Jennifer Morey – The Librarian's Secret Scandal (страница 10)

“You took it wrong. I wasn’t after you that way.”

“You said I had a nicer tail.”

“I was just havin’ fun. Who cares if your mom was easy when she was in high school? That was a long time ago.”

May stopped and curled her hand into a fist. She raised it and brought it back for good momentum.

Levi caught it as she began to swing. Her fist fit into his hand.

His green eyes flared with something hot. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

“What do you care?”

He made the mistake of letting his gaze fall to her chest before meeting her eyes again.

She pushed him with her free hand. “Leave me alone, you jerk!”

“Hey.” He let go of her fist. “I’m trying to be friends here.”

“I don’t want any friends.” Not here anyway. She missed her friends in Sacramento. No one called her a slut there.

She pivoted and marched down the hall again, dodging other students, bumping someone’s shoulder. A girl narrowed her eyes at her as they passed each other. May flipped her off.

Levi took hold of her wrist and pulled her to the side of the hall, twirling her smoothly. Her back came against a locker, but not hard at all. Levi was agile in the way he handled her. She didn’t want to like that about him.

He put his hand on the locker above and beside her head and leaned closer. “I said I was sorry.”

Her breath got stuck in her throat.

He leaned back and offered his hand. She looked down at it and back up at his cute face.

“What do you want?”

“Your friendship.”

“That sounds like a line.” Except he seemed sincere. Wouldn’t it be great if one of the most popular boys in school liked her? “What do you really want?”

“To take you out. But that can wait. I’ll settle for being friends for now.”

“And once we’re friends? Then what? You try to get into my panties?”

“No. I’m not after you like that, I told you.”

“I don’t believe you.” But she wanted to.

“Just start by taking my hand. If all you can offer is hello in the halls, that’s fine by me.”

She eyed his hand again. What harm would it be to accept his apology? She could be reasonable. It felt good to have someone on her side for a change.

But what if he wasn’t? What if he was just playing her? What if this was some kind of joke?

“Come on. I won’t do anything drastic. I promise.”

Deciding to give him a chance, she gave him her hand. He grinned as he shook her hand.

“You’re gonna be late to class,” he said, still smiling as he strolled down the emptying hall.

She watched until he disappeared into a classroom and then started to turn to head for hers.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

May stopped and saw Sherilynn McTeague and one of her friends standing nearby. Sherilynn had long, blond hair and light brown eyes. She was a pretty girl in a prissy sort of way, and, like Levi, one of the most popular kids in school. But not so bright academically.

She was also Levi’s girlfriend.

“Last I checked this was a public school,” May said. She wasn’t afraid of this prom queen.

“You stay away from Levi.”

“Yeah,” chimed in her friend, a slightly chunky, short-haired girl with big cheeks. “Go find your own boyfriend.”

“Levi isn’t my boyfriend. We were just talking. Not that it’s any of your business.” May turned to walk to her classroom.

“Careful how you talk to me, ho,” Sherilynn called to her back.

Anger fired up in May like wind over a brush fire. Ho? Slowly, she pivoted, tensing as she moved closer to the two.

“If you’re looking to get laid, do it with somebody else,” the girl continued. “There are plenty of other boys who’d love to oblige you.”

“Yeah,” her chubby friend said. “Like mother like daughter. Isn’t that what they say about people like you?”

Stopping, May’s temper flared hotter. She was sick of holding her head high and not reacting to these unwarranted barbs like her mom always told her to do. She’d hold her head high all right. After she kicked both of these girly-girls’ behinds.

Fisting her hand, she slugged the chubby girl right on the mouth. The girl’s head jerked to the side and she stumbled backward, nearly losing her balance. See if she talked nasty ever again.

Sherilynn shoved May against one shoulder. May had to take a step back, but now she turned her attention to this girl. She swung her fist again, catching the side of her head. Then she hit lower, aiming for the soft part of her stomach. Sherilynn grunted and pulled May’s hair. May yelled and slapped her hard across her cheek. Sherilynn stumbled and bumped into the chubby girl, tripping over her feet and falling. May stepped over her, meaning to straddle her and keep hitting, but the chubby girl pulled her by the arm. May yanked free and backhanded the girl on her nose. The girl retreated with a screech and held her bleeding nose.

Sherilynn was starting to sit up and climb to her feet. May lifted her foot and planted it against her chest, shoving her back to the floor. Then she straddled her and started slugging. See if she smiled pretty for any guy for a while….

The chubby girl pulled her off just as May spotted a teacher charging toward them.

“All right, in the principal’s office. Now!” the teacher yelled. “All three of you!”

Sherilynn got to her feet, holding her side with one hand and her face with the other. “She started it!”

“Yeah, she hit me first,” the chubby girl said.

“Is that true?” the teacher asked.

“Yeah. They were calling me names! I’m not a whore!”

“You’re just like your slutty mother,” Sherilynn said.

May lunged for her again.

The teacher stepped in her way, though, so all May could do was glare at the girl around her shoulder. “Wait ‘til after school. I’ll finish you off.”

“May Masterson.” The teacher grabbed both her shoulders. “You will stop this right now!”

“Make them stop. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Fighting isn’t the answer.”

“Her mom fought all the time,” the chubby girl said snidely.

“How would you know, you weren’t here,” May retorted.

“No, but my mom was. She told me everything.”

“My mom isn’t like that anymore. You need to mind your own damn business.”

“May, you don’t swear in this school.”

She zeroed in on the teacher’s gaze. “Tell them to back off then.”

“Why don’t you tell the principal to do that.” Moving one of her hands to May’s elbow, she held tight and walked her down the hall, saying over her shoulder, “You girls are coming, too. Follow me.”