Page 18 of Ask No Questions

She stood facing the class. “You’ll all come crawling back to beg for forgiveness when I have invites to the big parties and award shows in LA. We’ll see then who really matters.” She glared at me, then the guys one last time before walking back to her chair where two blondes were waiting to console her.

When the bell finally rang, I gathered my things and followed Mike out the door. He smiled back at me and stopped to let me catch up to him.

"What class do you have next?"

"Dance. I think that's by the gym, right?"

"Yeah, it is. I'll head over there with you."

As we weaved our way through the crowd of the math hall and back to the courtyard, he told me about the football team and his trip to Hawai'i. I didn't even notice we were standing in front of the gym until I heard someone calling my name. I turned and saw Cassie coming our way.

"Hey, Mike, you move fast. Second period hasn't even started yet, and word is going around you staked a claim on Aubrey."

I raised a brow and glanced between the two of them as they started laughing.

"Don't worry, Aubrey, Mike is quite the ladies' man, and no one will take it too seriously. Let’s get to dance. I think Sandra is just going over the semester, so we don't have to change, luckily." I said bye to Mike and followed her through a door to the side of the main gym that led into the dance room, wondering if I needed to worry about Mike.

I’d been at the school for an hour and managed to find myself in the midst of drama. The absolute last thing I wanted or needed right now.

Nine

I sat next to Cassie on the hardwood, stretching my hamstrings as we waited for Coach Sandra to come in. There were only girls in the class, different from the mix in my classes in Chicago. I didn’t recognize anyone else until Sydney walked in. We made eye contact, and she scoffed and sat on the opposite side of the class. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and laughed when Cassie shook her head before smiling at me. I was especially grateful to have someone with me in this class if I was going to have to put up with Sydney’s glares.

Coach Sandra walked in wearing yoga pants and a school tee. She looked only a few years older than us. “Welcome to Dance II, class. This is the advanced level, so those of you who were not approved by me will have to be assessed tomorrow to make sure you’re in the appropriate level class. For today we are going to go over expectations and assign lockers for the semester.”

“We have to try out for this class?” I leaned over to Cassie trying to be discreet so Sandra wouldn’t notice.

“Unless you’ve taken the beginner class, yeah, but it’s pretty basic as long as you’ve danced before. She’ll ask you to do one skill and an eight count. Then you just perform. Nothing too bad.” She smiled at me, then turned her attention back to the front.

The rest of the class was uneventful, and when we were walking back to the hallways, Talia met up with us.

“Are you surviving so far? I heard about Mike and your phone… and Sydney. Way to get noticed on the first day. The most popular guy in school loves you, and the meanest girl hates you. Well done, young grasshopper!”

I rolled my eyes at her as we walked into our class. As nice as it was to know some people on my first day, I wasn’t sure it was worth the attention. I wanted a chance to observe and blend in before making any decisions about where I belonged, but it felt like people had already done that for me. Just like back home.

Talia showed me to AP English, but I froze in the doorway when I saw him. Sitting on the far side of the room was Mr. Mysterious from the bonfire. I hadn’t told the girls about it so I hurried to hide my reaction as Talia and I sat down.

Our teacher, Mrs. Alexander, began going through the roll. I was reading over the syllabus trying not to let myself get distracted by his presence, but when she read my name, I heard the slightest grunt and looked up, making eye contact with him. Oops. His face radiated anger, and for whatever reason, it was directed at me.

Talia noticed and leaned over to me. “What did you do to piss off Gage Vance?”

I shot a glance at him to see if he heard then whispered back. “Nothing! I mean I ran into him at the bonfire, but nothing.”

She shamelessly looked over at him. “Doesn’t look like nothing. Seriously, what happened? He barely pays attention to anyone at school.”

“I was just trying to say hi. Then I fell and got swept into the water a little.”

“Oh yeah… so that’s why you had to change. Well, I don’t know what you did to set him off, but I recommend avoiding him at all costs.”

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. I hadn’t meant to make him mad that night, but apparently, I did something wrong. What was his deal anyway?

I put him out of my mind and focused on our teacher, praying the class would go by fast. Fortunately, we were given assignments to work on and no talking was allowed so I was able to focus on that rather than avoiding Gage’s burning stare.

Talia must have alerted the girls before class ended. The moment I walked out of the room, I was grabbed and pulled out of the hall by Mckayla with Alexis and Talia following behind.

“What is happening? I leave you alone for three classes, and I’m getting texts from everyone asking about you or warning me you already have enemies. Sydney I can understand, but what did you do to get on Gage Vance’s radar?”

“I already told Talia, I saw him at the bonfire and tried to say hi. He pulled me up when I fell in the water. He has no reason to hate me. I should be the one avoiding him after that embarrassing moment.”