“It’s supposed to be,” I grumbled.
At four o’clock, the school was mostly deserted. All that remained indoors were faculty and unlucky students in detention.
“When do you want to do this?” Cal lifted the stack of paper higher.
With him standing right here, close and not fighting me for thirty seconds, all I wanted to do was kiss him again, but we really should talk instead. I cleared my throat. “Maybe after we talk.”
The very lips I found myself staring at thinned.
“No.” He shook his head. “Nothing to talk about.”
And slap to the face. “Seriously?”
Cal glanced at Trent’s closed door, then up and down the empty hallway. “There is nothing to talk about because nothing happened to talk about.”
The fuck? “That right?” I snatched the project from his hands, dropped it on the floor, then followed it down. “How’re your ribs?” My backpack landed with a thud beside me. I fished out a pen and hastily traced around the turkey on the top sheet of brown paper while I waited for his answer.
With one turkey drawn, I grabbed half the stack, then placed the cutout on his half and left it on the floor when I got to my feet.
Cal glanced at the pile, then at the papers in my hands, and then to my mouth. “Fine. How’s your lip?”
“Fuck you.” I kicked the stack so it fanned across the hall, then pivoted and stalked off.
“Real mature, Jackass,” Cal yelled at my back.
Not one of my finer moments, true, but I’d be damned if I’d let him get away with saying nothing happened. Somethinghadhappened, and apparently, he wanted to keep hisstraighthead in the sand about it.
Ty had waited for me in the library and picked up on my excellent mood.
“Wanna talk?” he asked.
“Nope.”
When we got home, Mom and Ty helped with the turkey cutouts. The three of us were spread in the living room when Dad came home from work.
“What’s all this?” he asked.
“Turkeys for Thanksgiving at school,” I said.
“They still have you doing these menial tasks as punishment?”
“Yes and no. I’m supposed to be doing this with Cal so we can work on our problems.” When Dad’s brows lifted as if to say “and?” I added, “So you can see how us working together has panned out.”
Dad sighed. “I’m very glad this is the senior year for both of you. The town may be pretty, but the school system is worthless.”
“Honey.” Mom’s calm voice soothed the tensions. “There’s blame that can be placed all around.” She turned her soft smile on me. “Did you and Cal not try to talk it out?”
Ty snorted.
“Shut up,” I snapped at him.
“Jack,” Mom sighed.
“Sorry, Mom. There’s no talking to him. Cal’s stubborn and insufferable. Besides, he doesn’t want to talk to me either. It’s not as ifI’mmaking this more difficult. We just can’t stand each other.” Cold. Hard. Fact.
“He seemed like a nice guy.”
“You met him?” Dad asked Mom.
