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Chapter 11
Sierra
Waking up the nextmorning, I wasn’t sure I’d even slept. My brain had refused to turn off, tormenting me with the reminders of a failed kiss. And with daybreak, I was still debating whether I would tell Mom that I needed a day off. I’d feign a scratchy throat or a headache, or both. It was the thought of my algebra test that got me moving, knowing it would be more bother than it was worth to do a catch up. I would go to school and hope to keep out of Cullen’s way.
But it was impossible to shake the dark cloud hovering over me, the prospect of running into him leaving me irritable, noted by Emma when I’d been less than patient over her choosing a sandwich in the cafeteria at lunch time.
“Pulled pork or turkey?” she asked, mulling over it like it was something of significance.
“Just have ham and cheese,” I clipped. “Then you don’t have to make a decision.”
“What’s eating you?” she said. “You’ve been grumpy all day.”
“More to the point what areyoueating?” I retorted, putting a ham and cheese on my tray and holding one out of her.
Emma rolled her eyes as she grabbed it, sighing, “Ham and cheese it is.” But when we got to the circular table, she grabbed us seats across from Tess and Kenzie and spoke in a hushed voice. “Now tell me, what’s wrong? You’ve been in a bad mood all day.”
There was no way I could confide to my best friend how much of a fool I’d been, the humiliation too great. My first kiss rejected! It was a secret that needed to be locked in a vault and tossed into the deepest part of the ocean never to see the light of day. “I think I did terrible in the algebra test,” I said, the best excuse I could think of in a snap. “I probably failed.”
“What? You fail a test?” Emma said. “I doubt it.”
“I really struggled,” I said, though Emma’s interest had waned, her attention focused on something behind me.
“Ooh, what’s happening with those seniors?” Her eyes widened. “Where are they going?”
Tess leaned forward. “I think they’re speaking to the freshmen, part of the mentor program. Lani said it’s this afternoon,” Tess said, referring to her younger sister. “Ahh, Cullen and Siri look so cute together.”
The urge to swing around in my seat was tempting, but there was no way I wanted to see Cullen Mercer or for him to see me, and the thought of him being close to Siri made my heart drop. But more concerning was why he was at school and not at the hospital with his grandfather.
I bit into my sandwich with care and chewed it like it was an overcooked piece of steak. Head down, I pictured Cullen and Siri standing side by side as Emma launched into a running commentary. “Hmm, Cullen’s holding some notes. Maybe he has to do a speech. Siri looks amazing, she looks like a ballerina.”
“Didn’t she just get named as the lead in The Nutcracker?” Kenzie said from across the table.
“Yeah, she did,” Emma said. “We have music auditions for it next week.”
“Looks like Cullen’s trying to impress with his hair all combed back like that,” Kenzie said with a giggle. It took me all my will power not to turn around. Smooth or mussed, I’d never gotten to run my fingers through it.
“Oh yeah, looks like Bianca and Jenson are part of it too,” Kenzie said, but her voice lowered. “How does Bianca get away with having her hair colored? I thought school rules statenaturalcolors only. Those platinum highlights aren’t natural!”
“Different rules for seniors?” Emma queried with a hint of sarcasm.
“Or if your name is Holbrun.” Tess rolled her eyes.
“Just imagine if I dyed my hair,” Kenzie said, “I’d be kicked out!”
“A freshman did get suspended for pink hair,” Tess said.
“Yeah, someone said she washed her hair twenty times before it came out,” Emma said.
“What about that new girl, the boarder, Elisha? She’s got a blond balayage. You can’t tell me the teachers don’t know it isn’t natural!” Tess scoffed.
