Page 52 of The Boy Who Loved Wicked
Iwoke up the following Monday after the Winter Formal disoriented until I remembered that I’d been sleeping in the guest room for all of winter break, which faced the front of my house. I silenced the alarm on my phone and dragged myself to my bedroom to get ready for school, my eyes drifted to the slab of board now nailed to the window. I’d done that after returning from Sebastian’s. Staying in this room, tempted by the window, was asking too much of me.
It was fun explaining that one to Mom while also attempting to hide the aftermath of my night in Sebastian’s study.
The redness of my eyes was more pronounced under the bright light of the morning, but at least the hickeys on my neck and most of the bruising everywhere else had faded to something less sinister. The front door opened and closed, and with one last look in the mirror I stepped out of the bathroom as Theory entered my room.
“Holy hell.” She crept closer, reaching out to touch a bruise on my chest. “What happened to you?”
“It’s nothing,” I said, doubling back to the bathroom for my discarded t-shirt.
She didn’t believe me. Hell, I didn’t even believe me. “You cannot go to school like that.”
“You can’t see it once my shirt is on.”
She folded her arms, shifting her weight to one foot. “And your neck? It looks like you were Dracula’s guest of honor.”
“I’ll wear a turtleneck.”
“Pheeny—”
“I’m not missing school.” I hadn’t seen or spoken to Sebastian since the night of the Winter Formal. As sick as it was, I needed to see him. I didn’t want to be out of sight and out of mind. I didn’t want him to forget about me. I rummaged through my drawer for underwear then headed for the shower.
“No one’s forgotten about that scene you made in class, Phoenix—”
“—You meanyouhaven’t forgotten, Shweta,” I snapped. “This isn’t one of your damn theories.”
“Wow. We’re back to first name basis, are we?” She dropped her messenger bag to the floor and held prayer hands to her chin. “Give me a little credit,Phoenix.I’ve got a 4.0 GPA, I’m not an idiot—”
“I’m sorry—”
“But it seems you are.” She threw her hands up. “A few of the girls at the dance were talking about how Mr. Wicked went from looking like Superman to super-shit. And then you left with him. And now you look like shit on steroids.” Her voice lowered. “You think no one has noticed that our teacher’s star pet has now gone feral on him? You’re one step down from downright hostile with him in class. It’s like you’re asking to get caught…” She eyed me with a narrowed gaze, jumping in front of me when I tried to enter the bathroom. “Is that what you’re hoping for? Are you trying to get caught?”
“Get out of my way.”
“I think you are. Maybe the scandal will get done what he’s obviously too chicken shit to do. Is that it?”
I settled my gaze over her shoulder.
“He could go to jail, Phoenix! Hell, he’d deserve it.”
“No! He doesn’t.” I didn’t want him arrested. I didn’t want him to lose his child. I just wantedhim.
“He took advantage of you—”
I shoulder checked her and moved past, slamming the bathroom door on her.
“Your mom’s worried about you.”
“She doesn’t care.” I leaned my back against the door.
“You don’t even see that she’s been trying. She called me twice this week asking if I knew what was wrong because you weren’t talking to her.”
If I thought it wouldn’t have made things worse, I’d have put my fist through the mirror over the sink. Theory’s truthful words had hit me like an arrow to the heart. I couldn’t deal with the guilt behind thwarting my mother’s efforts at getting through to me. Not on top of everything else.
“I’m going to Danny’s. I’ll see you at school,” she said and a few seconds later the door closed.
I rushed to get to class before Theory. If I walked in on her already seated, that would tell me nothing of where we stood after our argument. I wanted to see what she would do once she came in and saw me already there. Would she sit next to me?
She stopped in the doorway, then took a deep breath and slid into her usual seat adjacent to mine. She didn’t hate me. I would’ve broken apart right then and there if she did. Too much had already slipped from my grasp.
