Honor Student

chapter Eighteen

I was relieved to find the kitchen empty. Becka’s mother had gone outside to work on her garden, leaving us free to rummage through the fridge for snacks. Becka handed me the plate of cookies and a few sodas. She grabbed a few more things and we made our way back upstairs to her bedroom.

“So, what really happened to your hand?” Becka asked as she took a long swig from her soda.

“It was an accident.” I replied dryly.

“Rumor around school was you got f*cked up on all kinds of drugs and tried to off yourself.” She explained as if talking about the weather. I rolled my eyes and nibbled on a cookie.

“The truth is much more boring.” I caught the light on my phone blinking out of the corner of my eye.

“It always is.” She laughed and I leaned over to slide my phone of the stand, and peeked at the screen. The I.D. on the message read ‘William the Conqueror’. I smiled, realizing he must have programmed that in while I was in the bathroom.

Do you have any idea what I want to do to you right now?

I could not keep my cheeks from burning red.

“What? Who is it?” Becka asked, grabbing for my phone. I held it back and pushed her hand away.

“No one, just an old friend from back home.” I lied. I typed back a quick reply then slid the phone into my pocket.

Who is this? It is so hard to keep my admirers straight.

My phone vibrated in my pocket but I ignored it, smiling to myself.

“Something is up with you.” Becka grinned, but I waved the way her accusation.

“Let’s watch a movie or something.” I said, eyeing up the flat screen at the foot of her bed. The television was enormous. The one in the living room of my house was much smaller and was not one of the new models that could be hung on the wall.

“What are you in the mood for?” she asked, but I could tell she already had something in mind.

“Nothing sad” I warned. The last thing I wanted was to bring down my mood. As Becka dug through her collection of DVDs, I pulled out my phone and checked the messages William had sent.

Not funny. I can think of a few ways to punish you later.

I smiled and sent a quick reply.

Looking forward to it.

“How about something scary?” Becka asked, eyeing my phone.

“Sounds good.” I replied and slipped the phone back into my pocket. I felt it vibrate again but resisted the urge to check it. I was getting whiplash from Mr. Honor’s crazy mood swings. I needed to step back from him and figure out what it was that I wanted from him. Now was not that time. I was too high to think and when I tried to think of him all I could imagine was his lips on mine.

“What are you scared of” Becka said as she plopped on the bed next to me.

“What?” I asked, feeling like she was reading my thoughts.

“The movie. I know its lame but I figured we could get a good laugh out of it.” She explained, pulling a pillow from behind me and tucking it under her head.

“Oh…sounds good.” I replied, laying back on the bed and grabbing a cookie.

The next few hours were a blur. All I could think about was what William was doing. I excused myself to use the bathroom so I could check my messages.

You will be sorry you said that.

My heart thudded in my chest as I thought over sending him another message.

I miss you.

I hit send and regretted it immediately. My phone vibrated within seconds.

Emma, don’t.

I felt a lump form in my throat. Did he not have any feelings towards me at all? I left the bathroom, trying to hide the sadness in my face.

“What do you want to do now?” She asked as she lit the joint again.

“Forget” I said as I took it from her hands and drew a long hard breath.

“Easy enough. Let’s go out.” She replied with a grin. She stared at me anxiously, waiting for my reply. If William did not care, why should I?

“Let’s do it.” I smiled back, not sure it was the best idea.

“Great!” Becka screamed as she grabbed my arms. “We’ll find something hot to wear and I’ll call Claire. I know Jeff will be excited to see you.” She teased.

“What should we wear?” I asked, hoping she had something comfortable in mind.