Read Online Trouble from the Start by Rachel Hawthorne - Free Book Online Page A

ruined.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    She grabbed my arm and began propelling me toward the restrooms. “You are not going to believe this.”
    â€œWhat? New toilets in the stalls?”
    â€œNot funny, Avery. So not funny.” She shoved open a door, pushed me through. Then seemed surprised that half a dozen girls were standing at the mirrored sinks applying lipstick, eyeliner, or mascara. It was part of the morning ritual for some of them.
    â€œI need to get my books,” I told her. “Or I’m going to be late for class.”
    â€œWhat you need to do is listen.” She guided me back into the little alcove where the tampon dispenser had been installed, like girls wanted privacy when purchasing feminine hygiene products. “He made a bet with some of the guys at the party. Twenty bucks that he could get into your pants. He collected.”
    I stared at her. Usually I was good at deciphering what she was saying when she got into one of her speed-talkingrolls without her having to repeat herself, but I got stuck on the idea that some guy wanted to get into my pants. “Who?”
    â€œFletcher,” she whispered harshly. “That’s why he gave you a ride home.”
    A cold chill trickled along my spine. My knees went weak. I pressed my back to the tiled wall. I thought about Scooter’s smile, Josh’s eyes roaming over me, Rhys’s wink, Jade’s glare. I shook my head. “But like I told you, nothing happened.”
    â€œHe says it did.”
    Had I really worried about him last night, gone out to talk with him, comfort him, make him feel welcome? Had I really considered that I could like him?
    The girls suddenly rushed out of the bathroom like we were under a zombie attack. But I just stood there like a zombie myself. Even after the first bell rang.
    â€œCome on,” Kendall said, shaking me back to life.
    â€œI don’t understand why he did that.” I staggered for the door, like my brain couldn’t connect to my legs. Definitely a zombie.
    â€œMoney? Because he’s a douche?”
    â€œBut we talked. He seemed . . . nice.” He rubbed my back when I threw up . I grabbed the books I needed for class from my locker, then quickened my pace, grateful that Kendall and I had Advanced Calculus together. Andthat Scooter, Josh, Rhys, Jade, and especially Fletcher would not be there.
    â€œWell, ‘nice is as nice does’ is what my mom always says.” Her mom often spoke in made-up proverbs. “You need to tell your dad about this. He’ll kick him right out of your house. He can’t be a project after this. He doesn’t deserve your family.”
    â€œDon’t call him a project here at school. Nobody is supposed to know, remember?”
    â€œWhy do you care? He deserves some kind of payback.”
    â€œAgreed, but it can’t be anything that reflects on my family.”
    â€œFine. My lips are sealed, until I see him. Then I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”
    I had a feeling she was going to give him more than a piece.
    We stepped into the room just as the tardy bell rang. Why did it sound like it was ringing the death knell on my reputation?
    â€œAlmost late, ladies,” Mr. Turner said, like it would be news to us.
    â€œSorry,” we both mumbled as we hurried to empty desks at the back of the room.
    It was exam week. Because of my grades, I was exempt from every one of the two-hour exams spaced out over four days. I took a novel about a dystopian world out ofmy backpack and settled in to read as the nonexempts labored over their tests. But after twenty minutes, I hadn’t processed a single word. I was thinking about Fletcher, wondering why he’d made that stupid bet. Was everyone imagining me with him? Who all knew? Just the people who were at the party or had word spread through various social networks? Why would people care?
    And to think that I’d