Anything Goes on a Friday Night (9 page)

I laughed. “Channing, you’re perfect.”

He laughed. “You make me this way.”

I hung up and smiled at my rearview mirror. I brought my eyes back to the road and turned up the radio. Finn Kerr was an idiot. How could he think Channing was an asshole? Channing Morris was the best guy in the entire universe. Why did I even care what that Finn guy said? I didn’t know him, and he sure as hell didn’t know me.

Idiot.

I
DIDN’T EXPECT SCHOOL TO
be as bad today, but it was worse. I was majorly tired; the teachers were all in bad moods, and everyone except Jane ignored me. I got it. I was the new girl from the town they hated, my fate here at Kerrville High was inevitable. However, being a loner here might actually be a good thing. I’d be able to really focus on school and work on being a straight-A student, and for once, my social life and academics would be completely separate, and I could focus on upping my GPA to get into Stanford.

I sat down in sixth period in the same spot as yesterday. Finn made his way to his same seat as well. I wondered why he even bothered to sit right behind me again when he could’ve chosen any seat in the entire room. By the look on his face, he was probably doing it on purpose. I kind of wanted to punch the smug grin off his face.

Why did he have to be so adorable, though? His vibrant blue eyes were annoyingly addicting to look at. Why was I even looking at them? Or him?
Oh God
, I was paying too much attention to this guy. I looked away from his perfect smile and back to the book I was reading. The bell rang, and the few that were late getting to class staggered in.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder and looked over at Finn who was holding a folded piece of paper. He handed it to me. “What’s this for?” I whispered.

I took my blue and white plaid shirt off the back of my chair and put it on over my Rolling Stone’s t-shirt.

“Read it.”

I turned back around, placed my bookmark in my book, and closed it. I unfolded the letter and read:

There’s a party Friday night after the game. Everyone is invited. Maybe you could come and prove that you aren’t the bad luck charm.

P.S. That blue and white shirt is very disturbing. Get some red and black.

Finn

Bad luck charm? Is that what I am? Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll be with the “asshole.”

Ellie

I folded the paper up and handed it back to him. Several seconds later,
tap, tap, tap
. I reached behind my back and felt the paper in my hand. I unfolded it.

I figured but thought I’d offer. It’d be a good chance for you to make friends here.

I looked at the teacher who was texting on her phone, not paying any attention to the class. She didn’t seem to care if we talked, as long as we were quiet. I turned in my seat and faced Finn. He smiled, and I hated him for being so damn adorable.

“What if I don’t want to make friends here?” I whispered.

“Then I’d say you were an asshole like your boyfriend.”

“You have an odd obsession with that word.”

He laughed. “No, I just think it’s a fitting term to use for guys like your boyfriend.”

“What is your deal with Channing? You don’t even know him! He’s a great guy. And in just two days you have only made yourself appear to be an ‘asshole’. What’s your problem?”

He laughed some more and gripped his chest. “Me?” he said in mock shock. “Little ol’ me?”

I rolled my eyes and turned back around in my seat. I didn’t have time for people like Finn. He was a jerk and was probably just jealous that he couldn’t get a girlfriend because he was such an asshat.

When the bell rang, I gathered my things and walked out of the room. I was still reeling over Finn’s words. A complete stranger was making horrible accusations about someone he didn’t even know. I felt the need to march right up to him and defend Channing even more.

I had that uneasy feeling that someone was following me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Finn walking behind me. He smiled, and I frowned. I slowed my pace until he was beside me. Now was my chance to lay into him.

“You know, what you said about my boyfriend was a real dick move. You can’t just say things about people that you don’t even know!”

He chuckled. “If you know it’s not true, then what makes you feel like you need to keep telling me that he’s not? It was just an observation. I’ve got this sixth sense or something. I can point out an asshole easy, and I’m usually right.”

I held the binder that had the pictures of Channing and me to my chest. I pulled it away so I could look at it. Before I could say anything, Finn took the binder from me and stopped in the hall. I tried to grab it back, but he moved.

He pointed at Channing in one of my favorite pictures of us. “Look. Right here,” he said putting his index finger on Channing’s arm around me. “He looks uninterested and bored. When a guy has a girl like you in their arms, he should never appear uninterested.”

“Excuse me? He doesn’t look uninterested. And how would you even know when he does look interested? You have never met him!” I snatched my binder back.

Finn laughed and adjusted his backpack on his shoulders. “It was just an observation. Just trying to help you out.”

“I don’t need your help!” I said that louder than I had meant to. Students walking through the hall stopped momentarily to stare at Finn and me before proceeding to continue down the hall.

“Welcome to Kerrville, Elena. I hope your stay here is just as kind as you are.” He laughed, shook his head, and walked past me.

