The Backup Girlfriend (Grove Valley High #2) - Emma Doherty Page 0,54
Sallinson interrupted us and we started actually being real with each other. “Well, at least I won’t be able to burn out on studying this week. I have practice after school and I have a date tomorrow night, so that’s two nights where I won’t be cramming for hours on end.”
“You have a date?” He looks surprised at this news. “I thought you were hung up on Mitchell?”
It really is shitty when the whole school knows your business. “I am not.” I scowl. “I’ve moved on.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Well, if you count making out with Dan a couple of times a week because the conversation is so dull there really isn’t much more to do.
He doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t press me on it any more. “So, who will be at practice tonight?”
Practice? “Uh, the cheerleaders?” He blushes slightly, and a smirk covers my face as I realize why he asked the question. “Yes, your girl will be there, and yes she will be wearing very little to work out in.”
He throws a pen at me.
“We’ll be in the gym, not outside, but she might even sweat a little.” I snigger as he rolls his eyes. “Does that turn you on?”
“Shut it, Baker.”
I grin back at him. It’s fun making him uncomfortable for once.
“There’s no shame in it. Sasha’s awesome. All in good time.”
He’s bright red now and I take pity on him, starting to pack up my books in anticipation of the bell ringing.
He stretches his arms over his head, trying to stifle a yawn as he watches me. “So when are you introducing me to your dad? It’s been a couple of weeks now, and I’ve kept up my end of the bargain.”
I freeze momentarily in my task. I might tease him about Sasha a little, but I haven’t mentioned my dad since we made this agreement. I was hoping he’d forget about it.
“Huh? Abigail?”
“I wasn’t lying when I said he was working out of town,” I tell him. That part at least is true, but I’m not about to tell him he was recently home. “He’s been in New York for months.”
He pulls a face at that. “But surely he’ll be coming back soon, right?”
“Um, yeah, I guess, at some point. I honestly never know.”
He looks at me skeptically, like he doesn’t believe a word I’m saying, but luckily for me the first bell rings and I make my escape before he can question me further.
There is no way I’m ever introducing him to my dad. I’m going to have to find a different solution to that particular part of our deal.
16
My brain feels like it’s bleeding after a day of studying in my bedroom.
I’ve been going over the same equations again and again with the hope that if I do them enough times then they’ll stick in my mind. It’s only in the last hour that I’ve felt like this might actually be working, and I guess I’ll find out when Brett tests me on Monday. My mom was of no help whatsoever; she kept coming in and asking me mundane questions about what I thought about her outfit or her plans for tonight and basically reinforced my view that she doesn’t particularly care if I graduate or not, as she certainly didn’t care about interrupting me when I was clearly busy. My sister did appear at one point. She must have popped in to see my mom, and she brought me a kale smoothie, which tasted disgusting, but she assured me it was brain food.
I forced myself to drink it all because I need all the help I can get.
Now I’m in an Uber on the way to Chase’s house, to help him set up for this charity auction, which I’m hoping is a success and which, in all honesty, I’ve had very little to do with. I pull up outside his house and, to my horror, see that it’s already heaving with students, people lining up with cash in their hands to get into his house while Jackson and another guy from the soccer team collect their entrance fee. There’s already music blasting from the speakers inside the house, and the sounds of a busy party ring out.
Crap. Did I get the time wrong?
I check his last message and see that he specifically told me to arrive at nine to help. I did think that seemed a little late but figured he had his reasons. Now it looks like that was a typo because