Free Jack Hammer by Tabatha Vargo, Melissa Andrea Page B

I didn’t think all that was in the cards for me.”
    Mr. Liam’s face softened before he grabbed my shoulder and gave me a shake. “It’s not too late, Blaine. I can help you if you want. We’ll take it one step at a time. Getting your grades up is our first step.”
    “How?” I asked.
    It seemed impossible. I’d fucked around too much. My grades were shit and my attendance was even shittier.
    Before Mr. Liam could answer, his classroom door opened and we both turned our heads toward the door. My heart kicked against my chest and I choked and coughed trying to swallow my next breath.
    It was Chelsey. The girl I couldn’t stop thinking about. The girl who was making me crazy even from afar. With her plain hair and clear complexion—her pouty lips and those fucking big, brown eyes that were somehow able to see through me. She was perfection. Untouched. Unspoiled by the bullshit around her. And I couldn’t seem to stop when it came to her. It was fucking annoying as hell.
    She looked flustered as she stood there staring at me. Her skin was flushed and had a pink tint. Her forehead and the skin above her top lip had a slight sheen of sweat like she’d run miles to the classroom. I grinned at her, and her flush deepened.
    She turned her attention away from me and moved to back out the door.
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Liam. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She talked fast in her rush to run away from me. “I’ll come back.”
    “Actually, Chelsey, you have perfect timing. Come sit.” He motioned to the chair next to me.
    I didn’t take my eyes off her as she walked slowly toward the desk. She didn’t look at me once as she slid into the chair and twisted her fingers nervously in her lap. I had the feeling I was going to like what Mr. Liam had to say next.
    “Do the two of you know each other?”
    “No,” she said.
    “Yes,” I said.
    We answered at the same time, and I looked over at Chelsey feeling a spark of annoyance. She threw a quick glance at me and then to Mr. Liam, licking her lips anxiously.
    “I mean, we’ve met, but I don’t know him,” she corrected herself.
    Nice save , I thought sourly.
    “Well, Chelsey, this is Blaine.” Mr. Liam motioned to me. “Blaine, this is the amazing, young lady who’s going to help you raise your grade.”
    “What?” Chelsey questioned, nearly jumping out of her desk.
    “Blaine needs the extra credit, as well. You both will work on the assignment together and turn it in at the end of next week.”
    “But—” She searched for some reason to object, but apparently came up empty handed.
    Mr. Liam frowned. “Is there a problem, Chelsey? Are you not comfortable working with Blaine?”
    “No!” she yelped. “It’s not that. I’m fine. It’ll actually be easier with a partner.”
    Nice save number two.
    “Great. Let’s just go over the assignment and the two of you can get started.”
    Twenty minutes later, Chelsey and I walked down an empty hallway toward the exit. Other than the obnoxious squeak of my sneakers on the floor, we were completely silent. She didn’t even look at me, much less speak to me, until we pushed through the doors and were outside.
    “Was this your idea?” she snapped, picking up her speed.
    I had no choice but to follow her or be left behind.
    “Believe me, spending an entire week doing this project with you is the last thing I wanted. But as it turns out, I need the grade and apparently, so do you.” She stopped and turned on me with angry eyes. I couldn’t help but goad her even further. I made a tsking sound and moved my finger back and forth. “A bad grade, Miss Ford? What would your parents think?”
    I’d officially ruffled her feathers and I was looking forward to smoothing them out.
    She sighed. “Look, I plan to take this assignment seriously. I need this extra credit, Blaine. I’m a good girl. I can’t have a bad grade.”
    “And what am I? A screw-up with no future? Someone you’d rather pretend you’ve never