Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“You know, the one Mrs. Knowles has been harping on for the past three weeks?”
I slap my forehead with one palm before slumping on the hard bench.
"What? No, I didn’t know. Oh shit, it’s on Wuthering Heights, isn’t it? I haven’t even finished the book yet. What was the protagonist’s name?"
Sam shoots me a wry look.
"Catherine and Heathcliff," she says. “Um girl, I think you should try and read the Cliffs Notes before next period or something because if you don’t even know that, well…”
"I’m screwed," I finish and blow out a long breath.
But before I can reach into my bag for my handy Cliffs Notes, a voice comes from over my shoulder.
"Hi, Maggie."
Uh oh. I recognize the voice but don’t want to acknowledge it because this isn’t going to be good. But what can I do? Pretend that I’m deaf and dumb? Finally, I look up.
“Hi Corey,” I manage in a polite tone. “How are you?”
I must look like shit, not that I care with Corey. I’ve been avoiding the boy ever since the night of my striptease because obviously, I’ve been sleeping with his dad. Through some miracle, I’ve managed to avoid him for weeks now, but it looks like he’s caught me at a bad time. I wish Corey would find some cheerleader to date, or maybe a sorority girl. Some Barbie blonde with short skirts and a willing attitude would be perfect because he’s wasting his time with me. Damn. Why did I ever do that stupid strip tease when I wasn’t even interested in him? I suppose some good came out of it because now I’m with Ed, but still. I need Corey to know he’s wasting his time on me.
"So Maggie, can I talk with you in the hallway for a minute?" he demands, his chin jerking towards the door.
“Not now,” I try to parry, but Corey’s determined and merely shakes his head again. “Fine,” I sigh. “Let’s go.”
I get up reluctantly and slowly trail the teenage boy to the cafeteria door. Corey’s decked out in a Cedar Toms letter jacket, his shit-eating grin, and too much gel in his black hair. This all gives me a sick feeling in my stomach because I don’t want to talk to him about what happened the night of the striptease. Ugh. For the millionth time, I wish I didn’t know him.
Finally, we’re off in the relative silence of the hallway, and he corners me near a tall, glass cabinet filled with trophies. I smile weakly.
“So, how are things?” I begin brightly. “So great to see you!”
He merely frowns and leans in close.
"I haven’t forgotten about you, Maggie. You’re a difficult woman to pin down.”
I manage another half-hearted smile.
“Oh really? Well, I’m so busy these days with college applications, pop quizzes, and OMG, Prom’s right around the corner too. Are you going to go?”
He squints.
“Prom’s not until May, Maggie. It’s ages away.”
“Oh yeah,” I titter weakly. “Sorry, I’m just so excited for it. Go Tom Toms!” I cry with a fist bump. Okay, none of this is making sense but I’m desperate to avoid having this conversation. I’d rather talk about climate change, politics, or religion before delving into that night. But Corey won’t be put off and leans forward again, his blue eyes glimmering.
“So yeah, I really enjoyed that little show you put on a couple weeks ago. I beat off to it about a billion times because it was so epic. Until then, I wasn’t sure where I stood with you because to be honest, Maggie, I didn’t think you actually liked me. But now, I see I was all wrong, and we should definitely get together so that you can dance for me again."
Holy fuck, this is even worse than I anticipated. Corey’s been masturbating to the memory of my strip tease. Damnit.
I try to smile.
“Oh no, I don’t think that’s necessary. You’re a big bad football player and doing well here at Cedar Toms High. Meanwhile, I’m barely even passing! I’m getting C’s in all my classes and trying not to slip into the D range. It’s a real problem.”
But Corey’s not put off.
“That’s fine. I’m not dating a girl for her brains, believe me. So what do you say? You want to come over Saturday night? My place?”
My stomach sinks because I’ve been over to his house almost every night for the past three weeks, Corey just doesn’t know. I try to think of a legitimate reason to turn him down, but come up blank. I want more than anything else to tell him I’m involved with his father, but that would be poking the bear for no reason.
“Well, I’ve been exposed to someone with coronavirus,” I say quickly. “It’s not safe, and that’s why I did the striptease,” I add, improvising on the fly. “You know, so we maintain six feet of distance and all that.”