|photo by Vera De from Unsplash|
Paige comes to French again on Wednesday. But this time when she leaves the classroom, five minutes early, Mari Okada goes with her. All three of us have trig next period. So it's reasonable to assume Paige is planning to attend that class and Mari's taking on the role of bodyguard.
Which means I should skip.
A chill climbs my spine. I cannot be having thoughts like this. Not when my grade average is already questionable.
The bell rings. "I came here for the math," I say under my breath as I force myself to stand, to walk. Maybe my assumption is wrong. Maybe Mari walked Paige out of the building because she's having a panic attack.
No, Thea. No wishful thinking allowed. It's better to brace for the worst.
The good news is that Mari hates me. There's slim chance of her recruiting me to help shield Paige. And the horseshoe seating arrangement in that class could work in my favor. Paige will want to be close to the exit. I'll sit on the opposite side of the room.
I hesitate outside the door, half waiting for Chase, who normally struts in with the bell. But then I hear his voice. Apparently he's already inside?
The urge to skip is stronger now, harder to push down. I blow out a breath, silently chant my here-for-the-math mantra and walk though the door.
Paige is flanked by Mari and Chase. Which is fine. Good, even. He's her cousin. He should be supporting her.
He's turned sideways in his chair, facing Paige. She has her delicate hand wrapped around his wrist like it's a lifeline. Her eyes are twitching back and forth between Chase and scary Professor Bernard. Her anxiety is obvious, and it's absolutely genuine.
I can't believe I told Chase I thought she was faking. He must think I'm an ass. I know I do.
His eyes go squinty when they find mine—concern, not judgment. Thank God.
Paige must notice, because she turns around. "Thea," she says, like it's this huge relief to see me. "We saved you a spot." She points to the chair next to Chase. He takes the opportunity to break out of her grasp so he can move his book bag out of my way.
"Oh, um. I..." Now Mari's gaze is fixed on me. If she could shoot death lasers out of her eyes, I'd be a puddle of ooze on the sparkly green linoleum floor.
Professor Bernard chooses this moment to drop my graded math quiz on the table in front of the now-empty chair. So Chase, Paige and Mari see the giant red 65 scrawled across the top—which drops my trig grade to a solid C.
I have no choice. I have to sit beside Chase because my legs are wobbly.
We took this quiz on Monday, while I was strung out on the euphoria of Conner's good-morning kiss in our secret stairwell. And now I'm a million times more distracted.
The headmistress was right. I had a high grade point average at a substandard school. I'm not qualified to be at this one. My aunt bought or bribed my way in, effectively stealing a spot from someone more deserving.
Chase bumps my shoulder with his. "This is fixable," he whispers as he folds my quiz paper over on itself, hiding the big, ugly, embarrassing grade. Paige reaches across him and gives my forearm a supportive squeeze.
I nod for both of them, keeping my eyes on my lap so they don't see the lie.
Nothing about this is fixable.
YOU ARE READING
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ✔︎
Teen FictionWhen seventeen-year-old Thea Allen's small-town private school is destroyed by a tornado, her mother seizes the opportunity to expose her to new experiences and new people. Translation: Mom wants to put hundreds of miles between Thea and her forever...
