Page 59 of Sweet Deception

Kylie

"Kylie, are you ok, hun?" Mrs. Carrington stops at my desk to hand me my graded test.

For the love! She's the third person to ask me that today.

"First day after a new workout. It's brutal." I grimace. It's the best response I could think of on the fly.

"Oh. I need a new workout—mine's gone stagnate. You'll have to tell me what you're doing. I've been thinking about going to a trainer, but that seems intimidating." She looks at me expectantly.

"You should do it, Mrs. Carrington. That's what I did. I got a trainer, and he worked me hard." A hysterical giggle escapes and I slap a hand over my mouth.

What the hell am I saying?

She's a little taken aback by my strange behavior, but that doesn't deter her. "That's just what I need. Can you share his number?"

"Uh … well … you see, I had to sign an exclusivity contract with him. He likes to focus on one client at a time."

Seriously, what is wrong with me?

"But I can ask him for a reference. He's well connected." Honestly, I think Luca fucked all the brain cells out of me.

"Oh, that would be wonderful. Thank you." She moves on to the next student, and I sigh in relief that our discussion is over.

I shift in my seat to remove the pressure from my right butt cheek. Luca loves slapping my ass. Sitting on hard wooden chairs all day made me realize how sore I actually am. I'm going to have to ask him to be kind to me tonight.

I'm also going to nix my plans to visit my parents today. If Mrs. Carrington—who is the flightiest professor I've ever known—is noticing my discomfort, so will my mom. No way do I want to tell her the same excuse. She'll insist on working out with me.

Hmm, maybe I can convince her to take yoga classes with me. I like the idea of doing a mom and daughter yoga class. I'll be able to spend time with her and strengthen my body for Luca's voracious appetite.

I giggle at my own thoughts.

"Alright, class. Open your books to chapter twenty-three." Mrs. Carrington announces as she heads to the whiteboard.

I sigh, needing to shift in my seat again.

***

Danny isn't waiting for me as I arrive at my last class. After taking a visual sweep around the room, I confirm he's not here.

As I sit and gather my items, I contemplate his absence. I'm torn between being happy that he won't be another person asking why I'm stiff, and sad because of how we left things last time.

After being with Luca this weekend, I realize Danny was just a crush. The thought of dating anyone else doesn't sit well with me.

I'm doomed if that doesn't change. Falling for Luca will only lead to heartbreak. A pang hits my chest and I chew on my lip with worry. Not that there's anything I can do about it right now.

Glad for the distraction, Mrs. Matthews begins her lecture, forcing me to let go of all thoughts of my impending heartbreak.

***

I breathe a sigh of relief after leaving my last class for the day. There's a noticeable difference to how Mrs. Matthews treats me in class and I weirdly don't want to disappoint her after hearing her story despite our rocky semester. Now that she's easing off me, I can enjoy this last month.

However, I'm looking forward to being done with school and I can't wait to teach. I need to search for a position soon. Hopefully in elementary education. I don't know how my mom handles junior high kids and no way do I want to even attempt high school. Memories of how my classmates acted are too fresh in my mind.

"Kylie!"

I'm steps away from my car when Danny calls for me. Plastering a smile on my face, I turn and wait for him to catch up.

"Hey, Danny. I was wondering why you weren't in class today." I hug my bag to my chest and lean against my car.

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