Chapter 4 – A Bashful Nipple Is Very Tasteful
Monday
I was grounded for the rest of the weekend. I had no idea why. Probably because I kept calling my little brother a slut.
And being grounded involved my dad taking my phone away for some reason. I was actually grateful that I still had the facial recognition on it now. I was pretty sure he’d only confiscated it to try to hack it again.
But without my phone, I had no idea what was going on. I couldn’t even text my kiss thief to tell him I was finished with him. More importantly, I couldn’t text RJ to demand he tell me who my kiss thief was.
And I was a little annoyed that Sophie hadn’t come to visit me during my lockdown.
There was literally a secret lair under my feet and she hadn’t thought to use it?
I’d sent her an email and everything. But she rarely checked her email.
I was dying for information and I couldn’t wait to get to school.
I slid into a stool at the kitchen counter. “Can I have my phone back now?”
“I’ll give it to you when we get to school,” my dad said.
“You don’t need to drive us anymore,” I said.
“Why wouldn’t I drive you?”
I stared at him. Because he’d been fired. Obviously. He’d started a fist fight at homecoming and he wasn’t even a drunk student. “Because it’s out of your way.”
“Why would it be out of my way?”
Liam laughed as he sat down and grabbed a piece of toast. “You didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?” I asked.
“Dad didn’t get fired.”
How was that possible? He’d assaulted a fellow teacher. The one good thing about all of this was that I was certain my dad would stop stalking me at school. “So you’re...suspended?” I asked.
“Nope,” my dad said cheerfully. Too cheerfully for my liking.
“But you beat up Mr. Halifax. Shouldn’t you be in jail?”
My dad laughed. “West and I came to a mutual understanding with the dean.”
“It’s not a dean. It’s a principal, Dad. Can you please just go back to teaching college?”
“Eh. I might next year.” He smiled at me.
“What do you mean by that?”
He shrugged.
“Dad, you can’t follow me to college. I’m going out of state.”
“We’ll see what happens.”
I knew I was gaping at him. But I couldn’t help it. He could not. Under any circumstance. Follow me to college too. I took a deep breath. He wouldn’t. It wasn’t possible. He had to stay in New York to raise the little slut sitting next to me.
“A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do,” Liam said.
And that’s why I refused to stop calling him a slut. Seriously, if Liam was left to his own devices in the city he’d whore it up and probably fail out of Empire High. If that was even possible.
“You three should get going,” my mom said. “The last thing you want is to be late. I’m not sure the school needs another hefty donation.” She gave my dad a look.
So he’d paid his way out of it. Of course.
“Good thinking.” My dad grabbed his to-go mug of coffee and gave my mom a kiss.
I hurried after my dad. “Seriously, can’t I have my phone now?”
“Once we get to school.”
Gah. There was no point in having it once I got to school. I could just talk to everyone in person. “I can’t believe he didn’t get fired,” I whispered to Liam.
“Well the good news is they’re putting down new turf in the stadium.”
I sighed. “Did RJ happen to mention to you who a certain someone was?”
“Huh?”
“The kiss thief,” I whispered.
“Oh. That.” Liam smiled.
“Wait, you know?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Liam, you have to tell me.”
“I don’t know who it is,” he said with a big smile and climbed into the car.
That little twerp. The car ride took way longer than usual. My heart was hammering against my ribcage. Liam knew who my kiss thief was. And he wasn’t telling me. Did that mean it was someone bad? God, it probably did. I knew it was a drifter.
My dad pulled his car into his usual spot. Jacob was leaning against his truck in the spot right next to ours. He opened my door for me.
I guess questioning my brother would have to wait. I climbed out of the car and grabbed Jacob’s hand. “I thought you and Axel started riding together again?”
“Yeah, I think he’s sick or something. I tried to call him this morning but he didn’t answer.”
“Oh.” That was another thing I didn’t know. I wasn’t sure Axel had seen the footage of what happened yesterday or not. For the first time in a while, he hadn’t come over last night. It’s what I’d wanted. And yet...now I was starting to get worried.
“He’s more likely just ditching.”
“Right.” I smiled up at him. I didn’t need to worry about Axel.
