Page 15 of Tutoring the Bad Boy
Principal Gray and I startle, and her mom smiles. “I was merely apologizing for being…unkind. We made a deal. He works hard, and I’ll give him a letter of recommendation so he can get into a good school.”
Ginny’s mouth drops open. “Really?” She throws her arms around her mom. “That’s amazing, Mom. Thank you. We’ll make sure he gets his grade up as high as we can get it.”
Principal Gray pats Ginny on the back and steps back. “Okay, okay. I said we made a deal about his grades. I’m still not okay with…” She raises her eyebrows. “Da—”
“I know, Mom! No dating.” Ginny’s cheeks turn a dark shade of pink. “I’m just tutoring him. That’s all.”
I hold Principal Gray’s gaze, and she nods just slightly. “Exactly,” I add. “Just tutoring. I appreciate the letter, though.”
Ginny tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear as she looks at me and smiles. “Right. Are you ready to go?” She checks her phone. “If we hustle, we might make it before the movie starts.”
“I’ll see you when you get home,” Principal Gray said.
I wave bye to Ginny’s mom, jog to the exit door, and pull it open. I have a two-fold purpose. One, I need some air, and two, I just agreed to date Ginny and break her heart. I’m the town bad guy. Granted, much of that reputation is through rumors I didn’t correct when I heard them, but my character isn’t exactly golden. Still, the idea of hurting a girl who is fighting to help me makes my rumored bad-boy rep pale in comparison.
“Hey, are you ready to go?” she asks.
I smile. “Yeah.”
Ginny tilts her head. “You sure?”
“I’m sure,” I say and let go of the door. “Tell me about this movie. I’ve never heard of it before.”
She holds my gaze a second, and I wonder if she’s overheard my conversation with her mom. Then I dismiss it. No way would she have not said something. I mean, if she caught even part of it, there was no way she would’ve just smiled and acted as if nothing was wrong. I know I wouldn’t have.
A heartbeat longer, and I’m almost willing to confess the whole thing, when her lips spread into a smile that has my knees threatening to give out on me. For a girl with zero flirting history, she sure can get a guy’s heart racing. Then she starts talking. I wish I could say I pay attention while we’re walking to the beach, but I don’t.
The first thing I do is tune her out and contemplate the deal I’ve made with her mom. She offered me two things that could change my life for the better. Not just change it, but give me the chance to show my dad I’m serious. I think that’s why he’s so bent on my going to law school, because I’ve avoided hard things for a long time now.
He’s right about it being in my blood. I can read his law textbooks, and it’s nothing. Then hand me a poem, and I’m wondering where my brain went. But I love to draw, to see these buildings in my head and make them into art people can use.
By the time we get to the beach, it’s dark and the pre-movie ads are on. Maybe by the time it’s over, I’ll know what I want to do about that deal with Ginny’s mom.
As we take a seat in the sand, Ginny’s flowery soap or shampoo floats around me, and I realize I’m so doomed.
Chapter Nine
Ginny
I’m tryingto focus on the movie, but the conversation my mom had with Kaleb is playing in my head just as clear as the movie in front of my face. I didn’t play my hand at the time because I was in shock.
My mom made a deal with someone to break my heart. And not just any someone, a guy she hates. Not only that, but she’s willing to give him a letter of recommendation and get him a meeting with a friend who works at MIT.
I don’t know what hurts worse. That she’d make the offer or that Kaleb would take it. I think part of the reason I haven’t said anything is that I want to see if Kaleb will tell me. It’s easy to see from his perspective that it’s a sweet deal. Putting myself in his shoes, I’m not sure how I’d handle it.
There’s zero chance my mom will fess up. She thinks if my heart gets broken that I’ll swear off relationships for the foreseeable future. Maybe that’s true, but I’d like to think that just because one relationship fails doesn’t mean the next one has to.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…I’m digging this movie.” Kaleb’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I look at him.
“What?”
He tips his head toward the screen. “I like this movie.”
I tilt my head and smile. “Really?” Then I remember he’s supposed to be romancing me so he can break my heart. It kills any enthusiasm I might have.
Holding up his hand, he leans in and whispers, “We’ll talk after.”
I nod just as my phone vibrates in my pocket. Discreetly, I pull it out and maneuver myself where Kaleb can’t see the screen. It’s Ronnie.
