I don’t answer. Nope, we are not talking about that right now. I do not want to have to come up with an excuse as to why Cal’s car looks spotlessly clean and tidy, instead of the dusty, bug-spattered mess it was before I took it to Mo. I have no doubt that he would see through any story I could come up with on the spot. It would be a stretch for him to guess the truth, but he’d be suspicious. That’s just what I need; another person wondering what I’m hiding.
“Char? Come on, I know you’re in there. Let me in so we can talk.”
I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. I am not letting my brother in here. At the very least, if he doesn’t know what happened, he can’t be implicated in it later. I’m protecting him as much as myself. Someday, if this all gets out, he’ll thank me. Probably.
He knocks again, but after a minute, the hall goes silent. Cal must have given up and left.
I should be relieved, so why do I feel so alone?
12
I am never getting used to this. It’s been a week since I announced to everyone at Brat Academy that Ricardo and I were dating, and people still stare at us as we walk down the halls hand in hand. Holding hands with him is a lot different from when Kenneth and I used to hold hands. Kenneth had freakishly small hands, so it always felt like I was holding hands with a sweaty little kid. Ricardo, on the other hand, has long, sinuous fingers and arms. Like I said, it’s different. Not that I’m enjoying it, or anything.
Ricardo loves the attention, and plays it up whenever we have an audience. He’ll put an arm around my shoulders or twirl my ponytail in his fingers, especially when his mom is around.
Adrienne is a huge fan of this development, and I catch her watching us with a big goofy smile on her face way too often. Mikhail seems to have more sense, because whenever he’s around I sense he’s keeping tabs on Ricardo, trying to gauge his angle. Having seen Mikhail in action, I’m glad. If Ricardo ever does something stupid—which, let’s face it, is more likely than not—I’m sure Mikhail will have my back.
There must not be a lot of teachers looking for work in the middle of January, because when I walked into calculus the second day of classes, Headmistress Morgan and Mrs. LaGuerre were standing at the front of the room, the latter with an uneasy smile on her face. She must have been in the right place at the right time, because the headmistress announced that she was installing Mrs. LaGuerre as our interim calculus teacher while she looks for a permanent replacement for Professor Rook.
Immediately the chatter started, but was quickly killed by a stern look from the headmistress.
I wonder how Ricardo will do in his mom’s class without me as a buffer.
At lunch, Ricardo is quiet, focused on his food.
“What, no witty remarks about how irresistible you are, today? Finally got a mirror, huh?”
Genevieve snorts into her drinking glass.
Ricardo shakes his head, putting down his fork and leveling me with an intense gaze. “You missed me that bad this morning?”
My mouth drops open. That is not why I was needling him just now. I admit that I noticed the fact that he wasn’t following me around like a puppy, but miss him? “Don’t make me laugh,” I say, doing my best Danny Zucko impression.
“No need to letter in track to get my attention, mon coeur. I had a visit from the police this morning, which is why I wasn’t in class.” He holds up a finger to stop me when I start to speak. “Everything is fine. They simply asked me if I had seen anything of note while I was in the surveillance room the past couple of weeks. I told them the truth: I haven’t seen anything they need to know.”
Adrienne’s face crinkles at his words. “Was it Cahill and Gupta? Were they nice to you?”
Ricardo smiles at her. “Yes, it was your fine detectives. They were perfectly professional. No harm done.”
I exhale loudly. “That’s good.”
“Yes, it is.” I owe him for this, but I haven’t the faintest idea how to thank him. Patting him on the back is insufficient, but he gives me a chin lift to let me know he understands my intention.
Swallowing, I attempt to eat the rest of my food, but it’s lost its intrigue. Ricardo could have given me to the police this morning, but he didn’t. How will I ever repay him for that? I don’t think pretending to be his girlfriend to help him avoid his mother is going to cut it. Taking a sip of my coffee, I focus on things I can control.
Across the eatery, Grady is eating at a table with a few others. I stand. I’ve been meaning to talk to him since I found out about Rhiannon. They used to date, so I can’t imagine how he’s doing since she passed away in rehab. Guilt twinges in my chest. I probably should have spoken to him sooner, since I’m not blameless in the circumstances.
The walk between our tables is short, and I’m standing at his back wearing a sympathetic smile. I don’t usually do this sort of thing. Being sympathetic is not one of my gifts. “Hey, Grady?”
He turns around, and his brow furrows. “Charlotte? What’s up?”
The girl next to him turns around and places a hand on his shoulder.
I try to stifle the surprise of seeing Gul with her hand perched on Grady’s bicep. She’s marking her territory. I had no idea they were dating. How did I miss that?
Mentally refocusing, I push ahead. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about Rhiannon. That must be hard for you, especially with Professor Rook’s death.” I don’t add the part about Rhiannon’s family not getting justice against the man who got their daughter hooked on pills.
With effort, Grady shrugs. “Honestly, it’s been rough. She ghosted me after her parents refused to let her come back this year, and then once she went into rehab…” Grady looks weighed down, sad, eyes red-rimmed. It’s not surprising. He and Rhiannon seemed to be in love. They were so cute together, always holding hands and whispering in the hallways. Despite the odds of meeting your match in high school, I actually thought they might be forever. How wrong I was.
He continues. “We hadn’t talked in months. It sucked, you know? But Gul’s been great.” Grady gives her a half-hearted smile. Something in my stomach twists. It must be bothering me, deep down, to see someone acting like a caring boyfriend so soon after my breakup with Kenneth. Who, I might add, never seemed to care about me as much as I did for him.
Adrienne pointed it out after we broke up, and she was so right.
Now my ex gets to see Ricardo and me acting all cozy in the halls every day. Suck on that, Ken Doll. “I’m glad you have Gul to support you. When did you start dating?”
Gul smiles, her perfect cat eyeliner making her look even more feline. “Over winter break. We bonded over being stuck here while our parents were away for work.”
Gul’s been pretty quiet the past few days. She hasn’t stuck her nose into my business at all, which is unusual. I had wondered if she’d finally gotten her fill of gossip, with Professor Rook’s death giving her fodder for rumors for months, but maybe she’s been busy with Grady instead. Plus, he hadn’t arrived when the accident happened, so she’s had plenty of time to fill him in on all of her theories and speculation.
I excuse myself, and reclaim my seat beside Ricardo.