The Perfect Escape (The Perfect Escape #1) - Suzanne Park Page 0,43

after school.” He stuffed in his earbuds and took off with Zach.

That left Annie and me. Alone.

“Walk you to your class?” I asked.

She hesitated, so I hedged. “Or not,” I backpedaled. “I’ll see ya later.”

“No, no, it’s fine, I just have to get my backpack from my locker for next period. Let’s go.” Our metal bench screeched on the linoleum as we scooted back from the table.

In the senior corridor, Pete Haskill IV strolled straight over to me. My upper body shivered as he approached. I expected him to do the same handshake-back-slap greeting he did at the skating rink, but instead he switched it up by grabbing my arm and going back and forth like we were using a two-man saw. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. I’d never seen anything like it. It made me worried that maybe it wasn’t how the handshake was supposed to go, that maybe I’d forgotten to let go at the right time, and he was simply trying to pull his hand loose.

His voice dropped low. “You ready to talk about the grade thing?”

I cleared my throat and whispered to keep out of earshot of Annie, who was now applying lip gloss in the mirror of her locker. “Can I have more time?”

Abruptly, he let go of my hand. What was his deal with him always holding it? “How much more time are we talking about?” He scowled.

Maybe forever? “Can I get back to you in a couple of weeks?” I asked, my voice cracking. That would give me time to focus on the zombie competition with Kate. I could deal with Pete after that.

Pete smiled, like he had the upper hand. “Two weeks then, skiddo.” He slapped my back hard enough to make me choke on my spit.

Annie joined us, carrying her overstuffed backpack covered in purple peace signs. “What’re we talking about?”

“Nothing,” we both said, him firmly, me in high-pitched singsong.

“It sounded like more than nothing,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “But whatever, we need to go. The bell’s gonna ring.” Annie and Pete exchanged a look I couldn’t read and then acted like they didn’t know each other. We walked in silence to her econ class until she stopped a few feet short of the door. “Um, can we study together for midterms?”

A study date…with Annie. Oh man, I would have pinched myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream if it weren’t such a weird thing to do. When Jaxon found out, he’d high-five himself and say he’d orchestrated the whole thing from the start. Maybe he did.

“So…is it okay if we study together for exams?” Annie repeated with some hesitation. My speaking delay allowed me time to compose myself instead of pumping two fists in the air and strutting down the hallway like I owned the school.

With a steady-ish voice, I asked, “Sure, maybe later this week?” Annie bobbed her head and disappeared into the classroom. That was easier than I expected.

Feeling lucky, I checked my phone again for messages. Kate still hadn’t replied.

Time to write again. Team TBD competition is in a week, let’s discuss…Dicks?

Then, I meant Dicks hamburgers, not discuss dicks

Someone please take this phone away from me. I’ll stop typing dicks now

She responded so fast. I LOVE DIIIIIIIICKS!!! 7pm tonight

I swear to God, I’d never laughed so hard in my life.

* * *

“Jae-Woo!”

“JAE-WOO!”

I went around the house trying to track down my dad’s voice. Turns out he was on the roof.

“Next time, answer when I call you!” He barked when I came out the back door. If he’d screamed my name a third time, that meant full-on angry-Korean-dad escalation. Added chores. A grounding or two. More yelling. Threats of kicking me out of the house. In other words, the usual.

“Sorry, I was doing homework.” Which was a total lie, unless homework involved figuring out what to wear when seeing Kate.

Dad yelled, “I need water! Can you bring to me?” He pulled up his paint-splattered Hanes undershirt tucked into his pants