Page 122 of Sidelined

“Augh, this is so unfair, Teddy. We were doing so well. Senior year, make it through, and then freedom.”

“We?”

She shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. Which I totally got. Being in speech and debate was not ideal. It was more of a regression, but sometimes we had to take two steps back before taking four forward, right?

By the time we got to school, my mind had cleared a little, and I had gaslighted myself into thinking everything would be okay. Lea and I walked to class together. It was better to get to class before the bell rang. I blended in with the masses better and avoided one-on-one time with my classmates—especially the ones who wanted to get buddy-buddy over my dad's verdicts.

Per usual, I was already in my seat by the time Sal walked in. He always walked in a few seconds late after the bell, causing our teacher to huff in annoyance. I was sure he did it on purpose as some kind of power play.

His Ferragamo shoes were the first thing I noticed when he walked by me, followed by his distinctive smell. The cologne was mixed with another thing, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was or why it smelled so alluring.

Since Monday, I had been on the edge of my seat, holding my breath for his next move. It was anxious energy, but a part of me felt a thrill. He took his seat and then stretched his left leg, coming to the side of my desk.

Irritation coursed through me. He had more than enough space, but it was the little things he kept doing to assert his dominance over me, and a part of me itched to prove him wrong and wipe that smirk off his face.

“You need to cut your hair.”

I froze.

Surely Sal wasn’t talking to me, right?

Shivers spread through my body when I felt the tip of a pencil scratch the nape of my neck. My back involuntarily arched.

My response was to sit straighter and scoot forward and away from him.

All I could hear was a chuckle. It was soft but strained. My nails were pressing into my palms as I squeezed them and concentrated on that pain rather than doing something stupid.

This morning my father had presented me with an out, and I would be a fool to throw it away.

When the bell rang, I stayed seated, waiting for Sal to leave before me, except now he was taking his sweet fucking time. I could see Lea give me an exasperated look from the doorway, telling me to hurry up.

She was right, I needed to get out. The loud clatter of books dropping had me turning my head. Sal’s shoulders sagged, and he looked down at his fallen books as if they weren’t worth the amount of effort it would take to pick them up.

I didn’t know why I did it. But my feet started to move before I could even register what I was doing. Next thing I knew, I was picking up his mess for him. Some type of truce, maybe? I didn’t bother to overanalyze it. I got up and handed him the books. He took a deep breath and winced as he held his hand out to grab them.

My head cocked to the side. Watching his movement reminded me of Monday, that slight limp that was there. No one would dare touch him here, not when his whole family would probably kill whoever that did.

“Are you expecting a thank-you, Lyons?” he asked between gritted teeth.

I shook my head, but was left wondering if he said that in pain or because he loathed me.

4

THEODORE

By the end of the day, I was exhausted and relieved to finally have the weekend to relax and stop being on guard. My encounter with Sal had my mind otherwise preoccupied with what would be happening after school.

Lea was at my locker thinking. “I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t need you to babysit me, Lea. I can take care of myself just fine.”

She rolled those blues at me.

“I don’t enjoy getting beat up, but we know it’s the easier option. If I fight back, what does that accomplish? Not just another beatdown but also my father's wrath. Besides, your mother let you skip this year because she’s attempting to make a lady out of you.”

“Fuck you.” She grinned as she shoved my shoulder. “I really don’t want to do this stupid debutante shit,” she groaned. “Sometimes I wish I could be a boy. My brothers have it easier.”

I raised a brow at her.

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