She's Bad News

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Corinna’s POV

I spent the next couple of weeks playing catch up at school. Every subject was way more advanced than the level I was at and I couldn’t help but wish I felt comfortable asking Flynn for help on my other subjects too.

Being at home felt weird. Everyone except for Jesse and Jake was cold to me and I spent most of my time in my room, working on my homework or just listening to nature sounds. Four years ago, Sandra and Donald had looked at me with concern in their eyes as I started skipping more school and drinking on school nights. There was no hint of that concern now. Now all they wanted was to get over the next three and a half months and have me gone.

“You know, for a supposedly wild chick, you’re pretty boring,” Jason said on Friday night, glancing at me over the stack of records we were sorting out.

I shrugged, looking at the vintage Aerosmith record in my hands with longing before placing it in its correct box. “I’m turning over a new leaf.”

“Boring,” he mouthed, rolling his eyes as he deftly sorted the albums.

“Whatever, if I stray across the line, I’m out on my ass so I’m okay with being called boring for the time being.”

He tilted his head to the side, pausing in his task to give me a considering look. “Well, if you ever mess up and the folks kick you out, you could always stay here. I live in the apartment upstairs and you’re welcome to the couch if you desperately need it.”

I blinked at him, feeling touched by his offer. “T-thanks,” I stuttered, trying to summon my smirk and a sarcastic remark but I couldn’t.

“Don’t cry, Cor, I’m just trying to be nice.”

“Yeah well, I appreciate it. Even if the offer is kind of creepy coming from a twenty five year old. You do know that I’m seven years younger than you, right?”

He narrowed his interesting light blue eyes at me. “I’m going to take back the invitation,” he said threateningly.

“You’re not creepy,” I said hastily, making him nod in satisfaction. I felt my lips twitch with humour as I looked at him, noticing his buzzed hair and the hole in his eyebrow where he’d once had a piercing. He was my exact height and he was handsome but for some reason I wasn’t attracted to him. There was a kinship between us that wasn’t sexual in the slightest but I liked it just the same.

“So you want a beer?” he asked, giving me a crooked grin.

“Are you trying to be a bad influence on me?”

“No,” he said, nodding his head at the same time.

“Yeah right,” I grumbled, holding my lips together to keep from laughing.

“It’s not a crime you know,” he said in a more serious tone.

“Actually, it is. I’m underage and we’re both currently working.”

He shook his head, the serious look never leaving his eyes. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I meant laughing. You can laugh if you want to. It’s not going to kill you.”

I felt my mask slip from my face as I looked at his understanding blue eyes and gave him a small but genuine smile. “I would laugh but you’re just not that funny.”

“Ouch,” he said, chuckling lightly and clutching his hand over his chest. His chuckles cut off when the bell over the door rang signalling the entrance of a customer. “Hello,” Jason said, looking up from the stack of records but his polite smile was replaced by a more genuine one when he realized who was there. “Hey man, what’s up?” he asked, moving around a display to shake hands with the guy who’d just walked in.