On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,104
“he wouldn’t.”
“Unless he what?” I really didn’t want to know the answer, but I had to know.
“Well, they are friends... maybe he left and met her for advice or something.”
“Oh God.” I folded my arms around myself. He wouldn’t go to her, of all people... would he?
“She’s such a smug bitch. Until you get the facts from Zach, don’t let her mess with your head, babe.”
“Yeah,” I gave her a tight smile.
Easier said than done.
I didn’t see or hear from Zach all day. I mean, I didn’t expect to hear from him, but it didn’t stop me from checking my cell throughout the day. By the time the session at Next Steps rolled around, I felt queasy.
For more reasons than one.
Jasmine had made it crystal clear last time that she didn’t want to work with me. I knew I wasn’t supposed to take it personally. But it was hard. Especially when Zach had strolled in and hit it off with her without so much as blinking.
I didn’t know if Zach was going to be at the session again. We hadn’t talked about it. We hadn’t talked about a lot of things.
I let out a heavy sigh as I grabbed my bag and left the dorm. It was a nice afternoon out, so I enjoyed the walk to Next Steps. As much as I could enjoy it, with the giant knot in my stomach.
All day, I’d replayed Victoria’s words over in my head. I didn’t believe Zach had left me to go and confide in her, which meant there was more to the story... it also meant she was going out of her way to try to hurt me.
“Ah, Calli.” Freya greeted me at the door. “I’m glad you’re here early. I wanted to touch base with you on a couple of things.” My pulse spiked as I followed her to her office. “Come on, take a seat.”
I did.
“I got a call earlier from Jasmine’s guidance counselor. She’s had a bad day at school. Some girls cornered her in the locker room, and it got physical.”
“God, is she okay?”
“She’s fine. The other girl... not so much.”
“I see.”
“I just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“Okay.” I nodded.
“You seem... relieved.”
“I just thought that after Tuesday you were going to tell me you were going to assign her to somebody else.”
“Absolutely not. It was your first session together. Progress doesn’t happen overnight.” Her reassuring smile settled my nerves. “There was something else. Coach Baxter called about the exhibition game Saturday. I think it’s an excellent idea. I’ll need to clear it with the kids’ parents and guardians first. But it’ll be a great opportunity for them. Nice work.”
“Excuse me?”
“For suggesting it to Coach Baxter.”
“Oh, that.” I schooled my surprise. “It was nothing.”
“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but we decided to put Callum on a different session. Coach is keen for him to get involved and I agreed that it’s perhaps best to keep the two of you separate for now.”
“Of course.” My stomach sank, her words leaving a sour taste in my mouth. “Whatever you think is best.”
“The kids will be here any second. We’re keeping things inside today. Arts and crafts, board games, and the tech corner.
“Sounds good.” I got to up to leave.
“I’ll let you know about Saturday, but I don’t imagine it’ll be a problem. You can mention it to Jasmine, but don’t make any promises.”
“Okay.”
I walked out of Freya’s office just as Jasmine was entering the center. Her eyes locked on mine, narrowing to hostile slits. But I didn’t let it deter me. “Hey,” I said approaching her. “How are you?”
“Is Zach coming?” Her bluish-green eyes went over my shoulder as she scanned the room.
“I... uh, I’m not sure.”
“Oh.” Disappointment washed over her.
“I thought we could make some friendship bracelets.”
“I’m fourteen,” she scoffed, “not eight.”
“Okay, how about fabric painting? I think I saw—”
“Stop.” She shook her head. “Just stop.”
Defeat sat heavy in my stomach.
“I don’t want to paint or make crappy pieces of jewelry. Don’t you get it? I don’t want to be here.” Her aloof façade cracked, and I saw a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. “What?” she snapped.
“It’s okay to not be okay, Jasmine. I’m not here to judge or tell you how to—”
“Whatever.” She stormed off toward a group of other kids all huddled around a small flatscreen.
“Perseverance,” Maureen whispered as she passed me, clapping me gently on the shoulder.