I needed to enjoy this moment. For the first time ever, I was walking into Empire High with a very real boyfriend.
And yes, everyone already thought we’d been dating.
But this meant a lot to me. I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss Jacob, but my dad started talking.
“No kissing in front of me,” my dad said. “Wait. No. No kissing anywhere.”
“Dad, would you please give me back my phone?” I put my hand out.
He pulled it out of his inside suit pocket. “Here.”
Finally. I was dying to check it, but I didn’t want to do it in front of Jacob. Just in case the kiss thief had texted. I slid it into my blazer pocket. I’d check it in first period. Ugh. First period with Mr. Halifax. This was going to be so freaking awkward.
And yet...I couldn’t stop smiling. I was wearing Jacob’s varsity jacket and he was holding my hand. We walked up the front steps of Empire High together.
“This is the best day ever,” I said.
“I think it’s going to be pretty hard to beat Saturday night.”
I nodded. “It’s definitely going to be hard to get the image of my dad and Mr. Halifax fighting out of my head.”
“I was more thinking about the fact that you said you were in love with me.”
I lightly elbowed him in his side and he laughed.
I looked around at all the students sitting on the front steps.
Was everyone staring at us, or was it just me?
I realized they were probably staring because of the fight between my dad and Mr. Halifax.
Or were they staring because they believed the spectacle of Jacob and me breaking up?
It was probably better to just tune everyone out. And I needed to talk to Jacob about something important anyway. The word engagement had been spinning around in my head all day yesterday. I needed to know where Jacob stood on that. “Jacob, can I talk to you about something real quick?”
“Yes?”
“You don’t have to look worried,” I said. “It’s nothing bad. At least, I hope you don’t think it’s bad.”
“Well, now I’m a little worried,” he said with a smile.
Yeah, me too. Because I realized it wasn’t just one thing I needed to tell him. But two. First things first. “I wanted to ask you about what Uncle Matt was saying yesterday.”
“Which thing?”
“I think he was just joking. But he was talking about being engaged to your mom in high school. And I...” my voice trailed off.
“He kinda made it seem like maybe that’s what we should do too.
And you’re my first boyfriend.” Despite what Axel said.
“We just became real two days ago. And I’m not anywhere near ready... ”
Jacob laughed. “Scarlett, it’s like you just said. We’ve only been officially dating for two days. I’m not getting on one knee any time soon. I’m not Coach.”
“Oh.”
He lowered his eyebrows. “Well now you look disappointed.”
“I’m not disappointed,” I said with a laugh. “I think all of this kinda just freaked me out.”
Jacob smiled. “There’s no need to freak out. Let’s just focus on us. We’re not our parents.”
“Thank goodness.”
He laughed. And then he opened up the front door of Empire High for me.
I still needed to tell him about Axel spending the night recently.
But then he grabbed my hand and we walked down the hall together.
I swear everyone was staring at us in the halls too.
We walked past Gigi and her minions and no one tried to trip me.
And then I heard someone whisper about how hot my dad looked after a fight.
Gross. Yeah, it didn’t seem like the best time to talk to Jacob in a crowded hallway. I’d do it later. Somewhere where people weren’t talking about my dad like that.
“Hey,” Sophie said when we reached my locker.
“I gotta go get my books for class,” Jacob said. “See you at lunch?”
I nodded.
He leaned down and kissed me.
My dad cleared his throat.
Seriously...stalker! His classroom was all the way down the hall.
Jacob quickly pulled back. “Later,” he said and winked at me.
I watched him and my dad walk down the hall. They started talking. I hoped my dad wasn’t being too weird. Who was I kidding? He was definitely being weird.
Sophie pulled a few books out of her locker. “You too are so adorable. I’m obsessed.”
That was all she had to say? “Sophie, did you get my email?” I asked.
“Ew, why did you email me?”
“Because I was grounded and my dad has a new fixation of taking my phone away.”
She laughed. “I feel like he’s the one that should have been grounded.”
“Right?” I pulled out my glasses and then my phone, thinking I’d have a million texts from Sophie, but there were only a couple.
I clicked on the first one and it was a picture of her making out with Eli.
I scrunched up my nose as I pulled off my glasses.
