Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Kaylee and Elsie spent the rest of lunch period ignoring the fact that Fia never came back. Even though my curiosity was piqued, I didn’t bother asking.
I have a feeling that they wouldn’t tell me anyway.
Not caring that I more than likely made an outcast of myself when it comes to their little clique, I pick up my tray when the bell rings.
“What’s your next class, Geni?” Elsie asks.
I reach into my pocket and pull out my triple-folded schedule.
“Algebra,” I reply.
“I’ll walk with you, I’ve got Chemistry a few doors down,” she says as we follow Kaylee out.
I want to tell her that I’m sure I can find my own way, however, I know that if I stick out the rest of the day with them, I can go home and tell my parents that I did make friends today.
I tune them out as we walk.
So much so, that I didn’t even notice that Kaylee has already disappeared until Elsie gently nudges me with her elbow.
When I raise an eyebrow at her, she nods down the hallway.
Fia is heading toward us, and I can see that her face is flushed even from where we’re standing.
“Guess he was in a mood,” Elsie remarks.
“Huh?”
“Shh,” she hisses when Fia gets within earshot.
“You should have went with him,” she tells me with a smirk as she walks by us without stopping. I arch an eyebrow as I glance at her, and she turns around to face us as she continues to walk backwards. “Maybe next time, New Girl.”
“Ignore her. She always behaves like that after he fucks her. I’ll see you after class,” Elsie says as she gives me a small wave.
I take a deep breath as I look at my schedule again then up toward the number of the door she’s left me next to.
If that was the offer, then I’m glad I passed.
___
Opening my notebook, I begin to feign the act of taking notes. I’ve never been good at math—maybe even less at this than making friends.
Ten long, painful minutes into the lesson, and the door to the classroom opens. I glance up curiously, then flush red and look back down at my notebook when the guy from the cafeteria walks in.
“Wait a minute, Mr. Walker. Do you have a pass?”
“No.”
“Then go to the principal’s office and get one.”
The young man lets out the same long-suffering sigh he did earlier.
“Give me a break, Mr. V.,” he replies in a tired tone.
“Fine. Take a seat and see me after,” the teacher tells him.
My throat tightens as I listen to his footsteps shuffling closer. And when he drops into the empty desk to my right, I can’t help but steal a glance at him.
“Genesis, would you mind sharing your text book with Mr. Walker since he seems to have arrived without his?” Mr. Vanidestine asks.
I know it’s meant to embarrass the guy, but instead it makes him chuckle as he scrapes his desk closer to mine.
“I knew a girl named Genesis once,” he tells me in a hushed tone as he reaches for the book in the center of my desk. “Wild that I know two now.”
“Mm,” I mumble under my breath.
When Mr. Vanidestine turns his back to us to resume the lesson, the young man next to me leans across and reaches for one of my pencils.
“I’m actually really good at math,” he tells me quietly. “If you ever need help, just ask me, okay?”
I nod as I set my pencil down.
I still haven’t really looked at him and having him this close next to me is a little unnerving.
Get a grip, Geni.
“Alright,” Mr. Vanidestine announces after five minutes. “Break into groups of two and solve the formulas on the board.”
A choir of scraping desks greets my ears as I steal another glance at the boy next to me.
“Um, do you want to team up?” I ask.
“I’m already here,” he replies cheerfully.
With a nod, I flip the page in my notebook and move it to the right so that we both can reach it comfortably.
“So, you said you used to know someone with my name?”
“Yeah,” he begins distractedly as he starts to copy the formulas from the blackboard. “She used to live next door to me when we were kids. In Black Hills.”
I turn my face toward his at the mention of South Dakota. Before my father became so in demand, I used to live next door to a boy in Black Hills who was angry and damaged beyond his control.
“Lake?” I ask softly.
If it’s him, I honestly don’t know how I’m going to handle it. It was so hard on me when we left.
“Yeah?” he asks, glancing up at the blackboard again.
“Look at me.”
He holds up a finger as he scribbles down the last formula, then turns his golden-brown eyes toward mine.
I smile softly as I reach forward and push his hair off his face. I have no idea how I didn’t recognize him in the cafeteria, but in a way I do.
The last time we saw each other, we were both eight years old and he’s changed a lot since then.
He raises his eyebrows curiously as he jerks away from my hand before his eyes become hard.
“Sorry; only one skank per day,” he snarls under his breath.
Reaching over, I swipe the pencil from his hand. He looks up at me with such unbridled anger, that I almost feel like I’m looking at the little boy that I first met outside in the backyard under a Supermoon.
“I’ll wait for you after class,” I tell him softly as I hold the pencil back out to him.