A sigh escapes me as we enter the building. We have this class together. “My father. Our families figured out last night we’re seeing each other.”
“Oh. And that’s still a problem?”
“For whatever reason, yes. I wish they’d stay out of our business,” I say bitterly.
“Yet you told him it’s probably going nowhere,” Gracie says. “With Tony.”
It’s the worst thing ever when someone repeats your words back to you and you realize just how awful they sound. I lean against the wall right outside our classroom, and study the floor, running over everything I said before my father hung up on me. It was bad. All bad. “Caleb heard it, huh?”
“Yeah.”
I lift my head. “You think he’ll go tell Tony?”
She nods. “Probably. Want me to do damage control for you?”
“Is it really that bad?” I ask weakly.
“Hay, you said you two had an understanding and you knew it was going nowhere,” she reminds me.
“I said probably going nowhere. And I didn’t mean it. We pretty much declared ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend last night,” I say, shaking my head. “If Caleb tells him what he heard me say, he’s going to be devastated.”
Or pissed.
We enter the classroom and sit in our usual seats. The class is about half-full, and the professor is always running late, so I decide to change the subject. I need to think about something else.
“What happened with you and Jackson last night?”
Gracie’s cheeks turn pink and she waves a dismissive hand. “Absolutely nothing. I am embarrassed to say I tried to make a move.”
“Oh God.”
“I know.” Gracie nods. “And he turned me down in the sweetest way. He said he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with Caleb since it’s still so new, and that’s why he couldn’t do anything with me. Though he did say I was beautiful, and he was tempted. He might’ve just been saying that though.”
“At least he has some standards,” I say.
“Right? God, he’s just—painfully attractive. He smells really good too. And he says nice things. Kind things. Unlike some people I know.” Gracie scowls. She’s referring to Caleb.
I say nothing. What can I say? Besides, I’m too busy mulling over what Caleb heard, and what exactly he might tell Tony.
I could try and beat Caleb to the punch. I should pull my phone out right now and text Tony. Let him know what happened, and what they overheard. How I was trying to blow off my dad and pretend what Tony and I have isn’t a big deal.
But it is a big deal. It’s a huge deal. I care about him. I don’t want things to end because of a misunderstanding. Because Caleb said that I said, blah blah blah.
That’s so high school.
No, it’s worse. It’s so middle school, and we’re above that. We’re more mature than that.
Right?
I grab my phone and open it. Click on Tony’s name and contemplate what I might say.
At the same exact moment, the professor sweeps in, announcing there’s a surprise quiz, and I put my phone away, telling myself it’s okay. I can wait.
I can wait.
Twenty-Five
Tony