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Chapter 6
Hope was back at school, following her bout with the flu. Right away she knew something was up with Spencer. Several times during the two classes she had with him, she caught him smiling in her direction. Yet when she looked to Callie, the dance team leader seemed oblivious to him. Nevertheless, something was definitely up.
After her classes, Hope headed for the counseling office and noticed Spencer following behind her.
The instant she was in the door, he said, “I did it!” His eyes were bright with excitement. “I asked Callie to homecoming.”
“And Callie accepted?”
“She did.” Clearly Spencer was walking on air. “And you know what’s crazy?” he asked, much too eager to explain or to wait for Hope’s answer. “Callie was the one who approached me.”
“Callie did what?” Hope was unable to disguise her surprise.
“She has some computer problem she wants my help with. It was like fate, you know. You’d have been proud of me. After our talk, I kept thinking maybe dating Callie isn’t impossible, and then the opportunity practically landed in my lap.”
Hope wasn’t sure she trusted Callie not to break Spencer’s heart.
“We struck a deal. Callie needed my help and offered to pay me. I didn’t want her money, so I said I’d be willing to help if she went to homecoming with me.”
“And she agreed?” Clearly she had, although Hope had her suspicions.
“I don’t think she was especially eager, but a deal is a deal. She broke up with Scott, so this seemed the perfect opportunity.”
Oh dear. Hope had a bad feeling that there was more to this than Spencer was willing to admit. She rubbed her palms together, searching for the best way to respond. Callie was using Spencer, and sure as anything, the minute she got what she wanted, she’d dump him like yesterday’s garbage, although she could never tell Spencer her thoughts.
“So what do you think?” Spencer asked, waiting, it seemed, for her to congratulate him. He clearly wanted Hope to tell him how proud she was of him for taking the risk.
“That’s using the old noodle,” she said, doing her best to sound pleased.
And then, because her suspicions were on high alert, she asked, “Exactly what does Callie need help with?”
At the question, Spencer’s smile faded. From his body language, Hope knew he was reluctant to tell her.
“Nothing big, just some back-end coding that’s a little beyond what she can do…It’s not a big deal.”
Hope wasn’t sure she believed him. “You’re sure that’s all?”
“Yeah.” He paused, as if wanting to change the subject. “I’m going to take her in the car my dad and I have rebuilt. It’s a classic.”
Hope suspected Callie wouldn’t have any appreciation for the car, not when Scott drove a newer-model BMW. Again, she resisted the urge to burst his bubble. She feared Spencer wouldn’t want to hear it, and she wanted to be careful not to overstep.
“I thought you’d be pleased. You were the one who…you know, who encouraged me.”
“I am excited for you,” she said, forcing enthusiasm into her voice.
“I wanted you to know how much your advice helped.”
Hope wanted to be pleased for the young man, but she had doubts. Callie may have agreed to attend the dance with him, but she still completely ignored Spencer in the two classes they shared. She had to wonder if this homecoming date was actually going to happen.
Spencer left the counseling office with a happy bounce to his steps. Hope slumped onto her chair, fearful of the ramifications that were sure to follow. Callie’s relationship with Scott was obviously tempestuous, but the last time she saw them together, they were all over each other. Scott likely wouldn’t take kindly to this development.
Unsure what she could do, Hope closed her eyes and prayed for wisdom. Before she left the school, she had a bit of paperwork she needed to turn in to the office. As she headed in that direction, she could hear raised voices, followed by a loud banging sound. Afraid someone might be hurt, Hope quickened her pace. To her dismay, she found Spencer slammed up against a row of steel lockers. Scott Pender, the football quarterback and Callie’s on-again-maybe-off-again boyfriend, had Spencer pinned there with his forearm securely lodged across Spencer’s throat.
Horrified, Hope rushed forward.
“Scott,” she shouted. “Release Spencer this minute.” The star athlete was a good four inches taller than Spencer and probably had thirty to forty pounds on him.
Angry and red in the face, Scott glared menacingly at Hope before he reluctantly did as she asked. As if turning on a light switch, his demeanor instantly changed. He laughed and looped his arm around Spencer’s shoulders like they were the very best of friends.
