there.
Maybe they'd both gotten them in college or something. "Becky talks too
much. She's smart, but I worry you wouldn't learn anything. I'm trying to help
you academically, not socially."
"Don't
worry, Mr. Fenton, Tabitha's in good hands." Alex slung his arm around my
shoulders.
Illinois
Jon sighed and laced the straps of his satchel. "If I even think for one
second the two of you are dating, I'll find another tutor."
I
slipped out from under Alex's arm, even though part of me just wanted to melt
into him. For only one second. And no one would ever know, not even Alex.
"That's
not going to be a problem," I answered. "Alex isn't my type."
Except
he was. Tall, dark, Asian, exotic. Hotter than hot. My heart pounded and my
hands got all sweaty. I quickly shoved my arms behind my back, sticking my
hands in the back pocket of my jeans. No one had to know how I was reacting. I
just needed time to get it under control. Or find something I hated about him
that would turn me off in a second.
"So,
do you want to get together tomorrow?" Alex asked. He'd shuffled away from
me. Only a few feet, but enough to make me want to grab his hand and pull him
back.
"Sure.
Whatever." The final bell rang, giving students just two minutes to get to
their busses. "Crap. I'm going to miss my bus."
"It's
okay, I can give you a ride home," Illinois Jon said. "Go ahead and
get your stuff out of your locker and meet me back here in ten?"
I
shuffled my feet. "Um, isn't that against the law or something?"
He held
out his cell phone. "You can call your grandmother if you want. She'll
come back and get you. Either way. Doesn't matter to me."
I eyed
the phone. Alex looked at me. "What about you?" I asked Alex.
"Do you need a ride home too?"
"Nope.
I've got a car." He tossed me a smile, then sauntered out of the room.
I
suddenly felt really stupid. He could have offered to drive me and make all of
this awkwardness go away, but he probably enjoyed watching me squirm.
"Um,
yeah, I'll take that ride, Mr. Fenton. Thanks. Be back in a few."
I ran
out of the room and down the hall, in the opposite direction of Alex. I'd made
sure of that when I went through the doorway. I didn't want him to think I was chasing
after him or something equally degrading.
As I
pulled my books out of my locker and emptied them into my backpack, I prayed
Illinois Jon wouldn't pepper me with questions about my mom. Or my dad. How
awkward would that be? He didn't need to be reminded of how my mom dumped him
and how he's still single and probably pining after her. The whole thing was a
disaster waiting to happen.
Chapter Eleven
"So
tell me about living on the road with your mom. Did you love it?" Illinois
Jon asked not more than one second after he started the ignition on his black
Porsche. I'd seen it in the parking lot yesterday and assumed it belonged to
some spoiled kid. I was surprised when he unlocked it, instead of the beater
parked next to his shiny car.
I
wasn't sure if he was asking about me or my mom, but I figured I kind of had to
answer since I was trapped in his car. "Yeah. It's pretty incredible
growing up all around the world. I've seen more amazing vistas in fifteen years
than most people will in a lifetime. Studied at monasteries, walked the Great
Wall of China. Stuff like that."
"Learned
a little taekwondo too, I hear." He didn't glance at me, but I could see
the smile on his face.
"Look,
if this is some clever way to trap me into confessing something, it's not going
to work. Kailey tossed me and I nearly landed on my neck. If I hadn't had
training in falling properly, I would have really gotten hurt. Besides, it's
not like I was going to hurt her back. I just wanted her to know I could hurt
her way more than she could hurt me."
Illinois
Jon shook his head. "You are so like your mother." I couldn't
decipher his expression. Eyebrows furrowed, but he still had that stupid smile
on his face.
I
decided it was time to confront this awkwardness.
Maybe they'd both gotten them in college or something. "Becky talks too
much. She's smart, but I worry you wouldn't learn anything. I'm trying to help
you academically, not socially."
"Don't
worry, Mr. Fenton, Tabitha's in good hands." Alex slung his arm around my
shoulders.
Illinois
Jon sighed and laced the straps of his satchel. "If I even think for one
second the two of you are dating, I'll find another tutor."
I
slipped out from under Alex's arm, even though part of me just wanted to melt
into him. For only one second. And no one would ever know, not even Alex.
"That's
not going to be a problem," I answered. "Alex isn't my type."
Except
he was. Tall, dark, Asian, exotic. Hotter than hot. My heart pounded and my
hands got all sweaty. I quickly shoved my arms behind my back, sticking my
hands in the back pocket of my jeans. No one had to know how I was reacting. I
just needed time to get it under control. Or find something I hated about him
that would turn me off in a second.
"So,
do you want to get together tomorrow?" Alex asked. He'd shuffled away from
me. Only a few feet, but enough to make me want to grab his hand and pull him
back.
"Sure.
Whatever." The final bell rang, giving students just two minutes to get to
their busses. "Crap. I'm going to miss my bus."
"It's
okay, I can give you a ride home," Illinois Jon said. "Go ahead and
get your stuff out of your locker and meet me back here in ten?"
I
shuffled my feet. "Um, isn't that against the law or something?"
He held
out his cell phone. "You can call your grandmother if you want. She'll
come back and get you. Either way. Doesn't matter to me."
I eyed
the phone. Alex looked at me. "What about you?" I asked Alex.
"Do you need a ride home too?"
"Nope.
I've got a car." He tossed me a smile, then sauntered out of the room.
I
suddenly felt really stupid. He could have offered to drive me and make all of
this awkwardness go away, but he probably enjoyed watching me squirm.
"Um,
yeah, I'll take that ride, Mr. Fenton. Thanks. Be back in a few."
I ran
out of the room and down the hall, in the opposite direction of Alex. I'd made
sure of that when I went through the doorway. I didn't want him to think I was chasing
after him or something equally degrading.
As I
pulled my books out of my locker and emptied them into my backpack, I prayed
Illinois Jon wouldn't pepper me with questions about my mom. Or my dad. How
awkward would that be? He didn't need to be reminded of how my mom dumped him
and how he's still single and probably pining after her. The whole thing was a
disaster waiting to happen.
Chapter Eleven
"So
tell me about living on the road with your mom. Did you love it?" Illinois
Jon asked not more than one second after he started the ignition on his black
Porsche. I'd seen it in the parking lot yesterday and assumed it belonged to
some spoiled kid. I was surprised when he unlocked it, instead of the beater
parked next to his shiny car.
I
wasn't sure if he was asking about me or my mom, but I figured I kind of had to
answer since I was trapped in his car. "Yeah. It's pretty incredible
growing up all around the world. I've seen more amazing vistas in fifteen years
than most people will in a lifetime. Studied at monasteries, walked the Great
Wall of China. Stuff like that."
"Learned
a little taekwondo too, I hear." He didn't glance at me, but I could see
the smile on his face.
"Look,
if this is some clever way to trap me into confessing something, it's not going
to work. Kailey tossed me and I nearly landed on my neck. If I hadn't had
training in falling properly, I would have really gotten hurt. Besides, it's
not like I was going to hurt her back. I just wanted her to know I could hurt
her way more than she could hurt me."
Illinois
Jon shook his head. "You are so like your mother." I couldn't
decipher his expression. Eyebrows furrowed, but he still had that stupid smile
on his face.
I
decided it was time to confront this awkwardness.
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