“We’re going to grab food after the concert,” he said.
The ever-present knot in my stomach tightened. “We? As in, you and me? Or are there others going with us?”
“Livi and her bloke of the week.” He leaned back, propping himself on his hands, and rolled his eyes.
My ears burned with both anger and disappointment. Why hadn’t I thought to ask him that before I’d agreed to go? Because having that information would have changed my answer.
“I don’t think your sister likes me.” I continued to pick at the grass. “Maybe I shouldn’t go.”
“She doesn’t like anyone.” He chuckled, the sound so easy and carefree. It was hard to be too serious around him. “Honestly, Livi is a nob who’s all mouth and no trousers.”
Head tilted, I stared at him, confused. “What?”
He straightened and wiped the grass from his hands. “All bark and no bite,” he said with a dramatic snap of his teeth.
I laughed nervously. I wasn’t so sure about that. Glancing at him, I caught him staring at me expectantly.
“So, you’re going, yeah?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
I wasn’t going to let Olivia ruin the only friendship I had—this wasn’t going to be another Rachel situation. I froze. I hadn’t thought about Abby’s dead best friend in… I didn’t know how long.
But the way she’d always looked at me like I was disgusting, and the way she’d speak to me like I was a snot-nosed child not worthy of her attention came flooding back to me. And then she’d died in a tragic hiking accident.
“All right, then.” He stood and slipped his backpack over his shoulder. “Ready?”
His words were cut off by the bell ringing. I cringed at the sound. With a sigh, I fell into step beside Simon. Part of me wished he’d take off ahead of me, but he was keeping pace.
My heart rate steadily increased, and the tips of my ears burned. We walked past Olivia, and she gave me a dirty look.
“Simon, love,” she said sweetly. What a fraud. She approached, her designer handbag dangling from her wrist. “I thought I told you last night to get rid of the trash.” She glanced at me, one perfectly trimmed eyebrow lifting with contempt.
“And I told you to bugger off.” He scowled.
“Do you realize how your friendship with her is affecting me? People are talking, Simon, and I will not have my reputation destroyed because you want a quick romp with the charity case.”
I gritted my teeth, my hand curling into a fist. A charity case? Who did she think she was? I opened my mouth to tell her she could go sit on a cactus, but her boyfriend—Ethan—arrived and draped his arm around her shoulders.
“C’mon, Livi. Play nice.” He kissed her cheek.
I turned on my heel and walked away. They could say whatever they wanted about me, but I wasn’t going to stand there and listen to it. I marched into the English building, anger burning through my veins.
“Chloe!” Simon caught up to me and gently touched my arm. “I’m sorry about her.”
“Look.” I stopped and gripped the strap of my backpack, squeezing it harder than needed. “It’s really not a good idea for me to go to the concert with you, so feel free to invite someone else.”
“What? Why? Because of my sister?” His tone was incredulous.
“Yes.” I swallowed hard, refusing to show him how much the situation bothered me.
“Really. Don’t worry about her.” A slow smile pulled at his lips. “I told her if she wasn’t nice, I was going to tell Mum and Dad that she was shagging Ethan in the hot tub.”
My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened. “Why would you do that?”
He laughed. “Because she doesn’t get to be mean for no reason. And I’m tired of her telling me what to do.”
“Yeah, but…” I licked my lips. “Why are you sticking up for me? I mean, there are so many girls in this school that you could hang out with. Why me?”
He tilted his head slightly, his brow furrowing. “Why is it so hard for you to accept that I like you?”
I shrugged. “You know I’m not sticking around for long, right? As soon as I’m eighteen, I’m going back to New York,” I said.
I couldn’t explain it, but I had to get back to Keene Valley. There was a reason I needed to be there—I just didn’t know what that reason was. Not yet. But whatever it was, it was soul-deep, and I would never be the same again, not until I made it back home.
“When’s your birthday?” he asked.
“June twenty-eighth.”
He began to walk toward class, and I once again fell into step with him.
“I’ll throw you a huge birthday bash before you go, then.” He winked and then disappeared into his class.
I spun on my heel to head toward my own class when my phone buzzed. If I answered it, I’d probably end up being late to class, but if it was someone calling about my ad or one of the jobs I applied for, I needed to know. I pulled my phone from my bag. There was a text message from a number I didn’t recognize.
Unknown: SAW YOUR AD FOR TUTORING SERVICES. I NEED HELP IN A FEW OF MY CLASSES.
Wow. I honestly hadn’t expected to get any responses. I hesitated, though. What if someone from this school saw the ad and decided to mess with me? But if it wasn’t just a sick joke, I had the potential to make some extra cash.
Me: WHAT SCHOOL DO YOU GO TO? AND WHAT CLASSES?
Phone clutched in my hand, I raced down the now almost empty hallway toward my next class. I rushed inside and took my seat.
Unknown: MALIBU HIGH. ALL OF THEM. There was a frowning emoji.
For some reason, that made me chuckle. Meeting with this person couldn’t hurt.
Me: CAN YOU MEET ME TODAY? 4:30 PM AT ANNIE’S BOOKSTORE CAFÉ?
Unknown: I’LL BE THERE.
Smiling, I shoved my phone
