Read Online Hickville Confessions: A Hickville High Novel by Mary Karlik - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Karlik
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sketchpad. “The future is now. Umm.” Heat crawled up her neck and face. “I—ah—think it’s self-explanatory.” She held her breath. As a class, they critiqued each other’s work. Today, she didn’t want to hear what they had to say.
He nodded. “That it is.”
She let out a breath and the bell rang. She watched her classmates shove their sketchpads in their backpacks and hurry out of the room, but her aching arms kept her moving in slow motion. Kristen, a curly blonde who sat in the back of the class, dropped a note on her desk as she walked by. Ryan slung her backpack over her shoulder and opened the note.
It was a cartoon face covered by two hands. Painted across the fingernails of the right hand was
Slut,
and across the left,
Whore
. The air froze in her lungs.
How did she know? How many others know?
She crumpled the paper and shoved it deep into her backpack.
She felt like she was wearing ten-pound shoes as she trudged from the room. How had this all gone so wrong? So the whole school must know who she’d been in Chicago. But how? She’d removed every bit of evidence on her Facebook page. She’d unfriended all of her Chicago friends.
Justin waited in the same spot where he’d left her. Great. All she needed was to be seen with a guy—especially a hot guy with a reputation.
He smiled when he saw her. “Hey. How was class?”
She told her stomach not to flip at those dimples and gave him a half-shrug. “Okay.” He walked close to her as they headed down the hall. She didn’t need this—didn’t want this. Everybody in school thought she was a slut. She had to do what she could to change their minds and that meant not being seen with Justin Hayes. “You don’t have to walk me to class. I’m a big girl, you know. Don’t need protecting.” She tried to sound lighthearted, but speaking through a barely open mouth had made it sound whiny.
He gave her a sympathetic look. “I don’t mind. Where do you go next?”
“Lunch.” She was about to tell him that she could
really
manage without his help, when one of the PC girls who hadn’t been at the fountain bumped into her going in the opposite direction. It could have been an accident—the hall was packed—except that she’d swerved to collide with Ryan shoulder to shoulder.
Justin turned and yelled at the girl, “Hey, watch it.” He moved closer to her, almost hovering. Ryan gritted her teeth. How could she tell him to leave her alone? He’d saved her and apparently was still in that savior and protector mode.
Her phone signaled a text.
Kelsey: Just heard that the PC got sent to alternative school.
Ryan showed the text to Justin.
“I heard.” He bent his nearly six-foot frame close to her. “Listen, Ryan—it doesn’t make sense, but some people are pissed at you for this.”
“Screw them.” She said it with more grit than she felt. She shoved her phone in her pocket and turned away from him toward the cafeteria.
What kind of crazy place is this?
*
She’d tried to sound tough, but Justin hadn’t missed the color draining from her face. Word had spread fast that the PC girls had been sent to an alternative school. He’d heard talk in the halls and it wasn’t going to get any easier for Ryan. Pretty much everybody was horrified by what the girls had done to her, but there was a small group that blamed her for the PC girls’ exile. A small but vicious group.
“Ryan, wait up.” He caught up with her. “There are more people who think what happened was horrible.”
She looked up at him and squeaked through her swollen mouth, “Well, give them a freaking gold star.”
Ouch.
“Just trying to help here. I’m not the enemy.”
“Why do I have to have an enemy?” She opened her mouth wider when she spoke and flinched, swallowing and looking up at him with those deep blue eyes that made him want to wrap his arms around her and keep her safe from the world. “I’m sorry.”
“Come on, I have to
He nodded. “That it is.”
She let out a breath and the bell rang. She watched her classmates shove their sketchpads in their backpacks and hurry out of the room, but her aching arms kept her moving in slow motion. Kristen, a curly blonde who sat in the back of the class, dropped a note on her desk as she walked by. Ryan slung her backpack over her shoulder and opened the note.
It was a cartoon face covered by two hands. Painted across the fingernails of the right hand was
Slut,
and across the left,
Whore
. The air froze in her lungs.
How did she know? How many others know?
She crumpled the paper and shoved it deep into her backpack.
She felt like she was wearing ten-pound shoes as she trudged from the room. How had this all gone so wrong? So the whole school must know who she’d been in Chicago. But how? She’d removed every bit of evidence on her Facebook page. She’d unfriended all of her Chicago friends.
Justin waited in the same spot where he’d left her. Great. All she needed was to be seen with a guy—especially a hot guy with a reputation.
He smiled when he saw her. “Hey. How was class?”
She told her stomach not to flip at those dimples and gave him a half-shrug. “Okay.” He walked close to her as they headed down the hall. She didn’t need this—didn’t want this. Everybody in school thought she was a slut. She had to do what she could to change their minds and that meant not being seen with Justin Hayes. “You don’t have to walk me to class. I’m a big girl, you know. Don’t need protecting.” She tried to sound lighthearted, but speaking through a barely open mouth had made it sound whiny.
He gave her a sympathetic look. “I don’t mind. Where do you go next?”
“Lunch.” She was about to tell him that she could
really
manage without his help, when one of the PC girls who hadn’t been at the fountain bumped into her going in the opposite direction. It could have been an accident—the hall was packed—except that she’d swerved to collide with Ryan shoulder to shoulder.
Justin turned and yelled at the girl, “Hey, watch it.” He moved closer to her, almost hovering. Ryan gritted her teeth. How could she tell him to leave her alone? He’d saved her and apparently was still in that savior and protector mode.
Her phone signaled a text.
Kelsey: Just heard that the PC got sent to alternative school.
Ryan showed the text to Justin.
“I heard.” He bent his nearly six-foot frame close to her. “Listen, Ryan—it doesn’t make sense, but some people are pissed at you for this.”
“Screw them.” She said it with more grit than she felt. She shoved her phone in her pocket and turned away from him toward the cafeteria.
What kind of crazy place is this?
*
She’d tried to sound tough, but Justin hadn’t missed the color draining from her face. Word had spread fast that the PC girls had been sent to an alternative school. He’d heard talk in the halls and it wasn’t going to get any easier for Ryan. Pretty much everybody was horrified by what the girls had done to her, but there was a small group that blamed her for the PC girls’ exile. A small but vicious group.
“Ryan, wait up.” He caught up with her. “There are more people who think what happened was horrible.”
She looked up at him and squeaked through her swollen mouth, “Well, give them a freaking gold star.”
Ouch.
“Just trying to help here. I’m not the enemy.”
“Why do I have to have an enemy?” She opened her mouth wider when she spoke and flinched, swallowing and looking up at him with those deep blue eyes that made him want to wrap his arms around her and keep her safe from the world. “I’m sorry.”
“Come on, I have to
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