, and I clasp my hands on top of my desk. Mrs. Holstein shushes everybody once the bell rings.

  “Class, I was very impressed with several of the drawings yesterday. Drawing your favorite place in the world isn’t always easy because you have to dig deep. Some of you came through beautifully.”

  She rifles through a stack of drawings and pulls one out. When she holds it up I see my drawing of home. My face warms because I dread the stares that are no doubt coming my way when she says the name of who drew it. Some of the kids might be jealous, and they might be mean. I had enough of that yesterday to last me a lifetime.

  “Adalee, yours was my favorite. You captured the spirit of home without being cheesy or heavy-handed. Very talented.” She smiles at me.

  My cheeks feel hot as the eyes of the class zero in on me. I hope she doesn’t expect me to say anything. I wouldn’t even begin to know what to say. The most I can do is smile at her and nod. She seemed satisfied with that and she moves on to the next drawing.

  “Palmer, yours also was very good.” She holds up his drawing.

  I recognize the quarry where I went for a late night walk last night. It had been so deserted, in fact, every time I’ve ever gone there it’s been deserted. The fact that that beautiful place is his favorite spot is surprising to me. I’d assumed he’d draw his car or maybe a vacation spot his rich daddy took him to. But instead he’s drawn one of the most beautiful little area I’ve discovered in Harbor Town. I’m shocked to think he has depth. Maybe that’s not very kind of me, but then he shown me no kindness either.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Holstein,” he says quietly.

  His humility is equally surprising. From his behavior yesterday it was obvious he expected people to grovel to him and kiss up to him. Yet here he is, quietly accepting his praise from Mrs. Holstein.

  Mrs. Holstein pulls out three more pictures, praising the students on their technique and subject matter. I’m still stuck wondering how a person as vile as Palmer is able to draw something so beautiful. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

  Once Mrs. Holstein is done praising the students, she passes out watercolors and watercolor pads. I’m excited because watercolor is my favorite medium. She tells us to draw a winter scene. Other than that, she leaves it up to us. I like that Mrs. Holstein isn’t a controlling teacher. She gives us the tools and then she lets us use our imagination. I love that.

  This time art class goes smoother. Palmer doesn’t throw anything at me, and I don’t have to worry about anything but my painting. Not sure why Palmer has backed off of bullying me but I’m glad. Perhaps we can come to some sort of truce. I’d prefer that.

  Class ends and I drag my feet putting my paints away, so that Palmer can get out of the class before me. I don’t want to awkwardly walk with him toward math class. Once he’s left the room, I hurry up and gather my things. I take my painting up to Mrs. Holstein and she smiles at me.

  “This is lovely, Adalee. You’re very talented.”

  “Thank you,” I say softly. “I love art.”

  “It shows.” She smiles again. “We have an art contest here at Harbor Academy. You should enter.”

  I frown. “Oh, I’m not sure.”

  She moves to her desk and opens the drawer. She pulls out two slips of paper and hands them to me. “Here’s the forms. No rush. Fill them out at your leisure. The deadline is January 2. You have plenty of time to think about it.”

  “Thank you.” I take the forms from her, but I’m not sure I’m going to use them. I don’t like the idea of creating art and having it judged.

  I leave the class feeling flattered that Mrs. Holstein appreciates my talent, but also a little uneasy that she’ll pressure me to enter the contest. I decide not to worry about it. No point in getting all stressed out about something that’s over a month away.

  When I reached math class, Emma is already in her seat. I hurry over to her smiling and happy she saved me a seat beside her. She pushes her book toward me and grins. “How are you this morning?” She asks cheerfully.

  “Tired.” I laugh. “I took a late night walk to clear my mind.”

  “Alone?” She frowns.

  “Yes. Down by the quarry. There was nobody else there. I wasn’t in danger.”

  “But you don’t know if there was someone there or not. They could’ve been hiding in the dark. You should be careful Adalee walking alone at night.”

