He wraps his hand around my waist and kisses my neck. “She’ll come around,” he tells me before he releases me and walks away.
I lean back against my locker and give Courtney and Bec a smile as they come and go while I wait out the warning bell. Ten long minutes later, it finally rings and I make my way to my first class of the week by myself.
I fall down into my chair, pleased that by the third week everyone has decided to stick with the spot they chose the first week of class, meaning all other spots are taken when Brooke walks in. She scrunches up her face when she walks in and realizes that it’s time to face the music.
She walks forward and takes her seat beside me while doing a fantastic job of looking anywhere but at me. “Brooke,” I say before sighing as she continues to ignore me. “You have to talk to me at some point.”
She looks over at me as Mr. Miller turns to face the class “No, I don’t,” she says as Nate strolls in through the door, not giving a single fuck that he’s late again. Though, it makes me wonder where the hell he goes every morning. I mean, I only saw him ten minutes ago, it’s not like he was late for school. My wondering is cut short as Brooke narrows her eyes. “Oh, look,” she snaps. “It’s your secret boyfriend.”
“Brooke,” I groan as Nate walks past me and touches my shoulder on the way. I lower my voice as to not gain the attention of Mr. Miller. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just…” cringe.
“Just what?” she demands.
I look back at Mr. Miller who’s scowling at us and I give Brooke an apologetic look before facing the front.
Brooke scoffs and shakes her head. “That’s what I thought,” she murmurs under her breath.
I open to a new page on my notebook and silently rip a page out before writing down a note.
Can we talk about this?
I slide the note across to her and watch as she reads over it, I expect her to scrunch it up, but instead, she writes out a reply before sliding it back across to me.
I don’t know if I’ll believe anything you say.
Ouch. That one stung.
I still don’t know if I believe it either.
Believe what?
Promise me you won’t freak out?
Brooke looks across at me and narrows her eyes and I have no doubt whatever she’s about to write is going to be a nasty stab.
I don’t make promises to liars.
Fine… I’ve been sleeping with Nate for the past week.
I cringe as I slide the note across to her and study her reaction.
Her eyes widen.
A gasp is ripped out of her.
Her jaw falls to the desk.
She re-reads the note.
She looks to me with wide eyes.
She looks back at the note.
She looks to me again.
And then finally, she swivels right around to Nate who grins at her, knowing exactly what’s just passed between us.
She shoots to her feet with her hand over her stomach and her other covering her mouth. “Shit,” she calls out. “Mr. Miller, I’m going to throw up.”
He gasps and looks absolutely horrified. “Ugh. Get out of here. I don’t want to clean that up.” With that, Brooke runs out of the room and Mr. Miller looks to me. “Tora, go with her. Make sure she’s alright.”
I nod and race out of the room after Brooke and find her waiting for me in the hallway with a grin. “Works every time,” she laughs.
I can’t help but laugh as well as we walk down the hallway and out to the parking lot. We head straight for her car and climb in before peeling out of the parking lot and heading for my place where we can be alone.
“So,” she finally says. “You’re sleeping with the enemy?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m sorry. I really wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how, especially when I don’t even understand what’s happening myself.”
“What is happening?” she asks as she leans out her window to put in the code for the gate. “Shit, it’s not working,” she tells me.
“Oh. I changed it. 0306.”
She keys it in and the gate begins to open. “Why’d you change it?”
“To stop Nate from kidnapping me.”
“Didn’t work, did it?”
“Not even close,” I laugh before letting out a deep sigh. “I really like him,” I tell her. “I know it’s wrong and I shouldn’t feel like that about him, but over the last two weeks, he’s been a completely different person.”
“How do you mean?”
She pulls up out the front of my house and we get out before walking up the stairs to the front door. “He’s been sweet,” I say, hardly believing the words as they come out of my mouth. “He taught me to drive and was patient with me and then he rescued me from some loser who was coming on way too strong. He holds my hand and he cuddles me every night. He makes my lunch. He tells me I’m beautiful. He looks out for me. He-”