Chapter 10
Ella
“I need to talk to you,” Charlotte says, coming up to me in the parking lot.
It’s Wednesday morning, and I’m still furious that Briggs tried to hire someone to change my grades. And then he has the nerve to show up at my house last night, trying to blame it on Parker, which doesn’t even make sense. How would Parker call from Briggs’ phone? He’d have to know the password.
“Can we talk later?” I say, continuing through the parking lot. “I’m not in a good mood.”
“That’s kind of what this is about.”
I stop and turn to her. “What do you mean?”
“I overhead something when I was in the office yesterday.”
“What’d you hear?”
She glances at all the people around us. “Let’s go to my car.”
“Look!” Aubrey says to Scarlett as they pass us. “It’s Trailer Trash and her little girlfriend.”
“You mean big girlfriend,” Scarlett says with a laugh. “I swear Charlotte gets fatter every day.”
“Ignore them,” I say to Charlotte, noticing the hurt look on her face.
We continue to her car and get inside.
“Okay, what is it?” I ask. “We don’t have much time.”
She turns to me. “Briggs was in the principal’s office with the door closed. I didn’t every hear every word he said, but I heard enough to know what he was talking about.”
“And?”
“He told Principal Perkins that someone was trying to hack into the school’s computers and change your grades.”
“Why would he do that? To get Calvin in trouble?”
“No, he did it for you. To make sure your grades don’t get changed.”
I shake my head. “You must’ve misheard him. Briggs wouldn’t do that, unless he’s trying to put the blame on someone else to cover his tracks.”
Charlotte sighs. “Ella, I know you want to hate him, and I do too, knowing he hurt you, but I really think he was looking out for you yesterday. I honestly don’t think he was doing this for himself.
If he was, he could’ve just kept quiet and said all this later, after someone found out.
Can you think of anyone else who might’ve done it? ”
“Briggs claims Parker did it, but there’s no way he’d risk getting in trouble for this. Parker doesn’t care who’s valedictorian.”
“He would if it’s between you and Briggs. He’d choose Briggs, especially if he knew Briggs wanted it.”
“He wouldn’t care. Parker has too much other stuff going on to worry about this.”
“What other stuff? What’s going on?”
I meant the accident, but I can’t tell her that.
“You know, like getting into college,” I say.
“I thought Parker already got in. Isn’t he going to USC?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. The point is, I can’t see Parker doing this, especially if he had to pay someone to do it. He’s not going to use his own money to help Briggs be valedictorian.”
She shrugs. “Okay, well, I just thought you should know.”
“Why?” I look at her. “Are you saying you want me to get back together with Briggs?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I don’t.”
She smiles. “You totally do.”
“Why would I want to be with Briggs? He’s a lying, egotistical jerk who was just using me to get what he wanted.”
“That’s not how you described him when you two were together.”
“Yeah, well, I was obviously not thinking straight. It must’ve been the . . .” I don’t want to say it. I can’t believe I did it with him, multiple times.
“Sex?” Charlotte says. “It does kind of mess with your brain. That’s why I’m waiting before I do it with Asher.”
“You still like him, right?”
“I’m not sure. He was being kind of a jerk the other night and he isn’t texting me back. I sent him three texts yesterday and got nothing back. He’s either dead or unconscious, or he found someone else.”
“Those are all possibilities.”
“Yeah, but I’m thinking the finding someone else is the most likely.”
“You could try texting his cousin. Do you have Steve’s number?”
She laughs. “It’s Steven, and yes, I have his number, but I don’t want to text him. If I don’t hear from Asher by tomorrow, I’ll assume it’s over.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t want to date someone just so I can say I have a boyfriend. I want to be with someone I really connect with and get all crazy about.”
“You’ll find him. You just have to keep looking.”
“You’re lucky you already found him.”
“Who?”
“The guy you connect with. The one who makes you feel something. The one you can’t stop thinking about.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Briggs,” she says, like it’s obvious.
“Uh, no, Briggs is not that guy. He pretended to be, but it wasn’t real.”
“Maybe it was.” She pauses. “You were different when you were with him. You both were.”
“Different how?”
“You both seemed happier, and not so serious. And you actually wanted to be here. You used to dread coming to school. You’d count the minutes until you could leave.”
“I still do that.”
“Because you ended it with Briggs. When you were with him, you were counting the minutes until you had class with him or until you could meet him behind the bleachers.”
“I was not doing that,” I insist, although it might be a tiny bit true.
