Page 87 of A Scandal in Homeroom
“You’re not going to lose me,” I said, then walked over to wrap her in my arms. “I get it now. I unwittingly dipped my toe into something I shouldn’t have. But I’m pulling my toe out. Or at least trying. Plus, I asked for help to do that, so that has to count for something. It’s like you said before, Janie. I think…I think I’m actually healing.”
Her arms wrapped around me, and, for a second, we just hugged.
“Damn it!” Beth said, as she opened the door to the bathroom. “I’m missing out on group hug! You know I love group hug.”
Together, Janie and I opened our arms to pull Beth in. The three of us formed a circle and pressed our heads together.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” Beth, always our unacknowledged leader, said. “We’re going to get Reen out of trouble, we’re going to find out what my father is up to and we’re going to go shopping.”
“Shopping?” Janie asked. “Why?”
“Because I have money again and we’re going to use it to getyou,my friend Janie, the hottest pair of jeans known to man so you can slowly torture Ed Rochester to death.”
Janie’s expression sobered.
“You know I can’t accept money from you, Beth. That’s not who I am…”
“Why do I feel abutcoming?” I asked, smiling already.
“But this time I’m willing to make an exception,” Janie said, also smiling. “Plan to torture Ed starts now!”
20
Later that Day
Locke
“Coyle, wait up.”
I’d been waiting for him just beyond school grounds. I didn’t think things would get physical between us, but I didn’t want any teachers or students to be aware of our interaction.
My plan had been to slowly play Coyle. Let Fitz play his King of Popularity card and try to extract answers that Coyle might freely give away to someone with Fitz’s natural authority.
Except after the attack on me, I felt a new sense of urgency. There wasn’t any time for finesse. I needed answers and I needed them now.
He turned around at the sound of his name, but quickly shook his head and kept on walking.
“No way, Holmes. Not talking to you.”
I had to jog to catch up to him, but once I did, I walked beside him in lock step.
“I don’t want to even be seen with you,” he said, looking straight ahead.
“What? We’re just two students, walking home after a day of class. Nothing to alert anyone.”
“Yeah, right,” he snorted. “You’re trouble, and I try to stay away from that.”
“I think we both know that’s not true.”
He stopped, his face twisted in anger, but also, I could see real fear behind his eyes. Had word gotten back to him what I’d done to Moriarty’s thug? Or was there something else he feared?
“You know, I don’t know who the bigger idiot is. Adler for bringing you to the game, or you for coming. You stepped in it, Holmes. And that shit doesn’t come off so easily.”
“I’m not looking for more trouble.”
Lie.
“I simply want to extract Irene from the game.”