Ah! I could see the picture more clearly now and I wished I hadn’t.
“Oh my God, is your boob out? Why did you send me this?!”
“Oh! Great news. I spent the rest of the weekend with Eli. For a younger guy, he’s actually pretty decent.”
“He’s the same age as you.”
“Yeah, I know, not my usual type. But do you think that picture is good?”
I really didn’t need to look at a picture of Soph and Eli making out. But I quickly glanced at it again. “Sure, it’s fine.”
“But do I look hot?”
“What?”
She sighed. “I want a really good picture of me making out with Eli so I can be looking at it when Mr. Halifax passes out our grades from that quiz.”
Oh no. I’d completely forgotten about that quiz that I’d totally failed. The one that mentioned third base. I’d gotten completely stuck on the innuendo.
“So do I look hot? Do you think it’ll make him jealous?”
“Sophie, you can’t show Mr. Halifax a picture where your boob is out.”
“Why? It’s tasteful.”
“No it’s not.”
“Scar, we’ve been over this. A bashful nipple is very tasteful.”
I shook my head. “This whole Mr. Halifax thing has gotten really out of control. You’re going to get him arrested.”
“Psh. No. If he didn’t get arrested after the fight at homecoming, nothing else will put him behind bars. Speaking of which...I’m guessing Uncle James gave the school a huge donation so the two of them could keep working here?”
I nodded.
“I’ll have to thank him for convincing the principal to let Mr. Halifax keep working here too. I owe him one.”
“Please don’t talk to my dad about any of that. Mr. Halifax is a sore subject in my house.”
“Sorry about that,” Sophie said. “I really didn’t think your dad would react like that.”
I sighed. “We probably should have predicted that one.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
I closed my locker. “And why are you grateful that Mr. Halifax got off the hook? If he was fired, the two of you could finally be together.”
Sophie shrugged. “But I like staring at him every day. Besides, him being my teacher isn’t going to keep us apart. I have him exactly where I want him.”
If that was true, Mr. Halifax wouldn’t still be one of my kiss thief suspects. Speaking of which... “Please tell me that RJ told you who my kiss thief was.”
“Wait, did he find out?”
He seriously hadn’t told Soph? “He claims he did.” I looked around but didn’t see RJ anywhere.
“Let me text him.” I looked down at my phone again and realized I did have a message from someone else.
Not RJ. But my kiss thief. I tried to force my heart to stop racing.
It had no reason to race for him anymore. I clicked on the message.
“Tell me you enjoyed that as much as I did.”
My stupid heart kept racing. “Sophie, I need your help breaking up with my kiss thief. What do I say? I would have done it already, but my dad stole my phone.”
“What are you talking about? Why would you break up with him before you find out who it is?”
“Because it doesn’t matter who it is. I’m dating Jacob. For real now. And I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”
“But...it’s the kiss thief.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m ending it. What should I say to him?” I started typing. “Sorry, but I can’t talk to you anymore.” Was that good enough? I probably needed more details... I deleted what I’d typed out and tried to think of something better.
Sophie peered over my shoulder. “Um...what was your kiss thief asking if you enjoyed?”
I felt my cheeks turning red.
“Wait, he did strike again?”
I’d forgotten that I hadn’t told her. I nodded my head.
“What the heck? When? During homecoming?”
“It didn’t mean anything.”
“Clearly it did to him. What did he do? Did he steal third base like he promised?”
“Sophie, please just tell me what to say to break up with him.”
“Answer my question first.”
“Yes, okay?”
“Did you go down on him or did he go down on you?”
“The second one.” I knew my face was bright red.
“I love that for you.”
I ignored her and looked back down at my phone. “Now answer my question. What do I say to him?”
She didn’t respond.
I looked up from my phone. “Should I just ghost him?” I was already well on my way. The text he’d sent was from yesterday afternoon.
“Let’s think on it, okay?”
“Soph...”
“Come on, we’re going to be late for class. And that is completely unacceptable. I can’t wait to see Mr. Halifax. Do you think I should offer to help him ice his face?”
“No, absolutely not.”
“I think I might.”
“Soph.”
“Scar.” She smiled and practically sprinted off to class.
She was definitely going to get Mr. Halifax arrested.