Chapter 8
Call me Nurse Pierce
Chase jogged after me as we left the athletic building. Our early training session had been exhausting, and right now, I was looking forward to my morning classes.
“Why are you in a hurry?” my best friend asked, sliding the strap of his bag over his head. “School resumed only a week ago, and nothing is urgent enough that you gotta rush to class.”
“I have to go to the office to switch my Calculus and Biology classes. They’re supposed to gimme my new schedule. Anyway, you know how much I hate being late.”
“I’ll come with you then.”
I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Chase lifted his hands in surrender. “The new girl working the front desk. She’s hot. Just saying.”
“Like forty-hot?”
“Nah. More like thirty-ish-hot. Not certain so I gotta go there…you know…with you to make sure.”
I poked his shoulder. “Man, can’t you find girls your own age? You almost got Ms. Richardson fired last year because you were shamelessly flirting with her.”
“I’m a love machine. What can I say? No lady can resist my undeniable charm.”
“Keep believing that, Romeo.”
“And I love older women. They’re not clingy, and they have experience.” He waggled his eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”
“Seriously, I’m starting to think you have mommy issues.”
“Nah. Just too much love to give.”
I was in and out of the main office within five minutes. My friend left when he realized the girl at the front desk wasn’t working today.
I bumped into my brother before I made it to my homeroom. “Watch where you’re going, bro. Get down from your love cloud. Us, mere mortals, live down here.”
He smiled at my teasing. “I’m late. I walked Paige to her homeroom. I can’t believe we have no classes together this semester. It’s like they did it on purpose.”
I unfolded the sheet of paper in my hand to analyze my new schedule. “I think I’m with your girl in social studies.” I folded it back and stuffed it in my jeans pocket. “Gotta go. My homeroom is on the other end of the east wing.”
“You’re not in my homeroom anymore?”
“Nah. They reworked my schedule because it didn’t fit with training hours on Fridays.” The late bell rang. Ugh, I really hated being late. I clapped my brother’s shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
It turned out I had two classes with Paige, one with Chase, and none with Melinda or Craig.
The bell rang at the end of the last period, and I shoved my books into my bag as students got up in a shuffle of chairs and loud chatter, then rushed outside the classroom.
Tanya, the captain of the cheerleading team and a girl I’d hooked up with once a long time ago, waited for me outside my English lit class.
“Heyyy Mase,” she purred, the sound grating on my last nerve.
“Sorry, Tan, but I don’t have time for whatever this is.” I had to get to practice.
She wound her fingers around my arm in an iron grip, and she followed me as I weaved through the mass of students ready to go home, the buzz of their voices surrounding me.
I offered her my fakest smile, not in the mood for anything related to her.
“There’s somewhere I have to be. You know how Coach hates it when we’re late.
I don’t feel like running extra drills to make up for my tardiness.
” I yanked my arm away from her hold, but she grabbed it back as soon.
Jesus. We used to be friendly, she and I.
For the sake of the school spirit. Not anymore.
I hated everything she represented, and I was done with that life.
People pleasers and panty droppers weren’t in my job description anymore.
“We haven’t hung out together in ages. I miss you. The last time I saw you was before summer break, and you were with a bunch of people and didn’t acknowledge me. Do you miss me?” She batted her fake eyelashes as if it could make me jump back in bed with her.
That night had been a mistake, with a giant capital M.
The next morning, Tanya had planned our whole future, only to sleep with one of my teammates two days later, thinking I would react.
Even after I had admitted to her that we would never have a do-over.
Yeah, well, her revenge plan failed because I didn’t give a damn about whose dick she sucked.
If only she could get the memo, it would save us both a lot of trouble and awkward encounters.
“I told you once. It was a mistake. We’re not compatible. I have no interest in pursuing with you whatever it is you have in mind.”
“Can we at least spend time together?” Was she really this clingy, or was it all an act to dig her poisonous claws into me?
“Nope. My schedule is full. I’m busy. And not in the mood.”
I yanked my arm free with more force than necessary, and she struggled to keep her balance.
“Can…we…huh…at least be friends?”
God, was she deaf or just stupid? Just stupid, I guess.
“I don’t think so. We have nothing in common, and I already have plenty of friends.”
