Dare You to Chase the Soccer Player (Rock Valley High 5)

“See?” He glanced at Zane. “She knows just how to cut a boy down.”

“I’m sorry,” I said weakly. I didn’t mean to make him feel bad. He was just too funny sometimes.

He grinned and tweaked my cheek. “Don’t be. Someone’s got to keep me humble. Hopefully, I’ll see you around, Makeup Girl.”

Freddy strode ahead through the gates, leaving Zane standing alone in a mass of girls. I knew everyone expected us to work through our issues right here and now. And I could see from the eager look in Zane’s eyes that he had something to say, but I shook my head to stop him.

“I’m sorry for what happened yesterday.” A twinge of pain went through my stomach when I thought about everything that I’d messed up with my selfishness. “I really didn’t mean for any of that to happen.”

He took a step toward me, his frown softening. “Lexi—”

I held up a finger. Enough was enough. I was finally going to be strong enough to do the thing we should’ve done all along.

“Zane, what we had was great. It was short, it was sugar sweet, and I’m pretty sure you and I could’ve evolved into something amazing. But I let the idea of you and me take over everything. To the point that I was willing to risk your career and my future on it. We never should’ve let it get that far.”

He swallowed hard and nodded, misery lining his face. “I know. I feel like I’m the one to blame, though. I couldn’t stand up to my dad for you. I was weak.”

“No, you’re the most wonderful boy I’ve ever met. And you showed me that someone could like me for just me.” I smiled at him and thought about the fact that a few weeks ago, I would’ve died before letting anyone see me without my makeup. Especially a boy. I was completely changed. “I’m forever grateful for that. But this time, I’m going to do the right thing and I’m going to walk away.”

Zane looked at me as if he wanted nothing else but to convince me to change my mind. I slid my hands into Charlotte and Beth’s at my side, squeezing them for comfort. They squeezed back. And then we turned and began to walk through the crowd.

The link I’d felt to Zane since we first met was still there. I could feel his heart breaking a little as I walked away. Just like mine. But this was for the best. I was stronger now. I knew better that we couldn’t just hide away from the world. He had a career to build and I had a plan to join his world in just another year. I wouldn’t jeopardize either of those things anymore.

I had to be the one to end things.

My heart begged me to look over my shoulder. To glance at him one last time and fall into those baby blues. But I kept my chin pointed straight ahead, my two best friends guiding me gently forward as my heart cried out in protest. And when we finally got into the school, I grabbed my stuff and strode confidently into my English lit class. Mr. Garret already stood at the front of the room with a stack of papers held tight in his hand, his eyes gleaming with a kind of glee he only got when he was about to pass out an extra difficult quiz.

Standing up to Janelle and letting go of Zane weren’t the only things on my list to do today. There was one other area of my life that I needed to take control of. No more phoning it in. No more excuses.

This was my life. And I was going to take control of it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

My eyes ached as I glanced down at my quiz one last time. Just as I’d suspected, Mr. Garret had made this one a doozy. I could practically feel his glee in the wording of the questions and how tricky he’d managed to be.

Any other day, I would’ve stumbled up to his desk, my head feeling like it had been stuffed with cotton, and blindly handed in another failed quiz. But not today. Today I’d been fully prepared—thanks in part to both my best friends who’d studied with me last night and to Zane, who’d helped me in the library this past weekend.

Thanks to all of them, I was able to slide out of my desk before most of the other kids were done, shoulder my backpack and walk confidently to the front. Mr. Garret was hunched over his desk, grading a stack of papers from another class. He blinked when I slid my quiz in front of him. His gaze slowly roved up to my face and he frowned in confusion.

“Did you need something, Ms. Black?” he asked. “You already know that I can’t clarify any of the questions for you. It wouldn’t be fair to the other students. If you don’t understand something, you’re just going to have to work through it.”

I smiled through his assumptions. Men like Mr. Garret would never believe a girl like me was capable of doing anything other than dressing up and flirting with boys. I doubted that even after I aced this quiz if I would change his mind. That was just the way it was. At least I could do better for myself.

“No questions from me,” I said sweetly, nudging the quiz a little farther on his desk. “I’m done.”

His brow arched and he leaned back in his chair with an amused expression. “At least take the time to finish it, Ms. Black. Turning in a half-finished quiz will do you no favors.”

“No, I finished it all.” I shrugged. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.”

Disbelief shown in his eyes. He grabbed the quiz, his gaze speeding over my scrawled answers. And as he read, his frown hardened into disapproval. If it had been any other teacher, that would’ve worried me. But I knew Mr. Garret didn’t celebrate success in his class. He would never congratulate me for turning things around. My victory was his loss. Thankfully, after this year, I’d be finished with his classes.

“Yes, I see that you answered all of it,” he said finally, swallowing as if he’d eaten something sour. His dark eyes darted up to my face and took in my appearance. Surprise washed over his face for a mere second and then it was replaced by a cruel smile. “You’ve expelled the silly out of your head. Must’ve been all of that makeup. They say those chemicals can seep into your skin and rot your brain. I congratulate you on deciding to take yourself seriously for once.”

I inadvertently pressed a hand up to my cheek. Blood pooled in my face and down my neck as anger sparked in my chest. Right then, I wanted to tell Mr. Garret just exactly what the kids at Rock Valley High thought about him, but I kept my mouth closed. That wasn’t what Dad would do. He’d told me that when he was in the courtroom and in danger of losing his temper, he’d take a deep breath and hold it to the count of five, letting those angry thoughts evaporate.

So that was what I did. With a deep breath, I stared coolly at Mr. Garret for five solid seconds and then let it out. He watched me curiously, that same smirk stamped on his mouth. And when I was ready, I clenched my fists at my side and rose my voice just high enough for the rest of the class still finishing their quizzes to hear.

“Mr. Garret, I am not and never have been silly. Yes, sometimes I’ve been lazy and unmotivated. And sometimes I had a hard time understanding the text. But this time, I found help to get me through it. And I passed because I took that extra time to work through them. It had nothing to do with what I put on my face. Whether or not I decide to wear makeup does not mean I don’t take myself seriously. That’s a sexist and rude assumption.”