Page 13 of Sweet Deception

"Sorry, I've been consumed by my dad's illness and haven't been fully present lately." I cringe at the thought of him witnessing my behavior in class. "And please, Mrs. Mathews isn't a bitch. She apologized after class and was understanding. I don't think she will be so hard on me now."

"Good. That's good. I'd hate to have to turn her in."

Tilting my head, I lower my brows, confused by his comment.

"Between you and me, I'm there to observe only. After graduation, I got hired on with the football team. Coach has received some complaints about Mrs. Mathews purposely failing the players in her class, so he asked me to sign up to keep an eye on things." He leans in to whisper, "She's unaware, so I appreciate you keeping it to yourself." Straightening, he looks around before turning back to me. "Anyway, the only person I've seen her being hard on is you and, well, that's been confusing." He raises his eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, I don't know why either." I don't want to betray her confidence, so I leave out what she confessed to me. "But I believe it's going to change now. I feel good about our conversation. Please don't report her on my behalf." I swipe the hair blowing in my eyes out of my face to tuck it behind my ear. His eyes follow the action and I don't know what to make of that. Wouldn't he have approached long before now if he was interested in me?

"Hey, Hendricks!" Danny turns in time to catch the football thrown at him. He stumbles back a step from the force of the throw, but manages to hold on to it. "Nice catch!" One of the other players yells. Several of the team are congregated around a picnic table with a group of sorority girls a few yards away. A few of them are glaring at me and I can't resist rolling my eyes. Danny's unaware of his fan club as his focus is on the player who threw the ball. Chuckling, he tells the guy to go long.

Deciding our conversation must be over, I resume walking and leave him to it.

"Hey wait!" Danny catches up to me again and I glance at him in question. "So, where are you headed now? Got another class?"

"Uh … no. That was my last class, but I'm going to the library for a project I'm working on."

He nods and I can tell he's about to say more, but my phone goes off. I snatch it out of my pocket to find an unknown number on the screen. Knowing this call could be about my appointments, I glance back at Danny and make my excuses. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll, uh … catch you later." He hesitates before turning and jogging over to the football players. I wait until he's out of earshot before accepting the call.

"Hello?"

"Miss Davis?" An unfamiliar voice comes over the line.

"Yes, this is she."

"I'm nurse Tammy with Dr. Cappel's office. I'm calling to let you know the agency scheduled an appointment for your physical this afternoon at three p.m. Will you be able to make it?"

And just like that, my nerves kick in.

"Yes, I can be there. Can I have your address? I'm not sure where you're located."

She rattles it off and we hang up. The butterflies are back and wreaking havoc in my stomach again. After entering the address into my phone, I check the time to see I have just enough of it to run by the library first.

***

An hour later, I'm sitting in another waiting room, wondering what the hell I'm doing with my life as I eye the exit. It's not too late to back out, but I also know I can't if I want to help my parents. I only wish this was easier to handle. When Talia said this would come at a great price, she wasn't wrong.

"Miss Davis?"

I snap my gaze to the nurse standing by the door, holding a clipboard. This feels a lot like déjà vu.

"That's me." I stand and gather my belongings.

"Great. Follow me." She turns and walks past the reception desk to where the exam rooms are located. "I'm Tammy, the one you spoke with on the phone. We're going to draw some blood today and do a physical exam. Please step in here and undress. There's a gown for you to put on. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"No. I'm good. Thank you."

"Great. The doctor will be with you in a few minutes." She smiles and shuts the door behind her.

My anxiety is through the roof at this point and I hope they don't take my blood pressure because I don't think I would pass right now. With no choice but to undress, I fold my clothes and lay them on the chair before hopping onto the exam table to wait for the doctor.

I've had these exams once a year since my teens, but I've never felt as embarrassed as I do now. I can't stop wondering if the doctor and nurse know why I'm here getting these tests done.

Three quick but firm knocks on the door yanks me out of my head. I straighten my shoulders and brace for the doctor as he steps into the room. He looks up from my chart with a gentle smile in greeting before he explains everything he's going to do for the exam. An older nurse—that's not Tammy—comes in behind him and shuts the door before moving to stand off to the side.

After a torturous fifteen minutes that feels like an hour, the doctor ends the exam, telling me the results will be sent to the agency and if there's anything of concern, they will call me.

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