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Chapter Four~ Dinner Disaster

In the two and a half years we dated, Ander Marcs had never stepped foot in my house. Even when he'd drive me home, he'd always drop me off several houses away to ensure our affair remained secret. Though he couldn't get in trouble for it, Ander worked harder to hide our relationship than I did. Until now. Directly after our biggest fight and surely the termination of our romance, he turned up at my front door.

What reason could he have other than revenge? To inform my father that I'd broken the law and disgraced the Bennett name?

I was fairly certain Dad would let me stay. He wouldn't report me to the Patri, and unless Ander took that step himself, I'd remain out of custody. But even if Dad let me live under his roof, that wouldn't mean he'd care about me. With one sentence, Ander could decimate any faith my father had in his daughter.

"Ander says you've known each other for quite some time, Jeanie?" Dad ventured, raising an eyebrow in my direction. I couldn't gage his tone. Was he furious?

"I guess we have...Sort of..." I managed, staring daggers at my former lover. I don't know how, but I'll find a way to get you back for this, Ander. Even the meek voices in my mind quieted to make way for the growling words of vengeance.

"Yeah," Ander agreed, running his hand through his untidy hair. He flashed the grin I knew was reserved for any one of authority. Kiss ass. "I've been in classes with Jean since freshman year. She's always been a great student."

Jean? What was he playing at? Ander only used my legal name when we pretended we didn't know each other. My breathing came easier. Maybe he hadn't told.

"Oh, yeah. Andy, right?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. I couldn't decide if I'd sooner kiss him out of relief or slap him for driving me insane.

"Ander," he corrected, dimples deepening as he turned to Dad. "I help out in Headmaster Ervin's office, and it seems Jean left a notebook in there while she was visiting with him." Ander held up a dark purple spiral book I'd never seen before.

He remembered your favorite color, the meek voice cooed.

Doesn't explain why he's here, the moody voice reminded.

I didn't miss a beat. We'd been pulling off these charades for so long that, despite being furious with Ander, I could hop in on his rouse as if it had been rehearsed.

Forcing my eyes to widen in surprise as I took the notebook, I smiled with polite nonchalance. "I didn't even notice this was missing. Tell Doctor Ervin thank you if you see him soon?"

Ander laughed brightly. "Hey, I'm the one who drove it all the way here."

I burned to ask him exactly why he'd driven a notebook that wasn't mine all the way here, but I forced my tone to be casual. He hadn't given me up yet, and I certainly wasn't going to give him more reason to. "Well, thank you too, then."

"Steven?" Mom's voice filtered from the kitchen, along with the clinking of silverware and various chatter. "Who's at the door."

"A schoolmate of Jeanie's," Dad called back, shaking his head slightly at the hollered exchange of information.

Moments later, Mom appeared beside me, taking full stock of Ander from his mop of chestnut hair, to his spotless sneakers.

He held out his hand, smiling eagerly. "A pleasure to meet you, Missus Bennett. I'm Ander Marcs. Just returning a notebook Jean forgot on campus."

Mom shook his hand, seeming taken aback by his almost aggressive kindness. "You went to all that trouble just to bring Jeanie a notebook? How far do you live from here?"