I call out, “Fallon!”
He stops and I run over to him, throwing my arms around him.
“Thank you.”
Other than Cam, I have never had anyone have my back before. I never had anyone care. It’s both unnerving and wonderful that I have it now. It hits me at that moment that I not only have Fallon and Trevor, but JD, Dustin, and Prescott as well. How can this be my life now? Last week, I was just a poor girl from a broken home whose best friend was killed and left her all alone. This week, I have two insanely rich brothers, a new, very large mansion to live in, and a boyfriend who happens to be the most popular guy in school.
Fallon hugs me back. “You’re welcome, squirt. I’m proud of you for fighting back. Never let anyone try to get the best of you. Always fight back. And if you can’t, then Trevor and I will fight for you. That’s what family is for.”
Chapter 17
“Sorry about yesterday.”
“Sorry I missed it,” Austin says as we sit down at one of the tables in the library. “You’ve become quite the talk around school this morning.”
For someone who hates attention, I’m clearly screwed. Mary Beth did get suspended, and from what Shelby told me this morning in first period, she also got suspended from the cheer squad as well.
“Should I be worried?” I ask him.
I don’t want to have to walk around school constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if one of the cheerleaders is going to ambush me in retaliation in a stairwell or in the girl’s bathroom. I’ll have to keep a close eye on Penny and Laura since they are Mary Beth’s closest friends.
“Nah. If you’re with JD, the guys on the team will make sure the cheer bitches don’t fuck with you.”
Here’s for hoping then. Since I’m feeling brave, and Austin is acting like a semi-decent person, I decide to go for broke.
“Do you really need a tutor, Austin? Not to be rude or anything, but you’ve kind of been a dick to me for years. No offense.”
He leans his elbows on the table. “None taken. And yes, I do need a tutor. My geometry grade is falling, and if I don’t keep at least B average, I’ll get placed on academic probation and not allowed to play,” he says, referring to football.
“Alright. Next question. Why me? There are other tutors you could have asked. There’s also that math place, Mathnastic, in town that you could go to.”
Austin sits back in his chair. “You know that Cam put a no-fly zone around you making you off-limits, right?”
“No,” I reply, not sure what he means.
“Everyone in school knew not to talk to you or approach you because if we did, Cam would deliver a beat down.”
“I call bullshit, Austin.”
He laughs, and the sound of it is actually quite pleasant. I’m not used to this side of Austin—the side that isn’t being a pompous asshole.
“Why do you think Cam and I fought so much?” He sees my baffled expression and sobers. “Rory, seriously? Are you really that clueless?”
“Apparently I am.”
He leans forward again. “Look. I’m not a bad guy.” He laughs again when I give a small snort. “I’m not! And I do need help with my math. Can we leave it at that?”
“No ulterior motives?”
He doesn’t answer and flips open his geometry textbook. “We have a test next week and I need help with figuring out these stupid proofs,” he says, tapping the page.
I get up and take the seat next to him, scanning the pages. I love math, and geometry for me was actually fun. Theorems are like rules. Once you learn the rules, you can manipulate the problem and solve the proof. It’s like a doing a puzzle.
By the time I help Austin understand transversals, the next bell rings for third period. I’m surprised by how quickly time flew by. We’re packing up our things when Austin asks, “You coming to the game tonight?”
“That’s what I’ve been told by everyone.”
JD sends me a text saying that he will meet me at my locker. As we walk out of the library, Austin hands me a small roll of cash. “Thanks for agreeing to help me.”
