Fate's Exchange (Twisted Fate, Book 1)

Chapter Ten

Tina scowled and brushed past me to enter the room, trying and totally failing to seem angry. More like scared, which made no sense at all. What was her deal? Uncomfortable, I could understand, but scared? Timid? I didn't understand that. It went against everything I knew about Tina, like she had no voice at all.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't." I laughed and pushed her towards her desk. That wasn't the voice I meant.

"Look who has graced us with their presence!" Mr. Tinsley exclaimed in a booming voice and a clap of his hands that seemed to echo, stretching the sound out even when his hands fell to his side.

I jumped and felt my face burn when everyone turned to look at us. Tina's frown turned murderous, directed, it seemed, only at Mr. Tinsley. Suzie, sitting in the back row between two of her cheerleader buddies, narrowed her blue-green gaze at us, and smirked. When Mr. Tinsley didn't follow up with a reprimand she rolled her eyes and slowly, as if for special dramatization, turned in her seat to talk with her so-called friends. Would her friends be such good buddies if their social status wasn't raised by being in her orbit?

So not my problem.

I took my seat beside Tina and wondered what the hell was going on. She was always blunt and this—her quiet, almost subdued attitude that dripped with venom—was uncharacteristic to the point of worrisome. It was unlikely Mr. Tinsley was going to play his stupid videos again—that section was over. Besides, there was no T.V. in the room today. Maybe someone had ratted him out already.

No. Something like that wouldn't happen without hitting the gossip circuit.

"You two have a test to make up." Mr. Tinsley smiled at us.

My body began to tingle, and it felt impossible to curb the shudder that wanted to wrack my body as it screamed, "Run away." Sure, Mr. Tinsley was good looking, for a teacher. But a natural head of thick dark blonde hair and a friendly smile wasn't enough to push me to overlook his creepiness. It wasn't just one thing, but everything, like each of his movements was geared towards another end. The way he looked at the girls in class? Always calling on them with an appreciative smile while ignoring the boys? If I ever played truth or dare, I was going to make a boy wear a stuffed bra to Mr. Tinsley's class, just to see the attention he would be paid.

"You can meet me here right after school and we can go over what you need to review," he said, regaining my attention. "I'd like to have this done by the weekend."

I shrugged and glanced at Tina, but she refused to look at me. A white line appeared around her mouth, and when he smiled at her, I saw her cringe. What the hell was up with her? I couldn't figure it out. In the year we'd been friends, she'd never acted this way.

Mr. Tinsley began taking attendance and I twisted in my seat to pay attention, mentally listing the questions to ask Tina the moment the bell rang.

I opened my text book and tried to concentrate on the material we'd missed. I knew about the birds and bees—my mom told me when I was nine—but these terms were foreign. I was doomed. The upside? I was grounded, which meant I had time to study. Cringing as the book closed with a bang, I was grateful the noise was absorbed by knuckles rapping against the door.

Mr. Tinsley sighed at the interruption and walked over to answer. Someone stuck their arm through, handing Mr. Tinsley a note, and then Mr. Tinsley opened the door wider to let the person through. A boy came in, not at all self-conscious over the attention he was receiving. Listening to Mr. Tinsley, he began to scan the room with deep blue eyes hooded by dark lashes and an even darker head of hair, short on the sides and shaggy on top.