Chapter 26
Ari
My phone buzzes while I'm standing at the copy machine, printing off assignments for later today.
Wade
What time’s the field trip today?
Ari
What?
His response comes immediately.
Wade
The library one.
The one you got approved for your seniors.
Ari
Ten.
Wade
Perfect. I’ll meet you out front at ten.
I frown at the screen.
Ari
Why?
Wade
Because I’m coming. You’re walking thirty teenagers across town. I figured you could use another adult.
My stomach does something deeply annoying, but I refuse to stay in this reaction. I immediately squash it because I can’t be confusing my feelings right now.
He probably just wants to come because Ashtyn will be there.
He just needs to advance the plot.
Ari
Good call. Ashtyn will be there, so of course you’d want to come.
The dots appear. Disappear. Then return.
Wade
Yeah. Of course. For Ashtyn.
See? Just like I thought.
For Ashtyn.
By ten o’clock, thirty seniors are gathered outside the school entrance, excited about leaving campus in the middle of the day.
Wade appears in his casual P.E. clothes and a backward hat.
My word, he looks good. How is it possible that he keeps getting better by the day?
Could be the fact that I can now clearly picture him with his shirt off.
Or maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t seen him since Saturday night when he dropped me off after the humiliating clinic experience.
I was disappointed that he wasn’t at church on Sunday, and yesterday at school, we never crossed paths.
Another disappointment, if I’m being honest. But who needs honesty in their lives?
“Principal Stevenson.” I nod at him.
“Miss Langford.”
“Stevie!” Ethan, one of the students in my fifth period, dabs him up. “You gonna hold hands with Miss Langford on the walk to the library?”
“That wouldn’t be professional,” Wade says. Then his lips curve. “But after school hours, you never know.”
The boys catcall, but from the corner of my eye, I notice Ashtyn’s chin jut out.
Good. That girl needs a reality check.
Alright, everybody listen up.” I wave them closer, and for the most part, conversations die down. “First rule. Stay on the sidewalk.”
“Bruh, you act as if we’ve never walked anywhere before,” Connor says.
“Second rule. Nobody gets hit by a car. I don’t know CPR.” A few students laugh.
“Third rule. Nobody sneaks off. We’re headed to the library. I expect everyone to arrive at the library and stay there.”
Wade steps forward. “If you get lost along the way, you will have after-school detention for the rest of the week.”
There are a few boos. Understandable.
“Alright, let’s get going.” I point straight ahead.
The group starts moving toward town. The library is only a short walk away. Students spread out ahead of us in clusters, talking, laughing, listening to music. Wade and I naturally fall toward the back. The responsible adult position.
“Stevie?” I don’t even have to look over to know that voice.
Ashtyn has slowed her pace just enough to fall beside us.
Wade tenses just a little bit. “Miss Ellis.”
She smiles. “Are you here for Miss Langford or us?”
“Believe it or not, I can multitask.”
Something about his answer causes her eyes to light up. “That’s what I like to hear. I still need to stop by your office and talk about scholarship opportunities.”
“I think the guidance counselors would be best for that.”
“Not for me. I just love your hands-on approach with students. That’s the kind of personal care I respond to.” There’s a smile just for me, then she moves back toward the front of the group.
Wade waits until she’s several yards ahead before turning to me with a gaping mouth. “Did you hear that?”
“You have bigger problems than that. I need to show you something.”
“Bigger problems than that?” Wade sighs dramatically. “What could possibly be bigger than that?
“An essay.”
His face falls. “I don’t want to be a schoolteacher right now.”
“It’s Ashtyn’s.”
That gets his attention.
I pull the paper out of my purse and hand it to him. “Read it.”
He unfolds it while we walk and begins scanning his eyes across the page, reading it out loud under his breath.
Character Assessment: by Ashtyn Ellis
I think Jay Gatsby is one of the most determined characters in the book. He spends years trying to get Daisy back and never gives up on her, no matter the obstacles, and even when everyone thinks he should.
A lot of people blame Gatsby for chasing a married woman, but I think Tom Buchanan is a bigger villain.
Tom acts like Daisy belongs to him just because he’s her husband.
He gets angry whenever Gatsby is around and tries to stop them from seeing each other.
But Daisy doesn’t even love him. It’s obvious to everyone.
And everything Tom tries to do to keep them apart doesn’t work.
Gatsby and Daisy still find ways to spend time together because they want to.
They don’t stop talking to each other just because someone else says they should or because Daisy is in a relationship.
That’s why Gatsby is my favorite character in the book.
“What in the actual…” Wade breathes out. “This isn’t about the book.”
There’s a ton of sarcasm in my tone. “You think?”
“It’s about me! She’s Gatsby, I’m Daisy, and you’re Tom, the villain keeping them apart.” He looks up toward the students, toward Ashtyn, who’s currently laughing with two friends, looking exactly like every other teenager in the group.
“Yeah, pretty obvious, right?”
“This is psycho! She’s basically saying that even if I’m in a relationship, she’s not going to give up pursuing me.”
“Despite my best efforts, she seems to be escalating her plan.”
“I feel like I have a stalker too. Maybe I need to live with Tate Walker for protection.”
