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“I stopped by Mrs. Drew’s class to get an update on the class sculpture,” she said, planting her high heeled boots in front of me. Her narrowed blue eyes looked me up and down. “But all I saw was just a pile of junk. Tell me you’re further along than that. Do we need to find someone else to get this done by the end of the year?”
Adrenaline spiked my heart rate as I stared dumbly back at her. Of course, she was checking up on me. She was the class president and in charge of the senior present. It made sense. But Savannah wouldn’t understand why my parents had made me change classes or why I’d hardly made a dent in the sculpture yet. She wouldn’t blink at pulling the plug, either.
I had to come up with something — and fast. Already, displeasure lined her mouth at my lack of reply. But I’d never been any good at lying, so strangled noises were the only thing to come out of my mouth.
“I...uh...well, you see...” My cheeks burned as I squirmed under her gaze. This was it. Savannah was going to take my project and my senior year would be ruined.
“Trina, I need to be sure that you’re committed to this.” She stepped closer and the heavy scent of her perfume burned my nostrils. Danger glittered in her eyes. “If you can’t put together that sculpture on time, I’ll find someone who can. You weren’t the only person begging for the job. I’ve got ten other people lined up. Tell me you’ve got this.”
“Don’t worry,” a deep voice sounded beside me. “She’s committed.”
I looked over to see Mason, his arms shiny with sweat and his jersey sticking to his chest. He was glaring at Savannah in a way I’d never seen before, as if he didn’t have one ounce of fear for the Queen of Rock Valley High. Her suspicious gaze darted toward him and I was afraid for a second that she was going to lash out with her talons. Mason probably didn’t know how fast she could turn.
“Hello, Mason.” Savannah tilted her head to one side. “Nice to see you again. I thought you dropped off the planet when Polly dumped you.”
So this was the ex-girlfriend Audrey had mentioned? My gaze shot to Polly standing quietly behind Savannah. She was tall like me, with long legs and a belly button ring that peeked out beneath her cheerleading uniform. Her blonde hair was pulled up into an Ariana-style high pony and fell down into ringlets on her shoulder. Tiny silver sparkles decorated the apples of her cheeks and flashed in the gym lighting.
Still, despite Savannah’s insults, Mason didn’t seem riled up. He raised his chin slightly in greeting. “Hi, Savannah. Can’t say I missed you.” Bending slightly to one side, his expression softened just the slightest. “Hi, Polly.”
Polly smiled slightly at him, her cheeks pink. “Hi, Mason.”
I couldn’t help but chew on my lower lip in thought as I watched Mason and Polly greet each other. She was beautiful, but I knew for a fact that there was a
lot more to her than met the eye. Not only was Polly one of the best cheerleaders on the squad, but she had a red belt in taekwondo and volunteered for the Special Olympics.
It made sense that Mason and she had been together. The point guard and the cheerleader. It was like a high school fairytale. It was no wonder Mason was so severe all the time. He was still nursing a broken heart.
“Well, this reunion is fun and all, but I need an update on the class project,” Savannah sniped, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and tucking her nails in. “I didn’t see much progress in that art room.”
“If you knew anything about welding, you’d know that most of the work is in the planning,” Mason shot back, matching her position by crossing his arms and making his biceps bulge. It was an impressive stance that made even me feel a little bit intimidated. “She’s starting that soon. Don’t rush her. She’s got it under control.”
If it were even possible, Savannah’s eyes narrowed with more suspicion. Doubt pooled in my gut. There was no way she would buy that, not after she’d seen that heap of metal on the art closet floor. But after what seemed like an eternity, she dropped her hands to her sides and the tension left her face.
“Fine, but I’ll be wanting an update. Soon. Got that?”
Turning on her heel, she sped away, her long hair swaying behind her. Her entourage followed, with Polly lingering behind just long enough to wave a quick goodbye. The farther away they got, the more the invisible grip around my throat loosened, until finally I could breathe again. With a hand pressed to my trembling abdomen, I turned to Mason with a thankful smile.
“Oh my gosh, thank you for that. I’m pretty sure I had a mini stroke. I forgot how to form any words.”
“Don’t tell me she scares you.” He scowled at the back of Savannah’s head, his nose wrinkling. “Girls like that may seem evil, but my mom always says that they’re just bullies hiding their own deep insecurities.”
My eyes widened and I gripped his arm. “That’s what I always say! And deep down, there’s a lot more to Savannah than we know.”
He groaned and threw his chin up. “Don’t tell me — she’s got potential.”
I bit back a grin. “Of course, she does. I think most people do.”
“And here I was, thinking I was so special because Trina Frye told me I had potential.” He turned his gaze toward me, his eyes darkening with a teasing glint.
I couldn’t look away from him. My eyes were glued to his face — his steel-blue eyes, his perfectly proportioned lips, his strong jawline. Butterflies burst to life in my stomach and suddenly I realized that the place where my hands still touched his arms was starting to burn. With a gulp, I released him and took a step back.
“How do you know so much about welding, anyway?” I asked, the thumping in my chest so loud I was sure everyone in the gym could hear it. The man had just met face-to-face with his ex-girlfriend and here I was, going all goo-goo eyed over him. It wasn’t cool.
Mason made a face. “I don’t know the first thing about welding. I made it all up.”
“What? Seriously?” My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “You were so believable.”
“It’s called lying through your teeth, Trina.” He smirked just the tiniest bit, which made my gut twinge with inexplicable longing. And as he leaned closer, as if to share a secret, I got another series of twinges. “You know, most teenagers could do it in their sleep. You’re just too pure to manage it, I guess.”
