Beauty and the Geek Boy

Chapter 47-Ellie

*Beauty*

I was grounded.

The reasons were a little iffy. Mom hadn't been particularly angry about me leaving school early. She was more angry about the fact that the boy in the poster wasn't Justin Markson, captain of the football team. She seemed to be under the impression that we were dating.

When I'd told her that I wasn't interested in Justin Markson, she'd gone into a rampage of epical proportions and banished me to my room. Dad had shot me an apologetic look, then tried to distract her.

Apparently, she'd called Dad when the school had called her about the picture. He'd come home from work early to make sure she was okay. What with the pregnancy being high-risk and all.

But, to be honest, despite the grounding, I couldn't force my smile to vanish. I'd flopped onto the bed, grinning at the ceiling as I replayed Will's shocked expression after I'd kissed him.

Me and Will were dating. Legitimately. And everyone knew.

I squealed, rolling.

It was so amazing. For him to be completely and publicly mine. I'd imagined a lot of things about how Will and I would become a couple. This—the poster, the early leave, the misunderstanding—I could never see coming. But, I didn't mind how it had happened anymore. I was just happy it had.

A knock on the door made me sit up.

"Sweetheart?" Dad called from the hall. "Can I come in?"

I nodded. "'Course."

Dad opened the door, stepping inside. He smiled, though his features were a little tired. There were lines on his face that hadn't been there before.

"Hey sweetie." He perched on the corner of my bed. "Your mom's gone to sleep."

That explained why I could no longer hear her shouting.

His expression became apologetic. "You didn't do anything wrong, alright?" He shook his head. "Whoever put up that poster—I don't know if it was a prank or what—" Abruptly, he frowned. His eyes snapped to mine. "You're not being bullied, are you?"

I shook my head. "No! Of course not!"

Bullying didn't happen in our school. At least, I'd never seen it happening.

"It's just this girl—she's best friends with the guy in the picture—or she was anyway. She doesn't want us to be together."

Dad frowned, then nodded. "Ok, then. Just be careful, and tell me if anything happens. The principal made it clear that you weren't in any trouble. It wasn't your fault the poster was put up, but your mother..." His features became tired again. "Remember what I said when I told you girls about the pregnancy?"

I nodded, swallowing. It was high-risk. We never acknowledged it out loud, how dangerous it was for mom to be giving birth.

"We have to be careful that we don't stress out your mother. You don't deserve to be grounded—I want you to understand that. But if you could just bear with it..." His expression became pleading.

I squeezed his hand, smiling. "It's okay dad, I don't mind."

If being grounded was my punishment for dating William Johnson, I could take it.

He searched my face. Relief seeped into his features. "Thank you sweetie." He squeezed me into a hug. "You're a wonderful daughter."

I beamed.

Dad pulled back. He hesitated, then, "So...that boy..."

I stilled, biting my lip.

He raised an eyebrow. "How long has that been happening?"