My chest puffs out. “I’m your protection. I mean, I haven’t gotten rid of her yet, but I’m still here trying.”
This immediately draws a cute smile out of him. “I’d much rather spend time with you than Tate. And with Tate, there’s no option of getting a kiss out of it.”
“There’s no option of getting a kiss out of it with me either.”
“What are you talking about?” His expression goes smug. “You already kissed me, remember?”
“That was hardly a kiss.”
“You’re right. We should probably try again.”
I laugh, shoving him away from me.
For a moment, neither of us says anything. Then he folds the paper carefully and hands it back.
“Thank you.” He looks at me, and the genuineness behind his brown eyes takes me off guard.
“Based on this essay, I don’t think I’m helping that much.”
“No, you are. I couldn’t keep doing this whole situation without you. I need you.”
My heart pounds, the kind of hammering that says there’s more going on here than just two coworkers trying to help each other out. I’ve never been the needed one, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good.
“Yeah, of course.” I glance down at the sidewalk. “We’re helping each other out. That was the deal.”
“The deal.” He nods. “Yep.”
Up ahead, the library comes into view, sitting on the edge of Main Street like the anchor of the town. Red brick. White trim. Colonial pillars. The whole thing looks aggressively charming.
I run up ahead so I can make sure we keep the students gathered for Emma’s presentation. We walk in as a group, filing around the circulation desk in a semi-circle.
Emma’s working on a bulletin board, but the other librarians tell her we arrived. We chat for a moment before she turns to the students.
“Welcome!” She smiles at them like she’s done this a few times.
She gives her presentation about books, genres, authors, and how to research. The kids are mostly listening. When she’s done, she passes out a paper for the students to walk around the library, finding certain types of books, kind of like a research scavenger hunt.
Once they’ve all dispersed, Emma walks over to where Wade and I stand by the circulation desk.
“That was great. Thanks for doing this for the students.”
Emma laughs. “Over half of them looked bored, but I expected that from high school seniors.”
“What’s this bulletin board you’re working on?” I glance over, looking at the heart-trimmed border and cut-out letters pinned up that say Who’s the Mayor Dating?
“Oh, this is for Mayor Monroe. I’m sure you’ve heard all the rumors about his love life.”
I perk up. “I’ve been wondering about the mayor. I’ve seen him with Lisa Ellis, Sharon Price, and Genevieve Hazleton. But I can’t figure out which woman he really likes or if he’s just a player who likes them all. Do you know?”
Emma shakes her head. “Nobody knows.”
Wade folds his arms. “Surely somebody knows.”
“Just ask the Ednas.” Emma laughs. “They’ll gladly tell you all about their suspicions.”
“There has to be a favorite,” I say.
“I mean, we all have our theories.”
I roll my eyes. “This is Autumn Ridge. Everybody has theories about everything.” And even though it drives me crazy, I’m starting to get wrapped up in the gossip myself.
Emma looks back at the bulletin board. “So, I’m setting up a voting booth here in the library where people can come vote for the woman they think the mayor is really interested in.”
“Oh, that’s fun!” I smile.
“Yeah, come back and cast your vote. The voting opens on Friday.” She leans against the desk. “The mayor’s town gossip is almost as bad as the gossip about you two.”
We laugh, but Wade’s the one who speaks. “That’s how we like it. We love being the center of attention.”
“Your love life is a hot topic, for sure.”
I puff out a laugh. “That’s embarrassing.”
The door to the back room opens, and Maggie Devens walks out, carrying a stack of books.
Just what I need right now.
Maggie spots us and smiles in that cunning way I hate.
“Ari and Wade. What a surprise.”
I force a cordial smile. “Maggie.”
“I just got Landrie’s wedding invitation in the mail. This must be so hard for you, but at least one of you gets your happily ever after.”
That has to be a world record for how fast a person can dish out a dig. But of course, it was wrapped in a smile and packaged as concern.
“Maybe you can catch the bouquet with all the single ladies. I’ll be pulling for you.”
I open my mouth, but before I can respond, Wade speaks.
“She better not be lining up with the single ladies.” Wade casually wraps his arm around my shoulder. It’s not the first time he’s done something like this, but it’s the first time I feel the possessiveness behind the action.
“Oh?” Maggie’s brows lift. “So the rumors are true? You two are a fling?”
“I don’t know that I’d call us a fling.” His fingers cup my shoulder, holding me close. “I’ve been pining for Ari ever since we were teenagers. This is just the first time I could convince her to give me a chance.”
The silence that follows is brief…but satisfying.
Maggie’s smile tightens almost imperceptibly. “Well, good for you two.” She looks at Wade. “Hopefully, this relationship will last longer than all your others.”
“I imagine it will.”
Wade flashes the kind of arrogant smile that has been my weakness ever since I noticed the opposite sex. I’m so thankful for him putting Maggie in her place. I don’t even care that he’s chipping away at my heart.
I can’t help the victorious grin that appears as I look back at her. “It was good to see you, but we’d better get back to the students.”
“How much do you think it would cost to get every student on the field trip an ice cream cone?” Wade’s already moved on to the next topic, like defending me cost him nothing. Like standing beside me is the most natural thing in the world.
And for the first time in a long time, I feel safe inside a relationship.
The problem is, it’s fake.