Courtney's Secrets (The Clandestine Series)

Admit Ten

That night, I cooked dinner, but it grew cold by the time I heard the garage door open. Courtney came in with an exuberant smile, lifting her arms to the sky, and kissed me on the forehead. She held a small paper bag with a cell phone emblem on it.

My heart soared, and I shook with happiness as I realized what had to be inside.

Slowly, she sat into the chair at the dining room table, hands poised daintily as she opened the small rectangular box. "Now, you have to be careful. If it breaks, I can't afford another one." She shot me a cold warning stare. I reached for the phone but she glanced at my hand and back to the phone, ignoring me. I pulled my hand back. She pushed a button on the side and the screen lit up. "The battery needs to be charged." She pulled the charger out and laid it on the table. "Also, you have to understand that I have access to your GPS, and if I ask to see your phone, I can, and will exercise my right to check every app, message, or website you visit."

Time stood still as I digested this information. I didn't understand why she felt the need to invade every corner of my privacy, but it didn't surprise me in the least. The cell phone was now a liability that could give her incriminating evidence about anything I did. "What?" I asked. It came out accusatory.

She tilted her head back and scrolled down without changing her expression, ignoring me again. "It will take you a while to set everything up."

I clasped my hands together with anticipation. "Can I... have it?"

She laughed deeply. "I'm glad I could get you something you'll enjoy." She placed it carefully in my palm.

Finally.

These things were delicate and I couldn't imagine she would spend hundreds of dollars on it without making sure it was protected. "Where is the screen protector and case?"

Her smile dissolved as if I had spoiled everything and a mound of guilt sprung up inside me. "It's ok." I smiled. "This is great!" I wanted to run to my room and figure out everything there was to know about it, but she insisted I leave it to charge on the counter while we ate dinner together. The wait was agonizing and all I could do was think about what apps I wanted to download, and if I would be able to get a hold of Lan tonight or not. This opened so many opportunities. I could exchange numbers with Peyton when I saw him next. I ate as fast as I could and tried to leave the table to set up my phone in private, but she told me to sit down and wait until she finished. I sat impatiently, daydreaming about what it would be like to play with it. Courtney asked me something, but I hadn't been paying attention.

I pushed my food around on my plate and peeled my eyes away from my new cell phone. "Huh?"

She took a bite of the casserole I had made. "I got a phone call from your school saying you were absent for one or more classes the other day."

My blood turned cold. I carefully gauged her body language to see if she was about to climb over the table and whack me, but she sat there eating, calm and collected. Sometimes she was sneaky like that. She would probe with a question and see if the answer met her requirements before morphing into her unpredictable state of rage. "It's because... I went to see my counselor," I lied. "My teacher must have marked me absent." Hopefully she didn't call the school to verify how many classes I had missed.

"Oh." She ate a bite and swallowed. "Why did you need to see your counselor?"

This was my chance to bring up early graduation. "Because I wanted to check in with her about—you know—college and whether or not I could graduate early. Mrs. McMillan said I have all of the credits I need to graduate with the exception of two online English classes—one for each semester I would have taken my senior year. I have the paperwork in my backpack. Wouldn't that be great if I graduated at the end of this school year?"