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Their cars were parked side by side. Her mother’s deep wrinkles became canyons when she turned on her daughter. “You’re humiliating. You know that? Is this how you are in school? Sneaking around and hiding things? I can’tbelievehow embarrassing that was.Mydaughter, stealing test answers,” she moaned, and Tully stared at her shoes.
“I didn’t do it.”
“Donotlie to me. You’re grounded for a week.”
Tully balked at her mother and shook her head frantically. “What? No! I have things I need to do.”
“You’re grounded for a week. Starting right now.” She doubled down. “If you try and smart ass your way out, it will be two weeks. You hear me? Grab your stuff and come straight home. I’d better see you in twenty minutes.”
“Mom—”
“Stop. You’ve already disappointed me enough.”
Tully opened her mouth to deny it, but her father cut her off. “Listen to your mother. You’re giving me a headache.” He said it like Tully had been the one talking. She’d barely been able to get a word in edgewise. He was the first to give up and get in his car.
Her mother followed soon after.
The car door slammed, and Tully was left in the parking lot alone as both her parents sped away.
Tears bit at the bottom of her eyes, and she wanted to scream. She wanted everyone to hear how unfair it all was. How wronged she felt. She wanted to let the water loose and feel it flood down.
But she bit her cheek and looked at the sky and blinked until the tears disappeared. One hand grabbed the bottom of Nathan’s jacket as she clenched it in her fist.
forty-one
nathan
Nathan worked in the library for the first time alone that day and realized he was doing Tully a bigger favor than he thought by volunteering with her.
It was boring as hell.
He didn’t know how she could stand to do it alone for so long without him.
It didn’t bother him that she didn’t make it there, she seemed busy, but then Tully never showed up to the game.
She wasn’t on the front bench, and the absence of his purple jacket was noticeable enough that it threw off his game. He missed most of his free throws and turned over the ball enough to get benched in the second half. They weren’t going to let a distracted kid cost them the homecoming game.
Jolie came up to him during halftime with a bottle of water and held it out. “I told you, Nathan.”
He ignored the water. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s not supportive. It’s why her ex got tired of her.”
He didn’t have the energy to try and be nice to Jolie. Not when Tully’s absence consumed his thoughts. “You know what? I’m starting to think I know my girlfriend better than you do.”
He turned and exited out the opposite door into the hallway, hoping he would find Tully around there. The janitor was the only person near the offices and Nathan got his answer when he checked the parking lot for her car: Tully was gone.
Something happened with Ms. Hill, he was sure of it.
The game ended against their favor 15-45, but Nathan didn’t care as much as he normally would. He didn’t even shower, he just grabbed his bag, threw on his sweatshirt and left the school before anyone tried to talk to him.
“Hey, Rondeau.” He was about to his car when someone yelled out to him. Stephanie ran up, still wearing her lavender and white color guard uniform and carrying a matching hat in one hand. Her backpack slung over her shoulder was out of place against a performance outfit. “You wouldn’t happen to know where your girlfriend is, would you?”
“You know as much as I do.”
“That’s what I was worried about.” She looked around and sighed. “Well, guess I’m your responsibility now. Hope you don’t mind. Consider it a favor to Tully—put it on her tab or whatever.” Stephanie didn’t wait for a response and climbed into the passenger side of his car. Nathan stared at her, then laughed and got in.
“Soo . . .” Stephanie started as they pulled out of the parking lot. “How is everything going?”