  I wrinkle my brow. “Have people been attacked around here?”

  She looks sheepish. “No.”

  “Then why do I need to be so careful?”

  She shrugs. “There’s a first time for everything.”

  I’m relieved there’s no real reason for her concern. I’d hate to give up my late night walks because they help lower my stress. Maybe I’ll buy a can of pepper spray or something just to be on the safe side.

  “Are you ready for the party tonight?” Emma waggles her brows. “I want you to come over after school and will try on dresses. I’ll do your makeup and hair to.”

  My stomach clenches with stress at the idea of this party were going to tonight. But she looks so thrilled, it’s hard for me not to smile. “You don’t have to do my makeup or hair.”

  “I want to. You’re like my little doll. I’m excited.”

  I shake my head, not sure how to respond. Our conversation is interrupted when Mr. Glenn addresses me. “Adalee, when do you expect you’ll have your math book?”

  I freeze under his direct gaze. “It’s due to arrive today. The bookstore was out, I had to order it from Amazon.”

  He nods. “Very well.” He turns to the dry erase board and begins scribbling math problems.

  The next hour is torture. Every time Mr. Glenn calls on me, I’m clueless. Emma tries to help me, but Emma isn’t a lot better at math, just slightly. She’s able to grasp the concepts, but not really able to tell me how to do it myself. By the time the class ends, my under pits are sweaty and I could use a drink. I stand to leave the class, but before I can make my escape Mr. Glenn calls me over. I cringe when he also calls Palmer over.

  “Adalee, have you and Palmer set up some tutoring sessions yet?” He looks very serious.

  Heat creeps up my neck to my cheeks. I avoid Palmer’s gaze, feeling guilty about the fact we have no intention of working with each other. Mr. Glenn thinks we are on board with his tutoring plan, but obviously neither of us are.

  “Umm… not yet,” I mumble.

  Palmer shifts uneasily. “You only asked us to do this yesterday.”

  Mr. Glenn raises his brows. “Yes. But I expected you to get on it quickly Palmer. She’s not gonna get any better without help.”

  I can see on Palmer’s face he’s not sure why this is his problem. I don’t blame him. “Palmer’s busy. Maybe I can get Emma to help me,” I say hopefully.

  Mr. Glenn laughs. “Emma is a great girl, but she’s no math genius. It takes a special personality to be able to teach. Palmer is good at teaching.” He frowns and turns to Palmer. “Did you tell Adalee you’re too busy to tutor
her?”

  Palmer grimaces. “We’ll set something up for this weekend.”

  We will?

  I don’t bother announcing I won’t have time because I’m going to work at the Christmas tree lot. I don’t get the feeling Mr. Glenn would approve. I also find it impossible to believe that Palmer would give up any of his weekend to help tutor me. He must just be acting for Mr. Glenn. Odds are Palmer is just trying to get Mr. Glenn off his back. I need to remember to talk to aunt Julie about hiring a tutor for me. That would solve this problem. Mr. Glenn will probably be perfectly happy as long as I get someone to help me who knows what they’re doing.

  “Yeah, we’ll set something up for this weekend,” I lie. It’s not like I’d improve my math skills in one weekend anyways. Mr. Glenn won’t know for sure whether or not we got together and studied. Palmer might be a good tutor, but I doubt he’s a miracle worker.

  “Okay. So long as you two understand I’m not kidding around. Adalee will fail without help. It’s that simple.” Mr. Glenn’s tone is stern.

  I guess I can’t blame him for having no faith in my math skills. I wasn’t able to answer even one question right in two days. I give a weak smile to Mr. Glenn and I head for the exit. If I was smart, I wouldn’t work at the Christmas tree lot this weekend and I wouldn’t go to the party tonight. I would stay home and study math. But I guess I’m not smart.

