“Is what true?” Mina whispered back, pulling out her history textbook.
“That Brody drove you to school. Are you two an item?”
Mina couldn’t believe how fast things spread in this school. “No! He gave me a ride, and that’s it.”
“But I saw…” Nan started.
“Please, Nan, I will tell you at lunch. I promise.”
Nan must have seen the anguish in her best friend’s eyes, because she let the subject drop. Sighing, she leaned back and looked at her brand-new iPhone, a gift from a friend of the family’s after they learned she dropped it trying to help Mina and Brody. Nan’s fingers gently tapped a response to the text message she had received moments ago.
Upset. Give time.
Chapter 7
“Spill,” Nan demanded once they had taken their trays far away from prying ears. Mina had selected the table farthest from the one Brody sat at with his friends.
“It’s entirely your fault, Nan. I went to deliver the stupid packet because you wouldn’t do it. And after totally embarrassing myself in front of Mrs. Carmichael, who had no clue why I was there, Brody drove up and ran over my bike.”
“O-M-G!” Nan spelled aloud. “What did you do?”
“I was so embarrassed, I ran.”
“You what?” Nan jumped back and slapped the table.
“Exactly. And when I got home, my mom had gone on a packing binge and was ready to move us to Alaska.”
“But how does that lead to this morning?”
“He stalked me! He got an employee to find out where I lived and then drove up and down my streets like a stalker. Supposedly he wanted to give me a ride because he felt bad for crushing my bike.”
“Um, Mina,” Nan said softly.
Mina ignored her, peeling her orange with a vengeance. “Yeah, and then he had the gall to tell me he wanted to apologize before we got to school, because he knew he wouldn’t once we were in school. Geez, he is so stuck up.”
“Mina—” Nan tried to interrupt her friend as she attacked her helpless fruit.
“I’m telling you, Nan, he is afraid to be seen in public with me. Even after I saved his life and all.” Mina shoved an orange slice into her mouth and bit down.
“Mina, I think someone wants to talk to you.” Nan smirked.
“Mffwha?” Mina said, her mouth stuffed with orange. She looked around the cafeteria and saw that Brody’s usual spot with the polo team was empty. He was, in fact, standing behind her, tray in hand, looking perhaps more embarrassed than she was.
“Hi, Mina.” He smiled. “Is this seat taken?”
Brody dropped his tray on the table without waiting for her to answer. How much had he heard? Once she had stopped coughing, she turned on him. “What are you doing?” she whispered, looking around the room. People were staring at them.
“I know you thought our conversation was over, but it’s not,” Brody said, his blue eyes twinkling with challenge.
“All right, you’ve proven your point. You’re not embarrassed to be seen with me in public. So you can go now.” Mina waved her hands as if shooing away a fly, but Brody just grinned at her.
“You see, what you said in the car made me angry. Until I realized it’s not true.” Brody leaned over to get closer to Mina’s ear. “I’m not uncomfortable to be seen with you in public. You are. You don’t want to be seen with me.” His breath tickled her ear, making her melt until she’d processed the words he spoke.
“That’s not true,” she replied.
“Then prove it,” he said. His eyes darkened with meaning. “Prove to me you’re not ashamed of me.”
Mina looked at Brody fearfully and then over at Nan, who had wisely kept her mouth shut. Nan nodded encouragingly at her. Mina hung her head in shame. It wasn’t Brody she was embarrassed about. It was herself. She was a walking, talking catastrophe, and why in the world would Brody want to hang out with her?
“Why, Brody? Why do this?” Mina asked, looking up at him. “I don’t understand. We have nothing in common. I’ve saved your life, but that’s as far as this friendship needs to go…really.”
Brody looked hurt. Mina wished she could take back the words as soon as they left her mouth, but she was only trying to protect herself. He had to be playing with her.
Brody stared at his tray of food for a minute and then looked up at her. His eyes bored into hers. “Mina, you did more than save my life, and I’m trying to show you. But you have to meet me halfway.” He picked up his tray and walked away from their table, dumping the uneaten contents in the trash. Students turned to watch him walk out, and they kept turning until they were looking toward Mina’s table.
One student in particular couldn’t tear her gaze away from Mina. Her eyes flared angrily when Mina caught them on the way up from her phone’s screen, and she did not look away.
Mina looked at Nan with wide eyes, hoping she’d just imagined what she’d seen: Savannah White, the most popular girl in school, mouthing the words “you’re dead.”