What She Hid - NEW

34. Icy Revenge

I'm waiting to get into science class when Frank, the guy I jostled in math class, heads straight to me with a large gas station slushie in a Styrofoam cup. 

Even before he reaches me, I know what he plans. I read it in the smug set to his mouth. 

As he gets to just a foot away, he pivots and purposely bumps half his body into mine, the shock of his heavy weight pushing me back several steps as the blue icy drink he's spilled on me soaks into my gray hoodie and the ice hits my skin. It runs down my faded jeans and puddles like blue slop on my white runners. He's chosen blue ice for maximum damage.

"Sorry," he says in a falsetto voice which is supposed to be an imitation of mine outside of math class. "I got pushed."

"You're such an asshole," Nick says, pushing his way forward from where he was standing talking to another guy in our class. "You did that on purpose."

Frank puts his face up to Nick's, as he bulks his shoulders, and his large hands clench into fists. "Prove it."

"Enough!" Mr. Payne shouts from the doorway. "Break it up." He shimmies himself between both, indifferent to the height difference between himself and the two guys towering over him. "Get to class, Frank," he orders, before he turns his attention to Nick, "You go into the science room." His light brown eyes fall on me and the state of my clothes, and he frowns. "Go get yourself cleaned up and then join us in class."

The crowd disperses now that the drama is over. As Frank passes me, I say, "Are we even now?"

He snarls—literally snarls as if I'm the aggressor in all of this. "Stay the hell away from me."

I clean myself up the best I can in the girls' washroom, using half the paper towel in the dispenser, but end up sitting in wet, sticky clothes through all of the science class.

At the end, as everyone streams from the room to head home, Nick stops me from leaving with a light touch on my elbow as I stand bending over my desk and packing my bag. "You okay?"

No. 

But that's not the answer anyone wants to hear. I shrug. "I'm fine."

"Frank is a major asshole. Ever since he failed all his classes and had to repeat the year, he's been acting like an absolute shit. It's like he's taking his failure out on everyone else. As if we're responsible for him spending all last year stoned, sitting behind the bleachers instead of in class."

"Is that what happened?"

"Oh yeah. There was a group of them but the others pulled it together enough to at least get fifties. Frank couldn't even manage that." Nick leans against the desk as the class empties around us, as if he plans to stay for a while. "Don't let him get to you."

"Maybe that's it," I say, putting my pencil case away. "I ruined his homework, now he's ruined my clothes. Maybe he'll consider it the end since he's had his revenge."

Nick raises an eyebrow, not hiding his skepticism. "I don't know about that, but I hope you're right."

When I slip my backpack over my shoulder and take a step into the aisle, he follows suit and stands up. He dusts the back of his blue jeans as if he's been sitting on the concrete steps instead of the clean desks in the science room. "So, you and Will? Looks like you two hit it off from the start."

I know enough not to blurt out 'We're just friends.' This scenario Will cooked up is exactly meant for guys like Nick.

He walks to the door and lets me out first. In the hall, he continues, "I come on strong." He shrugs his shoulder and smiles. "Lots of girls like that. They like a guy who knows what he wants. But now that you're with Will, I hope we can all be friends and you can come join our group."

There's no way I'll do that. Nick going back to this just shows me that even if he is being nice to me, at his core he'll always push for things his way. He might talk about being friends, but it seems like another ploy to get me to join the minions in his group.

I did that once and what it got me was me following Jaime blindly into that bedroom during Laura's house party. My mood sours at where my mind drifts.

"You're more comfortable one-on-one," he says. "I get it. But you may enjoy hanging out with us. We're fun and you never even gave us a chance."

I swallow, knowing I still don't want to.

"By the way, how's your sister?"

"What?" I stop in my tracks. "Why do you ask?"

"I saw her limping on Drewry Road. I offered her a ride, but she wouldn't take it." He plays with a loose blond strand of his hair and tucks it behind his ear, holding it in place for a second as if afraid it will go rogue again, before letting go. "She said she was fine. I guess it's that old thing about not taking rides from strangers. I forget because, to the rest of us in town, there are no strangers. Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

"Good. Tell her I'm harmless and if she ever needs a lift, to accept."

We pause at the fork in the hall, where we go in different directions to get to our lockers. He stops me with a light touch on my forearm as I move to separate. "Mr. Payne is going to assign a presentation soon. He usually lets us choose our own group. I'd rather not work with Matt or Javier. They're nice guys but I want to keep my A average. You okay with being my partner?"

I hide my misgivings because so far I've seen two different Nicks and I'm not sure if I agree to do the assignment with this Nick, that it won't be the pushy Nick who knows no boundaries who shows up next time. But in the end, I can hardly refuse when he put his neck out to stand up to Frank and will no doubt end up on his revenge list since it's obvious Frank is not one to forget.

"Sure."

"Perfect," he says. "See you tomorrow." As he walks away, he looks over his shoulder. "Say hi to your sister for me."

[Author's Note: 

A new side of Nick? What do you think of him now?

Should Leila trust him?]

Copyright ©2024 by Danica P. Costa

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