  When we get outside the classroom, I’m surprised when Palmer grabs my elbow. He holds out a slip of paper. “That’s my cell number. I don’t want Mr. Glenn on my back. I’ll tutor you if you want,” he says gruffly.

  Baffled by his change in demeanor from yesterday, I narrow my eyes. “Since when?”

  A muscle works in his jaw. “Do you want help or not?”

  It’s on the tip of my tongue to say not from you. But something makes me keep those words to myself. I need help, and from what I hear, he’s the best. Am I being prideful and stupid by not taking advantage of his offer? But, can I really picture Palmer tutoring me? How would that even work? I feel like we’d kill each other by the end of the first session.

  “Do you really think you can help me?” I frown.

  His usual smirk returns. “I’m not saying it will be easy. You suck at math.”

  “Gee, you really know how to flatter a girl.”

  He surprises me when he laughs. “I can teach anybody math. Even you. Call me if you want my help, burn my number if you don’t. It’s no skin off my back.” He walks away without a glance back.

  Emma comes up to stand beside me. “Are you gonna do it? Are you gonna let him tutor you?”

  I chew my lower lip. “I don’t know what to do. I probably will fail math if he doesn’t help me.”

  “You can get another tutor.”

  “Yes. But how long will it take to find someone? I’m already so far behind, I’m afraid if I get too far behind I’ll never catch up.” I watch Palmer’s receding figure. How can it be my only hope at passing math is that asshole?

  Emma shrugs. “Palmer is good at teaching. He saved a lot of kids from failing. He’s a colossal jerk, but he’s a good tutor.”

  I sigh. “God. I’m afraid I’m going to have to accept his help.”

  “Quelle nightmare.” Emma brightens. “But tonight’s the party. Maybe you’ll win an iPad and everything will seem wonderful again.”

  “With my luck, I’ll end up with a two-dollar calculator and food poisoning.”

  Emma giggles. “No. There are no cheap presents like that at this party. If you win anything, it’ll be epic. That’s the only reason us plebeians go to the cool kid’s party.”

  I still have no desire to go to the party tonight. But Emma is so excited I wouldn’t dare crush her by bailing on her. No, I’m stuck going to this party and I’ll just make the best of it. At least at the moment Palmer isn’t being quite so mean. I know he’ll be there tonight, but hopefully we can just stay out of each other’s way.

  ****

  Emma wasn’t kidding when she said she had a lot of dresses. She has me try on at least ten, some are so tight I can barely breathe, and some are little too conservative for me. I want to be somewhere in the middle; gently slutty, if that’s a thing. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little male attention tonight. It might do my ego some good.

  Not that I want a boyfriend right now. I had one back in New York, but Derick and I had really just started dating when I moved away. We hadn’t bothered pretending we would try long-distance. It had been a very new and very casual relationship. Mostly I’d felt pressured into it because all my friends had boyfriends. We’d never even slept together. I’d given Derick a blow job once, but I hadn’t really wanted to sleep with him. The blow job was really out of pity and mild curiosity. All my friends talked about sex all the time, and I’d always felt a little weird because I just didn’t have that drive. No one had sparked anything in me that made me want to give up my V card.

  “That’s the one,” Emma claps her hands and jumps up and down.

  I look down at myself, taking in the red sparkly dress. It’s strapless, and short without being too short. It hugs every curve but doesn’t make me feel like I’m wrapped in saran wrap. It’s sexy but still somehow comfortable. I nod. “Yeah. This could work.”

  “The guys are going to be drooling. Sabrina is going to pop a spring when you walk in that party.” Emma’s eyes gleam.

  “I don’t want her to hate me any more than she already does. Maybe I should just wear sweats and a T-shirt.” I smile.

  “Pfft. You’d still be sexier than half the girls there.” She moves closer and adjusts the bodice a little. “Okay, I say hair down. What do you think?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be more comfortable with my hair down.” I study her in her green spaghetti strap dress. She looks gorgeous. She has absolutely no idea how beautiful she is, and that only adds to her charm. “That dress is perfect for you. Your coloring is striking.”

