Love Thy Neighbor

Chapter 4

Carter Hayes enrolled as a student at my school. Blocking out all other details of why, my mind wandered and discovered the answer to how. Katy.

Of course Katy was able to sway the decision the board of education made prior to Carter's first day. Her influence as president, though limited, was still powerful. There's no other way a guy like Carter could be allowed to step foot into an academic institution.

Not that he's not brilliant, he might be the smartest person I know second only to Tristan. But his juvenile record from California, the one that got him expelled from multiple schools at a young age, gave many other schools reason to reject his attempts at enrollment. If I could feel anything but anger and fear towards Carter, I might feel bad for him. But I don't. Not when he's out to ruin the new life I have created for myself.

"He's in all of your classes," Tristan states, driving a little too fast on the small town roads.

"You're in all my classes, too," I remind him. I stare out the window of his car at the buildings of Main Street blurring together caused by both the speed and the welling tears in my eyes that never seemed to get the chance to spill over today.

"Not calculus," he mutters more to himself than to me. "We can try switching your schedule around, keep the same classes but change the time of day you take them. You won't have to be in the same room as him."

"What's the point?" I finally look at him. His jaw is clenched tight, eyes focused on the road, but not really seeing what's in front of him. "He's still at school! He's still in this town! It doesn't matter if I take history at a different time because he's still going to be here!"

Finally, I thought to myself as the tears ran down my cheeks in hot streams. I've been holding this in all day since I ran into Carter.

Tristan sighs in defeat. He knows I'm right. He takes his right hand off the steering wheel to wipe my tears away and then reaches to hold my hand. He doesn't loosen his grip until we park in his driveway.

The rain, which had started to pick up since after lunch, is pounding on the top of the car now. We sit in silence, the idling engine running as white noise against the beating of the rain.

"We should still try to see if you can switch classes," Tristan speaks up, his voice startling me a little in the deafening silence. "Or at least see if you can do your calculus work during study hall with me. I don't know if they'll believe that you need a tutor, but it's something I can do to keep you an eye on you."

I don't argue with him. The hour slot in my day that didn't have Tristan or my other friends around me had left an anxious hole in my heart. Carter isn't dumb to try something in public, but knowing that he could instilled fear in me. Study hall with my boyfriend didn't seem too bad in comparison, even if it was just a glorified babysitting method.

~~~

The following morning, I found myself waiting in the main office lobby of the school while Tristan tried to sweet talk the receptionist into squeezing me into an early morning guidance counselor session. I told him I could do this on my own, but Tristan has gone into overprotective mode despite being the only one of the two of us who might need the most physical protection. His father is obviously not above violent force, the fading black eyes and scars on Tristan's face a stark reminded of that fact, but Carter's psychological damage seemed to be a bigger priority in his mind.

"Okay, Tristan," the receptionist behind the large desk concedes. "Let me go find some forms for Leila to fill out before she meets with the counselor. I do have to say this is quite strange to want to request tutoring during school hours, let alone during class time, this late into the semester."

"Yes, I understand," Tristan smiles at her as much as his busted lip allows. He drops his voice a little for the theatrics. "You see, Leila is a little worried about her calculus grade. I know it may seem silly since she is at the top of her class, but with college application deadlines coming up, she wants to give herself the best chance at success. I'm not going to argue with her about it if it's what she thinks is best for her."

The receptionist seems more than convinced, her genuine smile reflecting the one Tristan was trying to convey.

"Oh, of course!" she says in a whisper, though I can hear every word across the small waiting area. "I wouldn't want to stand in the way of a student's success. And I guess I don't see an issue with her completing work outside of the classroom if she understands the material. Plus, she'll have you to guide her if she needs help." With that, she hurries to the back in search of the forms I need to fill out.

Tristan turns to me with a triumphant smirk on his face, which drops immediately when his gaze focuses on something behind me. I turn to face the glass wall the looks into the rest of the school to see Carter and Katy approaching the main office, large files in each of their hands.