Free Trouble from the Start by Rachel Hawthorne Page A

complete that sexy, conniving smile or refer to me as a brainchild or whatever.
    â€œJerk,” I snarled.
    He narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a hard line.
    â€œBased on your reputation,” I continued, “I figured you had experience, but since you apparently weren’t aware that we didn’t have sex Saturday night, let me make it clear for you now: We did not have sex. Look in your biology book, chapter thirteen, if you need a lesson on what sex involves so you’ll recognize when it does happen.”
    Then shifting the weight of my backpack, I stormed out of the almost silent B.S. I was shaking so badly, so much adrenaline rushing through my system, that I didn’t know how I managed to keep my legs from buckling as I made my way to Jeremy’s car. I felt better, but I was a long way from feeling like this was over.

Chapter 8
FLETCHER
    Damn it. Avery knew about the bet.
    As I stood there with tea dripping down my face, I couldn’t help but admire her spunk, though.
    With a steely glare, Kendall Jones walked by me, Jeremy Swanson right behind her. “Not cool, dude,” he said as he passed.
    Did he think I didn’t know that? I’d hoped that she wouldn’t hear the rumors going around. I should have known better. There weren’t a lot of secrets at our school, which was the reason I was very careful about what I revealed. I thought about going after Avery but now didn’t seem like the right time or place. It would just make matters worse. I looked at Ronda and Vicki, the two girls who had asked to join me for lunch.
    â€œI’ll be back.” I grabbed a stack of napkins because Iknew the B.S. had electric hand dryers, then went into the bathroom and blotted up the sticky tea on my face and in my hair. She would drink sweet tea. Once my black T-shirt dried, no one would know about the incident. Who was I kidding? It would be all over school by the end of the day.
    Grabbing hold of the sink, I leaned in toward the mirror. The bruises would be there for a while, but I wasn’t sure where I was going to be if Avery told her dad about the bet—which she seemed mad enough to do. If she did, her dad would kick me out, and then where would I go? He might even tell Smiley to fire me before I’d had a chance to start work.
    I had to talk to Avery before she spoke to her dad. She wouldn’t call him, right? She’d wait until he got home? I’d just have to catch her before then. That wasn’t going to be easy since we were on shortened days. After combing my fingers through my damp hair, I headed back out to the dining area. Ronda and Vicki were gone. So was my burger. Someone had cleared our table. The place was nearly empty, and all the students had vanished. I looked at my watch and cursed. I was going to be late to my next exam.
    Saturday night, it had all seemed like an easy way to make some cash. Now it could cost me everything.

Chapter 9
AVERY
    I was so tempted to skip school that afternoon. I didn’t have to take a final but I did have to be there for roll call. I thought about checking in and telling the teacher I was sick, but I’d never skipped in my life. The thought of doing it now, just because of Fletcher, made me angrier.
    So I stayed for the afternoon and ignored the whispers I heard around me, trying to convince myself that they didn’t have anything to do with me. Why did people even care? Maybe they were just nervous about graduation or finals or not knowing what the future held, and it was easier to focus on gossip than the realities of what happened next.
    I was so relieved when the bell rang. Three more days to go. Not that I was counting. Some guy whistled at me as I rushed out the door to the parking lot. I avoided everyone’sgazes. All I wanted to do was get home.
    When I pulled Trooper into the driveway, I was disappointed to see that Fletcher’s bike was already there. How had he gotten home