Free What's Broken Between Us by Alexis Bass

Publishers
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CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
    O n Tuesday Graham claims he has radar for when I’m upset. But really, the hallway gossip has told him.
    “Maybe you can switch partners?” he says, giving my hand an extra squeeze.
    “It’s for one assignment,” I say. “I’ll live.”
    The rumors have said otherwise: Henry and I were forced to be partners, even though we both asked the teacher to change who we were paired with. Henry’s my partner to gain intel about Jonathan, like a spy whose sole mission is sending Jonathan back to jail. Some are closer to the truth: Henry’s only my partner because he feels bad for yelling at me at the homecoming after-party. Either way, Graham is very concerned.
    He pulls me in for a hug, and I make sure to count to five in my head before I let go. I kiss him fast on the lips, the only way we’ll ever be caught kissing in public, because we’re both embarrassed by PDA, and head off to my sixth-period class to face Henry.
    Or ignore him. Which is what I plan to do. In fact, I’ve spent the entire day convincing myself Henry and I can do this entire measly assignment of interviewing a local business owner without really interacting with each other. We’ll show up at Ludwig’s Doughnuts—the business we’ve been assigned—and sit side by side wearing smiles, one of us asking the questions while the other takes down the answers.
    I’ve got the laptop in front of me. Just a quick finalization of the interview questions and I’ll be ready to go.
    But Henry taps his pen next to my finger on the keyboard, this was always the most annoying way he invaded my personal space to get my attention.
    “It’s kind of funny,” he says.
    I don’t take my eyes off the computer, and I continue to type. Henry should be happy that I’ve taken the administrative part of the project under my wing. He could spend this time catching up on homework or playing solitaire or napping, for all I care. “I doubt that, but go ahead and tell me anyway.”
    “We both hate doughnuts.”
    It’s true. We prefer savory breakfast food, a fact we learned the night we thought we’d be waking up to have breakfast together.
    I try to pretend he doesn’t faze me and keep my fingers moving, but the letters popping up on the screen do not form words.
    “You spelled ‘doughnut’ wrong,” Henry says, looking over my shoulder. “There’s no p .”
    Carefully, I remove my hands from the keyboard. “I could use a break,” I say, sliding the laptop onto his desk. “You take over.”
    “Amanda—”
    With a quick glance to the clock, I realize that Dawn has just gotten out of class. I slide my cell into my back pocket, get up from my desk, snatch the pass from the front of the room, and power walk down the hall.
    I’m a few yards from the bathroom when I hear my name. Amander.
    Henry jogs to catch up with me.
    “Hey, where are you going?” he says, stepping in front of me.
    I nod in the direction of the restroom. “There was no need to chase after me.”
    “Mr. Scott thought I’d upset you and sent me to apologize.”
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    “Well, you did leave in a bit of a huff.”
    “I did not.”
    “Look,” he says, “to me it’s perfectly clear there’s nothing wrong and that I did nothing to ‘upset’ you. But Mr. Scott thinks you’re distressed and that it’s because of me, so will you please come back to class and straighten this out?”
    “That’s so unnecessary—”
    “Was it the mere mention of doughnuts that troubled you?”
    “Henry.”
    “I mean, I know you prefer your morning sugar intake via lattes, but I’m sure the owner of Ludwig’s won’t be offended when neither of us orders—”
    “I’m not upset!”
    He eyes me. “Of course not.”
    “I didn’t leave in a huff; I just left . People have to stop pinning anger on me.” There’s no way to shake him off. I just want to be standing in the bathroom