Free Jack Hammer by Tabatha Vargo, Melissa Andrea Page A

flared to life when I saw his face. It was real. It happened.
    “I don’t have time for boy drama, Lynn. Blaine Wesley’s nothing but drama.”
    She sighed. “Maybe a little Blaine Wesley drama is exactly what you need. I’ll see you later.”
    I didn’t bother to respond as she turned and walked away. There was nothing really for me to say when I knew my argument lacked one major thing… the truth. The truth was going to be the death of me, and I wasn’t sure I could keep hiding it behind my books and casual expressions much longer.
    Later, I found myself stalking the teacher’s lounge for Mr. Liam on my lunch period. Students passed me in the hall without even noticing me. It was as if I blended in with the neutral, cinderblock walls. Parts of me were sick to death of blending, but I also knew how much I hated attention. I couldn’t change who I was. Not for myself and especially not for a guy.
    After standing outside the door for what felt like hours, my feet were starting to hurt and my backpack was killing my back. I couldn’t describe the relief I felt when Mr. Liam finally emerged from the teacher’s lounge. It was almost as strong as the relief I felt when he promised to give me an extra credit assignment and asked me to meet him in his classroom later in the day for instructions.

 
    10
    BLAINE
     
     
    MR. LIAM SIGHED when I crossed my arms behind my head and stretched, pushing my chair back and lifting my legs to rest my feet on the desk in front of me. I didn’t want to be there. I didn’t want to hear his lectures. Not to mention, I had the last bit of my community service to finish up. I was wasting valuable time.
    Still, I couldn’t find it in myself to blow Mr. Liam off. There weren’t a lot of teachers who saw through my bullshit. Most of them were lazy or just didn’t care enough to take their job seriously. But he wasn’t one of those teachers. He had no problem putting my ass in line when he thought I needed it.
    He stood from his desk and walked around to where I sat. Hovering above me, he shook his head and plastered on his disappointed expression before pushing my feet off the desk.
    I didn’t expect it and I nearly lost my balance when my chair lunged forward and I was thrown into the desk.
    “Don’t give me that look,” he said, leaning a hip against the edge of his desk. “This is your senior year, Blaine. You’re barely getting by with C’s and D’s. Don’t you want to go to college? Become something of yourself? What do you want to do with your life, Blaine?”
    His line of questions made me shift uncomfortably in my seat and avoid his demanding stare.
    “I’m sorry to break this to you, Mr. Liam, but I don’t see myself getting into any college.”
    “Do you want to go to college?”
    I shrugged.
    The truth was I never thought about my future all that much. It wasn’t until I met Chelsey that I even considered a plan for after high school.
    “I don’t know,” I responded.
    “Well, I suggest you figure it out.” Mr. Liam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in aggravation. “It’s time to get serious, Blaine. These are all questions you should know the answers to. Graduation will be here before you know it, and you’re going to wish you hadn’t spent all of high school dicking around.”
    I looked up at him, surprised by his choice of words. “Are teachers allowed to talk to students like that?”
    “Nope,” he said, pushing up into a standing position. “But I know you’re no rat.”
    I grinned.
    The fucker was right. I wouldn’t do that to him. I wasn’t one to tell on anyone. Never had been. I wasn’t about to start doing it now.
    I picked at my nail as I tried to put my words together.
    “The thing is, Mr. Liam, I have no idea what I want to do with my life.” I thought about Chelsey and her goals. I thought about how hard she pushed herself to do well in school. She made it look so easy. “I never thought about college or career choices.