I shook Tally’s hand and then her mother’s.
“I’m Kim,” her mom offered.
Tally’s dark eyes were wide and nervous, skittering around the hallway, not stopping anywhere more than a second or two. She seemed terrified andskittish.
“Well, we’re so happy you’re here,” I said. But now I was wishing I had a student to introduce her to because she hadn’t made so much as a squeak. Extroverts had a hard enough time making friends. But being introvertedandpregnant was going to make this even harder. She was going to need a friend.
Just then Anna stood up in the library to go put her book back on the shelf and it caught my eye. And I almost laughed. If anyone in this school would befriend a pregnant teen, it would be Anna Dupree who was the product of that exact circumstance.
“Could you excuse me for a moment?” I stepped to the floor-to-ceiling window and knocked. Anna turned, and I waved her over. She hurried toward me, a question on her face. I met her at the door and looked her directly in the eyes. She was still worried about Holden and possibly me. That was evident. “Everything’s okay. We handled it,” I said, my face prickling with a blush. I could feel it.
She snickered. “It’s okay. I get it. Uncle Holden is like, sheesh,perfection.” She made the chef’s kiss gesture. “No worries. I won’t tell anyone. Not even Brooklyn.” She zipped her lips.
I bit my cheeks to stop myself from laughing. I needed to be professional in front of this girl, regardless of my relationship with her uncle. I tilted my head and said in a secretive hush, “But his shirt shouldn’t have come off. You know that, right?” I raised a brow. I needed to make that clear, especially with her “situationship,” as the students called it, with Blue.
Her mouth compressed, annoyed. “Yes. Good grief. Are you going to give me the talk too? Uncle Si gives it at least once a day.”
I smiled. “Okay. Good. As long as that’s clear.” And then I inclined my head in Tally and Kim’s direction. “Can you do me a favor? I’ve got a new student here for her tour and she could use a friend.”
Her dark eyes turned curious. I moved out of her way so she could see Tally.
Anna did better than me. Didn’t even flinch at the sight of her. Not even a little. She glanced back at me and nodded almost imperceptibly.
“Tally,” I said as we approached them. “I want to introduce you to one of our finest students, Anna Dupree.”
I turned to Anna whose expression had suddenly shifted from worried and curious to fierce and bright. “Anna, this is Tally. She’s a sophomore and today’s her first day.”
Anna strode over to her. “Hey, girl. Welcome to Seddledowne High School. Oh my gosh, your hair issopretty and I love your earrings. Are they jade? That’s my favorite stone.” The adorable half-Italian hooked her arm around Tally’s. It worked. Tally’s expression went from terrified to slightly excited in less than ten seconds. Then Anna led her down the hall. “Miss Thornbury,” she said over her shoulder. “Can we show her the atrium first? It’s my favorite part of the school.”
“You bet,” I said with a grin.
fifteen
HOLDEN
Over the next few days, my nerves never settled, not for a minute. It wasn’t that I was afraid of Amber so much as I was afraid of losing Christy—and not just relationship-wise—but mortally. May sound dramatic, but I hadn’t given Savannah up and it had killed her in the end. I would not lose Christy because I was too selfish to let her go.
I tried desperately to make the cognitive behavioral therapy techniques work, but nothing was touching the anxiety that riddled my resolve not to break Christy’s heart. The only thing I knew for certain was that Amber wasn’t done. Something was coming, something big. It was only a matter of time.
Three days later, on a Friday in mid-October, I’d arrived at the school an hour earlier than normal. It was homecoming week and Alvarez wanted to showcase all Seddledowne High School athletes at the pep rally.
Blue Bishop, cocky son-of-a-gun, had just been highlighted as the starting quarterback in tonight’s Varsity game. His stats were just too good and they’d bumped him up fromJV, kicking Amari Chambers from his position. If Blue kept it up, he could play college ball, at the very least.
Blue sauntered off the gym floor, eyes on Anna in the stands. He bounded up the bleachers and caught her as she flung herself at him in a congratulatory hug. Blue grinned like he’d just won the lottery. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds and I swear every girl in the gym let out a collective “Awwwww.”
My gaze shifted to Silas who was standing by the interior exit doors, his arm around Lemon’s waist. He’d invited her for kicks. He squinted, his fists balled, eyes firing poison-tipped darts at Blue’s back. I chuckled. That kid had a proclivity for getting under his skin. It was my new favorite thing to rag him about.
Anna sat between her boyfriend and an attractive girl with a pregnant belly the size of a basketball. I’d never seen her before, but it made me happy to see my niece befriending someone who probably very much needed it. Someone like her momma. Brooklyn leaned down from behind Anna and whispered something in her ear. They both laughed. When Anna turned back, Blue pulled her into his side, gazing at her like she was the world’s biggest diamond.
“Blupree, still going strong,” Christy said under her breath, next to me.
“Blupree? That’s their ship name?”
She shrugged. “Apparently.”
My mind flew through the possibilities. Banna. Blanna. Dishop. Annalue. Yeah. Blupree was the catchiest and rolled off the tongue best.
Christy pinched my elbow. “We’re up.”
