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“What things do you know? What are you talking about? Is this about Nova?”
“Go get ready for dinner. Five o’clock. Don’t be late.” He walks off without answering my question, probably because he doesn’t have an answer. He just said all that to get me to back down. But I’m not backing down, not unless I talk to Nova and explain what happened and she still tells me to go away. That’s the only way this ends.
* * *
Monday at school,word has gotten around that I’m dating Nova, except nothing anyone is saying is true. So far, the rumor is that Nova goes to an alternative school for troubled teens, that she’s been arrested for shoplifting, and has served time in juvenile detention.
“I heard she’s got all these piercings on her face and is covered in tats,” a girl says to her friend as I’m walking by. “Oh, hi, Easton!” she says, noticing me.
I could stop and correct her, but why bother? I really don’t care what these people think. I used to, but I don’t anymore. All that matters to me is finding Nova and trying to get her back.
“I heard she does shit for money,” a guy says to his friend as I stop at my locker. He’s a scrawny sophomore with glasses and bad acne.
“No shit?” his friend says. “Is that why she was arrested?”
The other rumors I could ignore, but not this one. If people are saying Nova’s a prostitute, I’m stopping that shit right now.
I come up behind the two guys, towering over them. “Who are you talking about?”
They turn and see me, looking scared for their lives. I don’t have a reputation for beating people up so I’m guessing it’s my size scaring them.
“Nothing.” The scrawny guy nervously smiles. “I mean no one.”
“You weren’t talking about my girlfriend?”
“No,” both of them say, shaking their heads.
“Good, because that shit you were saying wasn’t true. And if I hear anyone saying that about her, I’m gonna have to punch them.”
“That could get you detention,” the guy’s friend says, standing up straighter. He’s still half a foot shorter than me.
I lean down to him. “You really think I care about that?”
“Guess not,” he says, his voice cracking. He clears it. “We need to get to class.”
The two of them race down the hall.
“What the fuck did you say to them?” Jace asks, coming up beside me.
“They were talking shit about Nova.”
Jace laughs. “They looked like they were gonna pee their pants.”
“Good. Maybe it’ll stop them from talking about her.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“No, not a word. I’m gonna go by the diner again and then maybe her apartment.”
“Maybe you should just give up. She obviously doesn’t want to see you.”
“She’s avoiding me because she doesn’t think she can trust me. I need to convince her she can.”
“What about practice? You’re just going to skip it?”
“I already told Coach I wasn’t feeling well and was going home to rest.”
“Now you’re lying to Coach? Shit, man, you got it bad.”
