I give him a tiny wave. “Hi.”
Sofia seems to sense the awkwardness between us. “Do you know each other?” She frowns and puts a hand on her hip. “Marco, you didn’t…”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” He rubs his hands over his face.
My cheeks heat up when I realize she thinks we hooked up … or something.
Sofia turns to me. “But you guys do know each other, right?”
“No,” I say at the same time Marco says, “Yes.”
I shrug. “Sort of.”
“Are you positive you didn’t mess around with her?” Sofia whispers to her brother a little too loudly.
Now my cheeks are on fire.
Marco flashes me a dangerous smile. “I’m pretty sure I’d remember.”
CHAPTER 8
HIGHWAY RUNNERS
When I get home, there’s a note from Dad and a pizza box on the kitchen counter. He’s investigating a “big case” with his partner, Tyson. He’s really sorry.
Whatever.
I have no idea what makes a case big or small, unless it’s related to the value of the stolen car. What I do know is that the investigation requires him to work lots of nights, a fact that makes me so happy I almost feel guilty.
Almost.
Cujo sits next to the table staring at the pizza box. I’m actually hungry, so I flip it open. Spinach and mushrooms. This has to be a joke. I hold up a slice. Vegetables do not belong on pizza. Dad knows this. Cujo tracks the slice as I drop it back into the box.
The dog follows me around the apartment like a furry bodyguard. He’s probably the only reason Dad didn’t hire a babysitter to stay with me at night. If Cujo wants spinach-and-mushroom pizza, I’ll give it to him. I put a slice in his food bowl, and he scarfs it down.
My cell rings and Mom’s face pops up on the screen. I haven’t spoken to her since she dropped me off at Dad’s, and today isn’t going to be the day I do. I let the phone ring, and seconds after it stops, I get a text.
Are you ignoring my calls? I have
something important to tell you.
Maybe she wants to apologize.
what?
I would prefer to tell you on the
phone.
Mom can text her apology. I’m still hurt—about the way she dumped me here like she didn’t care, the disappointed looks she has given me for months now, and the fact that she cares more about the girl I was than the one I am now. But I’m not ready to tell her any of that.
i’m studying. u want me to do
well right?
Richard has a meeting with one of
the deans at Stanford.
Can you believe it?!
no.
The words sting. She’s not sorry.
I wonder how much that cost King Richard.
He explained your condition and the
extenuating circumstances.
My condition? Is that what they’re calling my PTSD now?
dog is barking. have 2 go.
I pocket my phone without waiting for a response. I’m not wasting money on a school I don’t care about anymore, even if the money happens to be my mother’s.
At least my first afternoon at the rec center wasn’t a complete disaster. The kids liked me for the most part, and with Sofia’s help, I might have a shot at passing Shop. Thinking about Sofia leads directly to Marco.
Who is this guy?
During the fight, he went from cocky to out of control in seconds, and it scared the crap out of me. But the look on his face after he plowed into me was pure panic. Not exactly how he acted in the office. I’ll take panicked and real over smart-ass bad boy any day, unless Option C is affectionate brother who carries his little sister’s backpack.
Everyone in high school fakes it on some level—in the Heights and in the Downs. Offering a bunch of strangers a window into your soul guarantees four years of total misery. Maybe Marco just fakes it better than the rest of us do.
Remembering the way he stared at me in the parking lot makes my stomach flutter.
What’s wrong with me?
Marco is not my problem, and after witnessing his cage match on the quad this morning and the personal escort from Mr. Santiago, I probably won’t see much of him.
Except when he picks up his sister every day.
After trashing the rest of the pizza, I find a lone box of mac and cheese behind the cereal. I’m shaking orange powder onto the noodles when my cell phone rings. It’s Lex.
“Is your dad home?” she asks the second I pick up.
“No. Why?”
“Abel is in some serious shit. I’m on my way to pick you up.”
“What happened?” This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten a call like this from Lex.
“He’s in the Downs. He bet on a street race, and now he owes some lowlife asshole money. The guy won’t let Abel leave until he pays him.”
“How did he end up at a street race?”
Lex falls silent. “A lot of stuff happened over the summer with Abel. He’s been doing crazy things.”
“Can you be more specific?” I jam my feet into my sneakers and grab my house key.
“Acting secretive, checking his phone every ten seconds, gambling, disappearing for days. But he never mentioned street races before.”
I lean against the wall and close my eyes.
I didn’t know.