She moved in front of me, stopping my escape, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Is it about Lydia Santos? I heard you two were an item over the summer. Is this some sort of devious plan to get back at Cowley High? Because you know she’ll go back to Copperman in the end, right?
Sorry to be the one delivering the news.
I hope you’re not in love with her because it would be heartbreaking to waste time on a girl who will never love you back.
” She winced and pretended to gag. “C’mon, Mase.
You and I both know you can do better than her.
If the goal was to mess with the Cowley High team’s mind, then you’re a god. Screw them.”
I was so going to be late. “Seriously, Tan? Being a bitch is so last year. Grow up. And if I hear another word against whoever I spend time with, you and I will have a problem.”
She batted her eyelashes again. “Oh, I like Mason’s game face. I can be your problem anytime. Is role play something you might like? We could bring the whole quarterback-captain of the cheerleading squad thing to the bedroom. I think it could be fun. Is that what you had in mind?”
I blinked. “What? I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Tan, stop being delusional about us. Not happening. Please, move. I have places to be, and you’re in the way.”
She yelped as if I had just slapped her. “You don’t have to be cruel, Mason. Unless it’s foreplay, I’m not sure it turns me on.”
She was impossible. Seriously, was this a prank and someone was filming this exchange? “No foreplay. No nothing. We’re not together and never will be. Now, go annoy someone else, and let me be.”
Her lips swelled into a pout, and she twisted a strand of her hair around her finger. “You are no fun, Mason Pierce. You used to be the life of the party and this school.”
“We’ll continue this entertaining conversation some other time.”
I walked around her to leave when she splayed a hand over my chest to stop me, moving to the tips of her toes to kiss my cheek. “Oh, so we will get together, right? I can’t wait.” She winked.
Jesus. This was getting more ridiculous by the second. “Whatever.”
I stormed forward only to halt when I noticed Melinda, who was squatting down and picking up her scattered stuff from the floor, her face curtained by her brown hair.
Wearing a purple striped shirt with jeans and black ballet flats, she looked beautiful.
We hadn’t really crossed paths since the night I’d walked her home a week ago.
I wouldn’t call us friends, but at least we had proven we could be civilized around each other, and she hadn’t ripped my face off since.
I kneeled beside her and lifted her books in my hands.
She looked at me. Her face was paler than usual and her eyes, glassy.
She motioned to stand, but I stopped her with a hand. “Hey, are you okay?”
She swallowed, avoiding my gaze. “Yeah. All good.”
We stood at the same time, and she snatched her books from my arms to stuff them into her bag.
“You don’t look so fine to me.”
She stepped back, putting distance between us, eyeing me with an expression I couldn’t decode.
“Mel?”
Her eyes rounded, and her hand flew to cover her mouth. Without an explanation, she spun on her heel and emptied the contents of her stomach into the nearest trash can.
“Fuck. You’re not all right.” I went to the restroom to fetch paper towels and handed them to her so she could dab her mouth. “Come, sit.”
“No. I’m great.”
“Stop lying. You are not okay. Are you being stubborn on purpose, or is it a me-thing?” I kept my hand on her arm in case she got dizzy and lost her footing.
“Mase, I said I was fine. Let go of me.”
I did as she asked. “Whoa. Are you always this charming when you’re sick?”
Her eyes threw daggers at me, but some of the tension in her back vanished. “Sorry. It’s just that… Never mind.”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. You should be at practice. You’ll have to run extra laps if you’re late.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard Sheldon complaining about it last year.”
“Who cares? You’re sick, and you look like you’re about to faint. I couldn’t care less about being late.”
She squinted. “Why?”
“Want me to spell it out for you? Because I care about you.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. Mind your own business and leave me alone. I can deal with my shit all by myself.”
“What has gotten into you? Are you asking for a fight? Is that it? Want me to scream at you? Tell you to go fuck yourself instead of making sure you’re all right?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “Maybe.” She looked away, avoiding my gaze.
“What the hell. Are you mad at me? I thought we were way past that. It’s been years, so get over it.”
Her eyes widened and filled with something resembling hurt, and I regretted saying those words out loud.
Melinda and I had never discussed what went down between us all those years ago.
Still, now wasn’t the time to bring it up.
Raking my brain, I couldn’t find a reason why she would be pissed off at me right now.
Melinda turned her face away, ignoring me.