Perfect Student

Chapter 20

Trinity shot me worried glances as I walked into class, but I just ignored her and kept my face down, mindlessly writing the words our teacher was saying and trying to pretend the last hour hadn't happened.

The day passed quickly as I walked through a zombie-like trance, turning in homework assignments, and taking impeccable notes while my thoughts drifted. When the lunch bell rang, I looked up at the circular speaker with surprise.

"Adeline, come on," Trinity said, concern marring her delicate features. I gave her a weak smile and grabbed her hand, letting her drag me out towards the cafeteria. I slid a tray down the hot lunch line, grabbing a tray with a grey-looking hamburger. Chips and an apple were added, and I paid with cash I had stuffed into one of my backpack pockets.

I slid into place slowly beside Hunter, delaying the inevitable. He smiled at me widely before he realized something was wrong.

"What happened?" he asked, brushing stray hairs behind my ear affectionately. I bit my lip as it shook, and I tried to keep my feelings buried. He placed a hand on my thigh coaxingly, stroking his fingers on circles on my leg to calm me down.

"I got in trouble," I finally choked out. "They knew about the trespassing and saw the whiteboard marker." 

His hand stopped moving and then he gripped my leg tightly as his face grew serious.

"They know we came in?" he asked in a low voice, leaning closer to me.

"They only know about me," I said in a whisper. "I didn't tell them about you."
His grip released and his face slackened as he realized that he and his football scholarship were safe.

"Thank God," he muttered, before a Cheshire-cat-like smile stretched across his face.

"Did Mr. Mason ever see the message we left for him?" he asked. I pushed his hand off me and glared. 

"We didn't leave that message! You did! I told you to erase it!" I seethed, trying not to scream. One of his friends looked over at us with confusion so I stamped a smile on my face and took a deep breath.

"You told me to erase the first one, angel. You didn't say anything about the second. I thought you wanted me to keep it up or something," he said, grabbing some chips from his bag and throwing them into his mouth.

"I didn't!" I said, trying to remember my exact words. The night was fuzzy, and the alcohol created a pleasant haze around it, making it feel like a dream. I struggled to grasp the memory, but it slipped out of reach, evading me.

"Yes, you did," he said, looking at me like I was dumb. "I called out to ask if you wanted that one too and you didn't answer."

My forehead pressed together, and sadness overwhelmed me again. He noticed and stopped crunching on his food so he could wrap an arm around me.

"Look, I thought you said something else. And maybe you just weren't thinking straight because of the alcohol! It's nobody's fault."

I nodded phlegmatically, trying not to go numb once more and failing. Hunter's friend tapped him on the shoulder, and they launched into a conversation about a team they were going to be playing this season while I stared forward blankly. When lunch was over, Hunter walked me to my next class. Trinity staggered behind, giving us some space.

When we reached the history classroom, he pulled me against the wall beside him.

"I love you, angel. I will never let you get caught for something like that again," he avowed, looking me in the eyes. I nodded and his face hardened, so I spoke.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I'm acting weird today," I said, trying to add prosody to my stiff voice.

"It's okay," he affirmed. "I completely understand." He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tightly while my arms patted him softly on the back. He kissed me on the forehead and took off without another word towards his next class. I watched him go and jumped a little when I saw James standing at the end of the hall, watching us. He frowned as if he knew exactly what had happened before shaking his head and walking away.