Before You Leave

26. The Opportunity

I tapped my foot eagerly. Ms. Birchwood was about to announce what the proposal was.

I squeezed Gideon's hand. Hard. But he said nothing, even though I was certain it hurt.

"I can erase your record, JJ," she finally says as she closes her office doors.

My eyes widen. "What?"

"You heard me. I can erase your record and I can get you into the same college as Gideon."

I gasped. "You're bullshitting me, Ms. Birchwood."

She laughed. "I have very high connections at Dartmouth. You just have to do two things for me."

"Anything," I respond eagerly.

"One, confess about the fire."

I blink. Did she know? "What?"

"I have a phone, Ms. Ashton. I have snapchat and Instagram. I have seen what had been posted last night at your party."

"No one would believe me anyway," I mumbled.

She laughed. "The proof's all in the video, sweetheart. He confessed."

I swallow. "And what's the other thing?"

"I have been informed that ice-skating practice started two weeks ago, to which you attended. Coach Trinity tells me you're very good." She smiles. "Win me that trophy next month at your season-start off tournament."

"I'm not that good, ma'am," I object. "I just started after not practicing for years."

"I have connections, remember? When I look you up, I have seen how many reward you won."

Gideon smiled. "You haven't showed me what you can do," he reminds me.

"You can see at the tournament," I grumble.

"So you're accepting my opportunity?" She asks.

I nod hesitantly. "Yes."

When we got up to leave, she called us back in by the door. We lingered there as we turned to her.

"Will your father be expecting you next week?" She asks me.

Thanksgiving alone with my father? No thank you. I didn't want to see him for a long time.

I shook my head. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"So you'll stay here then?" She asks, face falling. She was an old friend of my father's, of course she saw his side.

"Yeah, I gue—"

"No, she'll be staying with me and my mother," he interjects.

My panicked eyes shoot to his, and I was ready to protest.

But something in his eyes told me to trust him, so I stopped and looked at Ms. Birchwood. "Yeah, I'll be staying with Gideon."

"Alright," she sighs. "Now get to class."

I exited her office and turned to Gideon immediately.

"I have no where to stay for Thanksgiving. Why would you like about that?" I grumble.

"I wasn't lying. I want you to stay with me and my mother," he says gently.

"I'm so not ready to meet your mother, Gideon. What if she hates me? What if I'm not good enough for her kiss ass of a son? What if she thinks I'm a whore—"

"My mother is the nicest person on this planet." He smiled down at me as she grasped both sides of my face. I clutched his wrists loosely. "Plus, shell just have to deal with you since I sort of love you, you know?"

I snorted. I reached up on my tippy toes to kiss him once before sighing. "I sort of love you, too, Gid," I whispered.