“Yeah?” He bends down to clean another spot closer to the ground. His icy blue eyes bore into me. “Because you can’t seem to leave me alone.”
“Oh, trust me, I wish I could. I wish you’d disappear so I’d never have to see your face again,” I say.
“And yet, you’re the one who keeps showing up.”
“Only because you lied to me. I want to know what’s going on with you and Mallory.”
He scrubs harder. “I already told you. There’s nothing going on.”
I huff, shoving the rag into the bucket hard enough to splash him. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a terrible liar?”
He glares, wiping the water off his arm. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re obnoxious?”
My stomach twists in on itself. How did the boy I once loved change so much? He used to be my favorite person in the entire world, but now he makes me sick. I don’t want to breathe the same air as him, let alone be in the same room.
There’s a buzz and he pulls his phone out of his pocket.
“Who texted you?” I ask.
He shakes his head and goes back to scrubbing without answering me.
I bet his phone has all the answers I’m looking for. If I could just get a hold of it, I wouldn’t need to waste all my time trying to get him to answer my questions. It sits on the desk, burning a hole in my vision. It’s so close.
But I don’t know how I’d be able to take it without him noticing. I have a feeling he wouldn’t let me get very far if I grabbed it.
Ms. Simon stands up, taking off her headphones. “I need to go grab something from my car. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I expect you two to get along while I’m gone.”
Myles scoffs.
Charming.
His phone sits on the desk behind us, mocking me. It buzzes again.
My heart spikes.
Mallory’s name shows up. Not only are they lying to me, but they’re also texting each other right in front of me. I need to know what’s going on.
I stand and walk over to the sink to rinse out my rag. When I come back, I purposely walk in front of the desk and slip his phone into my pocket before bending down to continue scrubbing the floor.
Whatever they’re hiding, I’m about to uncover it.
13
MYLES
I don't know what happened. I let her get under my skin, which only made my day a thousand times harder than it already was. I should’ve ignored her and let her get in trouble for attacking me with paint, but the second her hand brushed across my face I snapped. Something came over me and I couldn’t control myself. My heart practically beat out of my chest and my mind went blank.
Now, I’m paying the price, scrubbing the floor until my knuckles turn white. I’m angry at her, myself, and the world.
There’s sweat on my forehead. I’m determined to get out of here as soon as possible. Mrs. Humphrey always leaves the classroom during lunch, and if she’s as forgetful as yesterday, there’s a chance she left the classroom unlocked again.
I stand and open the window closest to us, letting in a soft breeze to cool me down. Then I notice some paint on the windowsill and follow the trail with my eyes. As if scrubbing the floor and walls weren’t enough, we managed to get paint on the ceiling too.
“Great,” I mumble, scratching the back of my head. “I’ll try and find a ladder.”
Emma cranes her neck. “Oh come on, you don’t need a ladder.” She proceeds to pick up a chair and stack it on a table.
“Absolutely not.”
