“The test is on Wednesday.”
“I know, which is why I was here waiting for you when we were supposed to meet.”
“I told you, Eddie needed—”
“I get it. Soccer and the team are important. I have stuff I care about too, but we made a deal. You can’t just blow me off the first time it’s inconvenient for you.”
“I wasn’t blowing you off,” I say but then wonder if that’s exactly what I did. It hadn’t felt like that anyway. “Okay, maybe I did, but I’m here now.”
“And you haven’t even apologized.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too. We had a deal and you broke it.” She leans over to a side table just inside the door and for a second, I’m hopeful she’s going to let me in. Instead, she picks up a piece of paper and shoves it in my chest. “Here. I made you a study guide. Good luck.”
Then she closes the door in my face.
Chapter Twelve
Vaughn
“Can I get a copy of this?” Rowan asks, taking the study guide Lacey made for me and looking it over. “So colorful too. I bet she could sell these.”
“You’re not helping.” I take it back from him. He’s right though. It’s good, really helpful, thorough, and very colorful. “How do I get her to keep helping me?”
He laughs as he opens his locker and pulls out his binder for first period. “I don’t know.”
“Come on. You know Lacey, and everyone likes you. You must have some idea.”
He arches a brow at me, amusement splashed all over his face. “You mean I’m not an asshole.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
He shuts his locker and looks at me, pity now softening the amusement that was just there. “You’re not going to like it.”
“Anything is better than failing this test.”
He stares at me a beat longer like he’s trying to decide how to tell me whatever it is he thinks is going to fix thismess and talk Lacey into helping me again. It’s Monday. The test is in two days. And judging by how much I don’t understand from the study guide, I still need a lot of help.
“What you need to do is to grovel,” Rowan says finally.
“Grovel?”
He smirks. “I told you that you wouldn’t like it.”
“I don’t even know what the hell you’re saying. I told her I was sorry already.”
“Did your apology come with gifts or a compliment?”
I think back to last night. Lacey with her arms crossed over her ridiculous yellow duck pajamas, still somehow looking cute even while she glared at me. There was no complimenting or gifts. Is that really a thing guys do? It isn’t like we’re dating.
For a moment I ponder that. What would dating Lacey be like? All that energy and optimism might be refreshing. It’d definitely be better than the cold shoulder I’m getting now.
Rowan is still waiting for an answer.
“No,” I admit.
“Start there. And when that doesn’t work, because—let’s be honest—Lacey is smart and she’s going to see right through what you’re doing, grovel harder.”
