The room grows quiet as the teacher begins class. I’m jotting down notes when a piece of folded up paper lands on my desk. I pick it up, look at Grey, and he smiles at me.
Confused, I unfold the paper.
I wanted to make sure everything was okay, but I can tell you’re nervous to talk about it aloud, so I thought I’d just write you.
I press the tip of the pen to the paper and write:
Everything’s fine. I’m still grounded, and I’m only allowed to leave the house for school and our sessions, but that’s okay. It’s not the first time I’ve been in trouble like this. Quick change of the topic question, but do you still not have a phone? Or do you just like to do things old school? ;)
When I fold up the note and hand it to him, our fingers brush, and my skin tingles from the contact.
His lips quirk as he reads the letter. Then he picks up the pen, scribbles something down, and hands the paper back to me.
I haven’t gotten around to buying one yet. It’s a long story that would take too much time to write down. It sucks that your parents won’t let you out of the house. If you ever need someone to bust you out, let me know. I make a good getaway driver.
A smile tickles at my lips as I respond:
I bet you do. I promise I’ll be okay, though. Besides, if my mom caught me sneaking out with a guy, she’d lock me in my room and throw away the key.
I hand him back the note, and this time, he frowns as he jots down something before giving it back.
I hate that it’s like that for you. I mean, I get that parents sometimes need to punish their kids and everything, but there’s a fine line between punishing and being a warden.
I take a deep breath and write:
I know. All I can do is count down the days until school ends. Then I can go off to college and finally be my own person. That is, if they let me go to college. If they have their way, I’ll stick around until some guy they approve of requests my hand in marriage.
I hand him back the note. He reads what I wrote and then quickly pens something down. As he reaches over to hand it to me, our fingers brush again, and he smiles at me. I have a feeling he did it deliberately, and the idea makes my heart skip a beat.
I unfold the piece of paper.
First of all, what century do your parents think we live in? And second, don’t let them decide any of that for you. Promise me you’ll do what you want to do, that you’ll go to college, and that you definitely won’t marry a guy they pick out for you. You deserve so much better than that.
I press the tip of the pen to the paper, surprised how easily I write, Okay, I promise.
I pass the note to him, and a smile graces his lips as he reads it.
“Grey Sawyer, would you like to share with the class whatever you and Luna seem to find so fascinating?” Mr. Gartying suddenly asks with his eyes locked on us.
“Nah,” Grey replies coolly while my back goes as rigid as a board.
“That wasn’t really a question.” The teacher signals for him to stand up. “Bring me the note.”
My heart sprints at the idea of the teacher reading the note aloud to the class. It’s been sprinting a lot lately. Maybe it’s time to do something about it. Give in. Cut class and go downtown. Alleviate the stress that’s been bearing down on me.
Grey looks from me to Mr. Gartying then stands up. “Sure.” When he reaches the front of the classroom, he tears the note into pieces. “There you go.” He hands the pieces to Mr. Gartying.
“That just earned you lunch detention, Grey.” Mr. Gartying discards the torn up paper into the trashcan. “Now, take a seat, and no more passing notes.” He muses over something. “Huh. I never thought I’d have to say that again.”
Grey calmly walks back to the desk and drops down in his seat. I want to thank him, but I’ll wait until the bell rings to avoid getting us in more trouble.
“Thanks for doing that,” I tell him after the bell rings. I pile my books into my arms, slide out of the chair, and cast a glance out the window, contemplating if I still want to ditch. I do feel a bit better now after what Grey did for me. “I’m sorry you got detention over it.”
He tucks his book under his arm. “It was worth getting detention. Just as long as you do something for me.”
I head for the doorway. “And what’s that?”
“Stop shutting me out.” He gives me that adorable half smile I’ve seen him use when he’s flirting. “I miss talking to you.”
I nod, baffled over the smile. Is he flirting with me?
“I have to get to the gym, like, now,” he says, glancing at the clock above the teacher’s desk. “But maybe we can get lunch together tomorrow?”
Is he being serious? He wants to have lunch with me?
“Um . . . sure.”
“Good.” He winks before spinning on his heels and stepping out into the crowded hallway.
I linger in the classroom for a second longer, processing what just happened, before I dazedly step out of the classroom and get swept up in the crowded hallway as I head to my next class.
I’m glad Luna’s talking to me again and even agreed to go to lunch with me tomorrow. I would’ve asked her to go with me today, but there’s something else I have to do, something important.
“What happened to your truck?” Piper asks with her nose crinkled at my car.
I open the door to climb in. “I sold it a while ago.”
She fires her infamous bratty scowl at me from over the chipped roof of the car. “I’m not riding in this piece of shit, Grey. You should know that after dating me for a year now.”
I retrieve my keys from the pocket of my jeans. “Then I guess we’re not going to lunch.”
Invisible daggers shoot from her eyes as she jerks open the door and drops into the passenger seat with a huff.
I exhale in relief. While I’m not thrilled to be going to lunch with her, I need her to come with me so I can break up with her and move on with my life. Over the last couple of days of listening to her ramble about the dance and her encouraging Logan to torment Luna, I know it’s time to let go of everything and get a completely new start. No more hiding behind my old life. No more being afraid of being alone. No more worrying if she’ll ruin my reputation. My reputation wasn’t that great, anyway.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself as I drive to the drive-thru and listen to her chatter on and on about all the people who annoy her. After we get our order, I park the car in front of the restaurant and turn off the engine.
“I was thinking that you could match your cummerbund and tie to my dress. It’s pale pink,” Piper says as she peels off the lid of the bowl of salad she ordered.
I unwrap the peanut butter sandwich I brought with me. “I’m never going to wear anything that’s pale pink.”
“You will if you want to go to the dance with me.” She grins haughtily as she grabs a plastic fork out of the paper bag. She nibbles on the lettuce while frowning at my lunch. “Why did you bring a sandwich if you knew we were going to get lunch?”
“Because.” I take a bite of the sandwich and chew it slowly to avoid saying anything more.
It’s crazy. I’ve dated Piper for almost a year, and I’m not even comfortable enough to explain my situation to her. While I haven’t told Luna everything, I plan on doing so when I get some alone time with her. I’ve already told her so much about me, more than I’ve ever told anyone.
Piper adds more dressing to her salad and stirs it around with the fork. “That’s the most pathetic sandwich I’ve ever seen.” She sets the fork down in the salad bowl, flips down the visor, and grimaces. “There’s not even a mirror in this pile of crap. What the hell, Grey? How am I supposed to fix my makeup?”
As I sit there, listening to her, I try to figure out what the hell I saw in her a year ago, why I thought I needed to start dating her. I remember thinking she has a hot body, something she always shows off in tight, short dresses. She likes to go to parties and is friends with a lot of my friends. I knew she could be a bitch, but I didn’t really care about that. She puts out, and that was all that mattered. Back then, that was enough, but not anymore.