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“I asked if everything was okay.”
“Oh.”
Was everything okay? It was a good question. One I didn’t have an answer to.
I glanced back down at the names. I’d rather choke on my own spit than tutor a Royal, let alone the king himself. Besides, if he was so special, why’d he need help anyway? The whole school, teachers included, acted like he pooped rainbows. Didn’t royalty get a free pass? It sure seemed like it.
“I uh . . . yeah. It’s just . . . ” I scratched my head, then dropped my hand again. “Topher Elliot is on here.”
“Everyone loves Mr. Elliot.”
Everyone except me. Just because the rest of the school were sheep that worshiped the ground he walked on didn’t mean I did.
The hand on my thigh twitched restlessly as I drummed my fingers. Topher’s beautiful smile flickered through my head, followed by the sight of him standing in front of my things as if he might help while his friends laughed at my expense.
“About this list . . .” I drawled. “How concrete is it? I mean, is there any wiggle room to swap with another tutor, or—”
Bell’s mouth tightened, his eyes hard on my face. And I couldn’t blame him. He just handed me a golden ticket, and I threw it back in his face.
“It’s final. You start tomorrow. See if the schedule works out, and if it doesn’t, or you change your mind, let me know. You have until the end of the week to make a final decision or we need to find someone else.”
“Of course,” I said.
Bell eyed me like he wasn’t so sure, like he was disappointed in my less than enthused response. I literally just begged him for a solution to my problem, and when he handed me one, I all but shoved in his face.
I shook my head. I was being an idiot. Of course I couldn’t turn this down.
“Forget what I said, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Then I stood and left his office, even though the churning in my gut said otherwise.
Chapter 4
PENELOPE
OneglanceinthemirrortapedtotheinsideofmylockerdoorconfirmedIlookedasawfulasIfelt.Mythick,darkhairhunglifelesslyaroundmyface,despitetakingthetimetostyleitthatmorning,andmyeyeswerebloodshot,asureindicatorofstress.
With a sigh, I yanked the hair tie off my wrist and pulled my hair up into a sloppy ponytail.
“Boo!”
I yelped and jumped.
A hand flew to my chest as my best friend, Scarlett, popped out from behind me.
“What the heck? You scared the crap out of me.” I swatted at her, annoyed, but she merely laughed in return.
I grabbed my lunch off the top shelf, then slammed my locker door shut and turned to see her with a compact out, meticulously applying powder to her freckled nose. If it were anyone but Scarlett, I’d be jealous. With sandy brown locks that spilled over her shoulders like a waterfall in beachy waves, bright green eyes, and a trendy jacket overtop a flowy blouse and a cute patterned skirt, she looked like she just stepped off the cover of Teen Vogue, whereas I looked as though I snagged my ensemble from the sale rack at Goodwill (which I kind of did).
With a click, she snapped her compact shut, then stared at me with shrewd eyes. “Uh oh, what’s wrong?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling unusually defensive.
She waved a finger in my face. “Your eyes. They don’t lie. Either that or you’re stoned, and since you don’t do drugs, I’m guessing something’s bothering you.”
I screwed up my face because as much as I needed to vent, I dreaded recounting econ class. Despite being best friends, it was still embarrassing when I got made fun of. But as it turned out, there was no need to explain because just as I opened my mouth to speak, Topher, Luca, JT, and Mikey walked by, and when my traitorous eyes shifted to them, my face said it all.
“Okay . . .” She glanced from them back to me again. “Let’s count the mounting evidence. You’re stressed and clearly upset about something. It’s the first day. Topher and his crew just walked by and you looked like you wanted to melt into the floor and die. Or punch something. Or both. I’m guessing whatever happened has to do with them?”
“Is it ever anyone else terrorizing me?”
