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“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just didn’t want Austin to get expelled.”
“Oh my god! Who cares about that boy?” Her upper lip curls with scorn. “All he’s done is cause trouble since arriving in town. He should have been sent to public school where he belongs with the rest of the lowlife losers.”
“Mom.” My eyes widen, swinging to her for a heartbeat. “They’re not lowlifes or losers. I still have a lot of friends who attend Hawthorne Public.”
Her shoulders hunch as she sniffs and swivels to stare out the window. “The best thing I ever did was get you out of that hellhole. Now you have every opportunity open to you because of the sacrificesImade. Don’t you dare ruin it.”
I open my mouth before snapping it shut again. There’s no point in arguing when she’s this worked up.
“You stay away from that boy.” When I don’t immediately respond, her voice sharpens. “Do you hear me, Delilah?”
My teeth rake across my lower lip, and I wince, tongue darting to the place Austin bit me. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” A steely note enters her voice. It’s not a tone I’m used to hearing from her.
I gulp. “Ms. Pettijohn asked me to tutor him while he’s out on suspension.”
Mom crosses her arms against her chest. “I’ll speak to Clarissa. Someone else can tutor that animal.”
“No.” The answer slips out before I can stop it.
From the corner of my eye, I see her stare at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Excuse me?”
“There’s no one else who can do it.” I gulp. “It’s only for two more days. And then…”
“And thenwhat?”
“There won’t be any reason for us to talk,” I lie.
Even though I know that won’t be the end of it, I decide not to enflame her temper any more than it already is. Hopefully, she’ll calm down in a couple of days and be more reasonable.
“Better not be,” she grumbles.
The pit that has taken up residence at the bottom of my belly continues to grow as I attempt to navigate a way out of this mess.
But there isn’t one.
I’m stuck.
What I know is this—I can’t allow Austin to divulge her secret. The price would be too steep.
Whatever he demands, I’ll have to give.
DELILAH
Ahuff of relief escapes from me as I push through the door to the photography studio. If I thought yesterday was bad, today has been ten times worse. There weren’t just curious stares accompanied by whispered comments aimed in my direction, it was full-on glares and poisonous remarks meant to inflict damage. More than one guy asked if they could take Jasper’s place in my bed.
Apparently, all my ex did was run his mouth and lie about our relationship. I spent the first part of the morning denying the accusations, only to realize that it didn’t matter what I said.
In fact, trying to address the lies only made it worse.
By noon, I’d decided there was no way I was heading to the cafeteria for lunch. The new plan is to hide out in the studio until graduation.
Hesitating over the threshold, I glance around the space and find it empty. Normally at this time of the day, Mrs. Chambers is here, developing film or working with students, but she’s nowhere to be found.
Maybe that’s for the best.
