Page 30 of Tutoring the Bad Boy
I gawk after the car long enough that I’ve got sweat running in my eyes. Dropping my skateboard to the pavement, I finish my trek to the donut shop.
“Dude, I’ve been sitting here forever.” Chris sits on a ledge adjacent to Coastal Donuts.
“I had an unexpected…meeting.” Hey, that isn’t too far off.
“Not surprised.” Chris jumps down from the wall, and we walk over to the shop.
It’s more like a donut stand than anything else. You order at the window then find a table. I opt for the bear claw while Chris gets a couple of old fashioned donuts. There are two cartons of milk to wash it down, and I find myself being the happiest guy on the planet. Except for the fact that I wish Ginny was here.
Chris speaks with his second donut in his mouth. “You got plans today?”
“Nah.”
“Does your dad know about Ginny yet?” Chris asks and then gulps down half of a donut.
Geez, word travels fast. “How doyouknow my dad knows?”
Chris’s eyebrows reach his hairline. “Really? You kissed in full-on public display. The space station knows by now.” He chuckles. “Surprised it wasn’t Principal Gray who told him.”
“Who knows? Maybe she did.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still alive.”
I want to tell Chris everything, but I’m experiencing a moral dilemma the size of the Loan Star State. If Principal Gray is telling the truth, my relationship with Ginny can get me into MIT. Actually, I’m supposed to deliver a broken heart for my chance at admission. Not only does that get my dad on board with my career choice, but it gets me intotheschool I need to be in. Only, I’m already struggling with that detail. I don’t like the idea of hurting Ginny, especially not on purpose, even if it’s all an act and she knows it’s part of the plan. I mean, MIT is great and it’sthebest school, but there are other colleges—cheaper colleges—that I can attend and keep my soul intact.
If I tell Chris any of this, or the fact that I had a dream that I was romping through a field of golden grass wearing a pair of man-leggings, Chris will never speak to me again. I decide that it’s better to tighten my lips. The last thing I need is him choking on a donut from laughing too hard. If there was any time that I needed a friend, it’s now.
Chris finishes his milk and tosses the carton into a nearby trash bin. It lands in. “Dude, this girl is messing with your head.”
“How do you know?”
“You just sat here for, like, five minutes thinking to yourself in silence.”
I have to laugh because I didn’t know it was that long. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“That’s a first.” Chris punches me on the shoulder, and I punch him back.
But I’m telling the truth. I’m in my senior year of high school; I’m fake-dating a girl that, if I’m being truthful, I wouldn’t mind actually dating; and a dream of a future that, until recently, looked totally impossible is within my grasp. So much is hanging in the balance. One misstep, and it could all crash around my ankles.
Inwardly, I shove the thoughts away. I need to focus on the here and now. I’ll worry about the future…later.
Chapter Fifteen
Ginny
Why am I so nervous?Maybe it’s because I have the last and most important volleyball game of my life this evening followed by a dinner with Coach Williams. Other coaches are going to be there, though, and I’m playing for them. I can eat dinner with Coach Williams all day long. It won’t change my plans to find a school on the opposite side of the planet from Port Crest.
There’s also Kaleb. He’ll be at my house. Having dinner with me. If nothing else, I’m glad the coach will be here just so my mom doesn’t flip out. She’ll be forced to keep her cool. I’m not looking forward to the blowout after, but it’ll be totally worth it.
I look up at the clock hanging on the wall of the library and let out a frustrated sigh. Kaleb’s five minutes late. I thought we’d covered the don’t-be-late topic. I tap my pencil on the table while the gamut of thoughts runs through my head as to why Kaleb might not show. Another frustrated sigh pours out of me. I’m obsessing over nothing. He’s just late. I will remain calm. I will be composed. I will…
Kaleb turns the corner of the teen-lit section, and I pop out of my chair and smile like a beauty pageant contestant. Great. It’s like my body has a mind of its own when it comes to him. He waves, and I can’t stop myself from admiring how drop-dead gorgeous he is.
I get a hold of myself and sit. Clearing my throat, I try to speak with a measured tone. “You’re a little late.”
Kaleb laughs and looks at his phone. “Six minutes.”
“It’s just that…we don’t have a lot of time.”
