Page 23 of Crush
“Well, you might need geometry if you go on to study engineering or architecture or something like that.”
Chloe gave an apathetic shrug. “I can't see that ever happening, 'cause I suck so bad at math.”
“So which subjects do you like?”
“Art.” She paused. “English, I guess.”
“Are you an artist?”
“Artist,” she said with a scoff. Her eyes rolled, not at me, but at herself. “I like to draw, but I'm not very good.”
“You'll have to show me your drawings sometime!”
Chloe's expression grew heavy. “No way. I'm way too bad to show anybody.”
“Aw, I doubt that. Besides, you should see my attempts at drawing. That'd build your confidence in a hurry.”
Chloe laughed a tiny laugh. She swirled a celery stick around in the hummus, then looked up at me gravely. Guilt was in her eyes.
“What's wrong?” I asked.
“Are yousureI didn't get Estel fired?”
“Chloe …” I said, wishing there was some way I could reassure her. “I promise you, I don't know anything specific about what happened with Estel.”
She let out a sigh and told me her story about last night: she had a boy over, Adam. Adam was one of the popular boys at school. For that reason, their paths never really crossed until this year, when they got put together in French class and started talking to each other. Just the other day, Adam asked if she wanted to hang out after school, and so she invited him over, but when Shea came home, he 'caught’ them hanging out together and immediately leaped to some serious conclusions. But really, they were only listening to Radiohead together—Adam's favorite band—with the lights off.
“So today in French class, Adam told me that, when Dad drove Adam home, he gave him this absolutelycrazyspeech about all the things he expects from someone who wants to date his daughter. Like,totallyembarrassing stuff: he needs to have a job, and always dress up nice, always refer to my dad as 'Mr. Ellis,' never ever drink alcohol, always have me home on time after dates—the list kept going on and on! But we've only hung outonceand I can guarantee you that Adam doesn't want to date me. I'm so embarrassed by the whole thing.”
Chloe inhaled a long, deep breath.
“And ifthat'swhy Estel got fired, because I hung out with Adam, I'm going to feel really, really bad about myself.”
I touched her arm. “Aw, Chloe. It sounds like a misunderstanding. I doubt your Dad would've fired Estel over one small incident like that alone. It's not your fault, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” she mumbled, staring at the floor. When she looked up at me again, her mood had changed. “Hey, Brynn.”
“What's up?”
“Just so you know, I'm going to hang out with my friend Nicole in a little bit,” she said with shifty eyes.
“After your homework's done, you mean?” I asked as I picked up my knife and went back to chopping onions.
Her jaw fell. “But it's all geometry proofs! Which I won't even need in real life. You even said so yourself, remember?”
I chuckled. “Before you forget about geometry forever, you need to actually pass the class.”
“Hmpf.” Chloe shook her head, but she still wore a grin. “Even if I only pass with a D?”
“Yup.”
Chloe quietly watched as I continued my prep cooking.
“Hey, Brynn.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to move in with us like Estel and the other nannies did?”
