Page 22 of Beneficial Misfortune

She makes a face when I say his name. “Ew,” she says, turning to point at Oliver, who stands just inside the door. “His name is Oli. Oliver sounds like an old cat.”

A laugh bursts free before I can stop it, and I duck my head to try to hide it. I know I failed when I look up a moment later and find his eyes on me. Thankfully, he doesn’t look upset—maybe just a little annoyed with her, the way siblings get.

“Yes, well, the old cat wants to know if you want to paint or hang out with me,” Oliver says when she completely misses the point, and she sticks out her tongue at him.

“I want to paint!” she declares before going back to pulling out her supplies.

“I guess that answers that,” I say, walking back to my desk now that I might as well be invisible to her.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. She’s a good kid,” I tell him with a smile, and he nods as he watches her start her project. She’s so focused, her face scrunched up in concentration as she mixes water with the colors she wants, trying to get them perfect.

“Yeah, she is…” he says in a low voice, almost to himself, before wishing me a good day and heading out.

I managed to avoid Trevor… mostly. He’s texted me a few times now, and I let him know I still had to check the first time, but by the third time, I’ve started to ignore him. I really don’t want to do anything for my birthday, and even if I did, I don’t want to do it with him.

Ugh, damn me and my big mouth, saying I’d think about it.

The next few weeks pass in a blur, and before I know it, it’s already the last day of the summer program. If I can just get through today, I won’t have to see Trevor again until the next school year starts in a few weeks.

Of course, I can’t, though. Today is my birthday, and the second I walk through the front doors of the school, he’s there, waiting for me with flowers.

I won’t lie. It's kind of sweet, and if he had started our meetings like this, he would probably have had more luck. But as it is, something about him leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I refuse to ignore warning signs again.

“Happy birthday, Kat,” he says, holding the bouquet out to me. I take them in a daze as I admire the beautiful colors, and he swoops in, pressing a kiss to my cheek before quickly taking a step back.

I snap my eyes toward him and have to resist the urge to wipe my face clean. Instead, I murmur a thank you before I turn and head for my class, unsure what to do.

This is what I was talking about. He can’t just be nice; he always has to push it and make me uncomfortable.

Maybe it’s me?

No, I don’t think it is. I hadn’t had an issue with Alex and Desmond, even if it was months and months ago.

“So I was wondering if you could figure out your plans for this weekend or not?” Trevor asks as he follows me down the hall. “I looked up Laws’ schedule this weekend, and they have half-off drinks for some summer celebration.”

I fumble my keys, and they drop to the floor while I stand there, unsure if I’d heard him correctly or not.

What are the odds he would mentionthatclub of all places and right now?

It takes me a second, but I grab my keys off the floor and manage to get my door unlocked this time. Pushing into my room, I drop the flowers on my desk. Where they once felt sweet, they make me feel kind of gross now that he’s used them to kiss me.

“Um, no. I'm still waiting for my parents to get back to me. We're talking about meeting up this weekend to celebrate. I’ll probably know more tonight.” The lie rolls off my tongue easier than it should. I don’t like lying, but I know he won’t take no for an answer.

“Oh, yeah, I understand. Just let me know, and I’ll see about getting us in. Laws is pretty exclusive and kind of expensive, so the sooner I know, the better,” he says, nodding as he stalks toward me instead of away like I’d hoped he would.

“Yeah, I know,” I say without thinking. “I’ll let you know as soon as I know for sure.” I force a smile and walk behind my desk, needing the comfort of having it between us.

“You do?” he asks, cocking his head to the side and looking at me in confusion.

“Um, yes. I’ve been there once,” I tell him, not wanting to get into the details.

He stops in his tracks, mumbling something I can’t make out. For a second, his eyes are dark and full of anger, but I blink, and it’s gone.

“Just shoot me a text and let me know. I’ll let you get to it. I’m sure you have a busy day planned for the kids.”

Before I can answer, he turns, and all but runs from the room.

---