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Tuck was so close, I could feel the heat of his breath. “Yeah? Prove it.”
I squinted my eyes. “And how do you expect me to do that?”
He shrugged. “Go out with me.”
“And why would I want to go on a date with you?” I asked him, even though I knew without a doubt that I did. I was absolutely not going to let him knowhow muchI wanted to.
His lip curled, and there was a devilish look in his eyes. The gray of them was a little darker than before.
“Because I am exactly what your parentswouldn’twant, and how sweet is that?”
He was right. My parents would have grounded me for the rest of my life if they knew I was in a different town, meeting with a boy who wasn’t part of their scene. They would have called it an abomination, lectured me for an hour on the importance of image, and my mother would have probably cried that I had embarrassed the family name.
“What do you think, Lettie?” He leaned in, his face inches from mine. “Meet me in Aveline?”
I bit my lower lip and tilted my head. “Okay. But I’m only doing it for Ruby.”
TWELVE
2005
LETTIE
Tuckand I had made plans to meet up the following evening—assuming that I wouldn't be grounded for my rude and unladylike behavior, but I had decided that, even if I was, I would sneak out after my parents had their nightcap. The idea of it gave me chills. I had never snuck out of my house before. I had always imagined doing it—climbing out my window and making my way down the lattice on the side of the house, heading for anywhere—but I had never really considered it.
Avery was the risk-taker. She had snuck out of her house more times than I could count and had even snuck out of mine a time or two to meet a boy from school. Avery was a pro at doing things she shouldn’t and never getting caught. I, on the other hand, had always been the one with the level head and the chronic fear of being a disappointment. Somehow though, the prospect of seeing Tuck again made me think I would do just about anything to get there.
When I walked into the front door several hours after running away from the house, I was bombarded by my mother.
“Howdareyou walk out on Theo Martin like that?” Her eyes were like daggers, and I could tell just how angry she was by the way her lips had become nothing more than two thin lines.
I lowered my head, fidgeting with my hands. “I forgot the library books,” I replied in a whispered voice.
My mother laughed in a“this isn’t funny at all, it’s just exhausting”kind of way. “Library books? You couldn’t have returned them after you said yes to a date with Theo?”
I looked up at my mother and tried to keep my face stoic. I couldn’t believe she’d actually bought the library book story, but then again, my mother had never really cared enough to question anything thoroughly. She preferred to spend her time planning parties or having drinks at the clubhouse rather than actually figuring out what was going on with her family.
I tilted my head back down, continuing with the lie. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just randomly remembered and…” My voice trailed off.
My mother dropped her shoulders. “Oh, Violet. Maybe we should increase your etiquette classes. I am just at my wit’s end with you. You know, your cousin, Samantha, never had a problem with manners, and she was also—”
“Valedictorian, and she graduated early and got into Harvard at seventeen,” I finished for her.
She squinted her eyes and clicked her tongue. “This is what I mean. This attitude. I will call the club today and see if they have extra classes… or a tutor.”
I groaned, the last thing I wanted was to have to sit through more classes wearing stuffy gowns and gloves on my hands like Mickey Mouse. “No, Mother. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
My mother surveyed me as though she was deciding if she believed me or not. She nodded and then turned to walk away, her heels clacking on the foyer’s marble floors. I sighed in relief before she turned back around.
“And Violet? Theo won’t wait around forever. I suggest you accept his invitation the next time he comes calling. I’m sure there are girls lining the streets just hoping he will bat an eye in their direction, yet here you are, returning library books…” Her voice trailed off as she left the room.
I would return an entire library full of books before I willingly went out with Theo Martin.
THIRTEEN
2017
TUCK