  Emma’s cheeks turn pink. “Be quiet. I’m a nerd.”

  “Yes you are. But you’re a gorgeous nerd.” I grin.

  She laughs and tugs me over to her makeup table. She has me sit, and then she proceeds to curl, brush and spray my hair. By the time she’s done I looked like a supermodel. I run my hands through my curls, and widen by eyes.

  “You should be a hairstylist. You’re amazing.” I stand and stare at myself in the full-length mirror. “I don’t even look like myself.”

  “Yes you do. You just look like a sparkly version of you.” She looks at the clock. “It’s almost 10 p.m. That’s when everyone starts arriving.”

  My phone pings as she finishes speaking. When I look to see who it is texting, it’s Luke. “Luke says he just picked Dirk up and they’re on their way to your house.”

  “Yay!” She grabs her purse and goes to the door of her bedroom. “Come on, beautiful. It’s time to go break some hearts.”

  I laugh, feeling surprisingly lighthearted. “I’m not looking for love.”

  She shrugs. “That’s the best time to find it.”

  Chapter Six

  Palmer

  We require everyone who shows up to contribute five dollars. That helps offset the cost of the gifts and the booze. Nobody complains because they have the chance of winning expensive prizes.

  We’ve outdone ourselves this year. We bought ten iPads and ten iPhones, ten Bluetooth headphones, and three Nintendo Switches to give away. If the nerds didn’t appreciate the manna from heaven this year, they were jerks. Probably two hundred kids would show up tonight and there were only thirty-three prizes. Most of the students didn’t win a gift, but they still all fell in line. It was amazing to me that all it took was the promise of winning an expensive gift for them to kiss-ass the rest of the year. People could so easily be bought. That was one lesson my dad had definitely taught me.

  Rudy shows up tonight which was a relief to me. Not that he dragged himself from his sick bed for me. He’s here because there will be tons of girls drunk, half naked, and fris
ky. There was no way he’d miss the big Christmas party, even if he was still puking.

  “It’s so good to get out of my house,” Rudy says. “Mom was hovering so much, I couldn’t even enjoy my downtime with any porn.”

  I laugh. “You’re a class act.”

  He grins. “What else was I going to do? Homework?”

  “That might’ve been a good idea. Seeing as your almost failing science.”

  “I’m not failing science.” He scowls. “I got one lousy C.” He fills his red plastic cup with margarita mix, ice, and tequila. “You’d think I was failing, the way my mom goes on and on.”

  I eye his glass. “You sure you want to drink something that sour when you just got over the flu?”

  “I’ll probably hurl either way at the end of this night.” He smirks. “After all, it is tradition.”

  I shake my head. “I guess.” I’m already feeling buzzed to be honest. I started my evening with tequila shots, probably not the smartest idea. But I’m unusually stressed out this year. Sabrina’s been nagging me to get more serious, and that’s the last thing I want. If I was going to get serious with anyone, which I’m not, it sure as fuck wouldn’t be her.

  Rudy gives a sharp intake of breath. “Who the hell is that?”

  I follow his gaze and see Adalee entering the party with Emma, Luke, and Dirk. My insides tense and my pulse speeds up at the sight of her in a clingy red dress. As I run my gaze down her long slender legs, my cock stirs. While we seem to dislike each other, I can’t deny she’s sexy. Her skin is glowing, her cheeks pink, and her brunette hair flowing around her shoulders. She looks like she just came from a fancy photo shoot. Plenty of the girls at the party are wearing short skirts and have their boobs hanging out, but none of them can hold a candle to Adalee. She’s fucking gorgeous.

  “That’s the new girl. The one I was telling you about.” I’m not sure why it annoys me the way all the guys are ogling her as she walks in. I have no claim on her, obviously. But it irks me because I know perfectly well what they’re all thinking, because I’m thinking it too.