My blood boiled as I watched him walk into a classroom. I stomped toward my locker and was thankful to see Jane there. When she saw me, she scrunched her nose.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Finn Kerr. That’s what!”

She smiled, and her concerned expression relaxed some. “Finn? What did that goof do? He’s harmless.”

“Harmless? He’s an asshole, Jane!”

Jane filled me in on who Finn Kerr was after I told her what happened. She swore he was anything but an asshat. Not most days, anyway. As a matter of fact, this guy was a chick magnet. Girls at this school adored him. Not because he was some big jock or star of the football team. He was just a good, down-to-earth, and funny guy. Not to mention, fine as hell. Jane also told me that he dated almost every girl in our entire grade but wasn’t the heartbreaker type or the guy that slept around; he just dated a lot. I was kind of angry. I was hoping she’d confirm that he was a complete douche canoe.

“Just forget it. I’m sure he’s just being his silly self and messing with you. Trust me, he probably means nothing by it. He’s a big flirt too. Just ignore him,” Jane said as we got stuff out of our lockers.

“Yeah, I just don’t get why he pokes and prods, though. I didn’t say anything to him to make him think his comments were welcome. He just did it.” I shut my locker and groaned when I saw him walking by.
Wasn’t he already in his class?
He didn’t see me, or maybe he did and just pretended not to. I watched him walk toward the bathroom.

“Like I said, ignore him. He’s harmless. So, about the party he invited you to… I think you should come. I know you told me you don’t really care about making friends here, but I think this whole school experience is going to be a huge suckfest if you don’t at least have a couple here. Come on, please?” She stuck out her bottom lip, and I hated to admit it, but it was kind of working.

“I’ll ask my dad, but I make no promises.” I wasn’t really going to ask my dad, but it seemed like a good enough excuse when he’d say ‘no’.

“Awesome! That’s better than a no!”

We went our separate ways.

WHEN I GOT HOME
after school, I parked behind Nancy’s car. Dad wouldn’t be home until later that week. He was gone on a last minute business trip. I went inside and saw Nancy staring at a blank TV. It looked like she had been sitting there a while.

“Nancy?”

When she turned to look at me, she had a glaze over her eyes. She almost reminded me of a rabid dog. I had never seen her like this before. I didn’t feel comfortable going any farther into the house, so I started to make my way back out the door.

Before I could, Nancy was grabbing my backpack and whipping me around. She shoved my chest hard, and thankfully, my backpack took most of the blow against the door.

I shielded my face with my arm when her fist came flying toward my face. My forearm took the impact, and I grunted in pain. She came at me again, and I screamed and used my free hand to try to open the door. I was in such a panic that I couldn’t get my hand to work right.

“Stop!” I screamed some more. “What is your problem?” I yelled as she started hitting at me again.

She finally stopped and backed away. She leaned heavily against the bar and narrowed her crazed eyes at me.

My heart was racing, and tears I didn’t realize were falling coated my cheeks.

“I’m not the only one living in this house!” she screamed.

I was so confused. “What? I know. What are you talking about?” I couldn’t help but yell at her. She was freaking me the hell out.

“The dishes, the bathroom, your room! Elena this, Elena that! I’m sick of it! Your dad is so concerned about you and your well-being, but what about me?”

“Nancy, you’re not making sense. If I need to do—”

“Shut up, you little brat!”

This was a side of her that I had never expected. Nancy was usually sweet. I mean, she and Dad would fight, but it seemed normal. Seeing her like this reminded me of the time Katie accidentally smoked weed that was laced with crack. She went into freak-out mode and was yelling at everybody. Same look in her eyes.

“Are you on something?” I asked, trying to remain calm.

She came at me again, swinging and cursing loudly. I finally got the knob to turn and hurried out of the house and into my car. I locked my doors and cranked my car. I drove off and immediately dialed Dad’s number.

“Hey, you make it home yet?”

I started crying. “Dad, something’s up with your wife! She just went crazy on me for no reason! She started hitting me and—”

“What?” he asked, confused.

“She was yelling at me about cleaning and about how you’re only concerned about me and not her. I don’t know what was going on!”

“Elena, calm down. That doesn’t sound like Nancy. Are you sure you’re not exaggerating?”

“Dad!” I yelled in shock. Why would he say that?

“Elena, I know how you can be. I’ll call her. Just calm down.”

“How I can be? Are you kidding me right now?”

He hung up on me. He really hung up on me. I stared at my phone in shock then cursed when I realized my car was in the wrong lane. I dropped my phone in my lap, placing both hands on the steering wheel, and moved back to the right side of the road. My heart was racing, and tears poured down my face. Thankfully, I was the only one on the highway right now, or I would have probably hit someone.