“What if it really was Parker who called Calvin?” Charlotte asks. “Would that change anything?”
I take a moment to think about it. “Probably not. Briggs and I never should’ve got involved with each other. It’s better if we stay apart. Besides, even if I found out he didn’t do this and we somehow got back together, we’d break up again when we left for college.”
“Where’s he going to college?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter because I’m not getting back with Briggs. It’s over.” I check my phone for the time. “Shit! We’re late!”
We hurry out of the car and run through the parking lot to the school.
“Ms. Quinn,” Mr. Walker says, glowering at me as I walk to my seat. “Tardy again. I think you know that means.”
He’s going to give me detention. Dammit! Why wasn’t I watching the time?
“It’s not her fault,” I hear Briggs say from the back of the room.
“What was that, Mr. Chadwick?” Mr. Walker says.
“I said it’s not her fault she was late. I passed her on the way to school. She stopped to get a cat out of the road.”
Mr. Walker looks at me. “Is that true?”
“Yes,” I say, knowing how much Mr. Walker loves cats. He might just let me out of detention if he thinks I saved a cat. That was a brilliant idea. How is Briggs able to think this stuff up so fast? And why is he helping me?
“Where was this cat?” Mr. Walker asks, eyeing me with suspicion.
“It was about a block from here. It was small and a light orange color that was hard to see. I didn’t want someone to hit it so I pulled over, ran into the road, and got it.”
It must be an interesting story because everyone’s looking at me like they want to hear more.
“What did you do with it?” Mr. Walker asks.
“I called animal rescue and waited for them to pick it up. It didn’t have a collar or any tags.”
He nods. “I see. And that’s why you were late?”
“Yes. As soon as they got the cat, I hurried to get here.”
Mr. Walker looks back at the class. “Everyone get out your assignments. I’d like to go over them before we start today’s lesson.”
I think I just got out of detention. I glance back at Briggs and our eyes meet. He doesn’t smile, and neither do I, but I feel that pull, that need to be with him. I hate that feeling. Actually, I love it, but I hate myself for feeling it.
I need to stop having feelings for Briggs. I need to force myself to feel nothing for him and to stop thinking about him. I just wish I knew how.
* * *
Later that day, just after five, I’m sweeping grass off the long walkway that leads to the Landon estate. The house is huge, and it sits on three acres of land, which is a lot for this neighborhood. It takes all afternoon to mow and trim the lawn and sweep up all the grass.
“How’s it going?” my dad asks, holding the trimmer.
“I’m getting tired. You almost done?”
“I need to trim around the flower gardens. It’ll probably be another twenty minutes, maybe less.”
As he goes around back, I continue sweeping and notice the sound of the gate opening. I look up and see a Porsche that looks a lot like the one Briggs drives. Mr. Landon must have got a new car to add to his collection. He already has six of them in his eight-car garage.
The Porsche pulls up beside me and parks. What the hell? Is that Briggs?
He gets out and walks over to me. “I need to talk to you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I just told you. I need to talk to you.”
“How’d you get through the gate? And why aren’t you at practice?”
“Practice is over, and I got Landon’s maid to open the gate. I told her I needed to talk to you.”
“And she just let you in, without even knowing you?”
“I might’ve dropped the Chadwick name and mentioned I know Mr. Landon from the country club.”
“Do you?”
“I met him at a golf tournament I was in with my dad, but I’m sure he doesn’t remember me.”
“I can’t talk now,” I say, going back to sweeping. “I have to finish this walkway in twenty minutes, and if there’s even one blade of grass on it, Mr. Landon calls and complains to my dad.”
“Seriously?” Briggs asks, like he doesn’t believe me.
“Rich people like things to be perfect.” I wipe the sweat off my forehead. “You need to go.”
“Do you have another broom?”
I look up at him. “What?”
“Another broom. Do you have an extra?”
“In the truck. Why?”
He takes off, heading to the truck. He’s wearing a tight black t-shirt and black track pants. I watch as he pulls the broom out of the truck, his arm muscles flexing. I quickly look away when he turns to walk back. He stops a few feet in front of me and starts sweeping.
“I know you don’t believe me,” he says. “But Parker’s the one who called Calvin. It wasn’t me.”
“Briggs, I don’t want to hear it. If you’re just here to tell me more lies—”
“I’m not lying. Parker did it.”
I stop sweeping and look at Briggs. “And how do I know you didn’t put him up to it?”