“Is it okay if I start filming?”
If he didn’t have a receding hairline, his eyebrows would’ve been all the way in his hair right now. “You guys haven’t started filming yet? I thought maybe you were doing that outside of class.”
“No!” I cried. “We spent this entire time arguing.”
“I’m disappointed,” Mr. Davis said. “I expected more from you, Ginger. When you go to UCLA and start working afterwards, you can believe that there are going to be some difficult people to work with. Especially in Hollywood, and especially when money gets involved. You and Ray need to work on this together.” He lowered his voice. “You might be my favorite student, but I have no problem giving you a zero if I need to.”
Shaking his head, he walked away, and the guilt that engulfed me made my eyes sting. I’d never disappointed Mr. Davis. Never worried so much about disappointing my parents. Yet one project with Ray had made me forget all of my principles, my work ethic.
I needed to remember who I was and get this done—like a true professional.
I reached into my backpack and got my phone and a piece of paper with a number I swore I’d never use. My fingers were steady as I typed it in and fired off a message. I would get this video done. My future in the dorms depended on it.
Ginger: We need to get that video done this weekend. When can you meet?
Ray: I can’t. Send me a video and I’ll edit it.
Ginger: That’s not going to work. We need to do the project together.
Ray: Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but some of us have bigger things to worry about than sucking up to Mr. Davis.
My mouth dropped open at the message on the screen. How dare he. He didn’t know the first thing about me or my life. Had no idea that I had to pick up extra shifts at the store any time someone called in sick. Or that my parents had every second of every day scheduled for me. Not that he’d ever bothered to look deeper than my Nash family name.
I picked up my phone and went to talk to Mr. Davis about what Ray had said.
Before I even reached the desk, he held up his hand. “If this is about your partner, I don’t want to hear it.” He frowned. “I’m sorry, Ginger, but you’re going to have to figure it out or face a bad grade on this assignment.”
Fine. I would figure it out, with or without Ray Sadler.
Fourteen
My friends didn’t have any solutions at lunch, but they agreed to go to Cori’s game with me that night and brainstorm. Callie was going to be there anyway to play pep band for the game. Although none of us were athletic in the slightest, we’ve been to more sporting events this year as a group than I imagined any of us had been to all of the prior years of high school combined.
Callie and I did our homework in the cafeteria while the JV girls and boys teams played their games. At least for basketball games she didn’t have to wear the marching uniform, just an EA polo and khakis. Both of our phones chimed with a text, and I lifted mine to see who it was.
Jordan: Where are you guys?
Zara: Making a Seaton Bakery run. *sunglasses emoji*
My mouth watered as I looked at Callie.
“Yay!” she said.
Our phones alerted us again.
Rory: Beckett and I are sitting in the gym. We saved you guys seats.
I lowered my phone and looked at Callie. “Should we go meet them?”
She nodded and began gathering her books. “I need to put these in my locker before I join up with the band, though.”
“I’ll come with.” We walked together down the hallway, Callie in her band uniform and me dressed casually in jeans and an Emerson Academy T-shirt.
She nudged my arm. “I meant to ask, how close are you and Ray to being done with the project? Maybe you can finish up and make it look like he did his part?”
I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. “Not even close, and I have no idea what to do.”
“What do you mean? Haven’t you been working on it since Tuesday?”
Embarrassment flushed my cheeks. “Ray and I spent the entire week arguing, and now we have no filming done. With Ray refusing to help, there’s no way I’ll get a decent grade on this.” The ball of tension that had been