All Under the Place

chapter 4

...

I look blankly at the bouquet of red roses then up at Leianna. Not from a void of emotion, but from the overwhelming swarm of thoughts moving around my head. The most recurring thought being what possessed me to let Evan put all those gifts in Lei's locker. In a last-ditch effort to save my ass, I can't even claim the bunch of sweets and gifts to be from myself. They're clearly signed From Leianna, To Evan, written by Dia and paired with a curvy heart "for emphasis."

In the background, Mrs. Snitzer seems likely to explode following my sister's apparent disrespect in front of the classroom. She's yelling at students surrounding our area to try and force my sister's attention to herself, while also squeezing through the rows of desks to achieve something.

As I'm trying to conjure an appropriate response, Leianna's patience wears thin. She swivels her head to face the teacher. "Give me a second," she seethes. Hints of her Spanish accent seep through her words.

Miraculously, and maybe out of self-preservation, Snitzer harrumphs her way back to her desk. Tapping impatiently, she sends a heated stare in our direction. Lei's head spins back to me and her eyes narrow further. "I'm still waiting."

I clear my throat. "I made a small mistake, Lei." The glare she's sending me tells me that I've made the understatement of the century.

She rapidly smacks the bouquet against my desk, using it like an outlet for the frustration that she's barely keeping at bay. With one last smack, she tosses it in front of me and takes a deep exhale. Her eyes close momentarily – when they open, there's no mistaking the effort it's taking her to not strangle me.

"Karylah."

I respond with a compliant squeak.

"You have two seconds to start explaining before we spend the rest of the afternoon sitting outside the Dean's office."

There's not a part of me that believes she's bluffing. "I forgot to call it off," I say quietly, not meeting her eyes.

Lei laughs dryly. "Karylah, these short, pathetic responses are testing me. Start talking."

Her agitation stirs my own impatience. Leianna already has some idea what I spent my night doing. I understand she's annoyed with me and her predicament with Evan, but she can't storm into my class, threatening me with a visit to the Dean's office, and smacking a bunch of flowers in my face. I don't need her to tell me how badly I messed up – I was more than aware before this little charade.

I push myself up from my desk and grab Leianna's wrist with a firm hand. I shoot a sweet smile at Mrs. Snitzer. "I'm so sorry for the interruption, Mrs. Snitzer. Do you think it's possible for me to step out for a moment?"

A small sneer comes across her face. "It's not like anybody had a problem doing what they wanted to a few seconds ago, right?"

I give a small laugh. "Right," I nod awkwardly on the way out, ignoring the stares from other students as I drag my hot-headed sister out the classroom. The minute we're near the closest wall of lockers, she snatches her hands from my grasp, forcing me around to face her.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I snap.

"What is your problem?" she retorts. "I want to know how you forgot about the only thing we've actively spoken about in days," she throws the sentence in my face, knowing I would have a reaction to her words.

I rear back. "I forgot, Lei," my voice lowers. "I don't know what else to say." She's looking at me with more than just anger. There's disappointment there, too. Leianna may want me to grovel on my knees and beg for forgiveness from her, but it doesn't change the fact that Evan already knows she has some kind of feelings for him. I can tell her in impressive detail about all the ways I may have forgotten something as small as sending a text in a group chat, but it won't make a difference.