“The scholarship funds. I know it wasn’t you who took it.”
Oh my God.
It felt like someone poured ice-cold water all the way down my body. It flowed through my veins, going into my bones enough to make me shiver. The missing funds, the recipient who tried to cash the check, the police. Christopher thought I stole the money.
He doesn’t know I’m an heiress. He thinks I’m a con artist.
I closed my eyes as the heartache intensified. This was worse. So much worse. But this had nothing to do with Kayla, who worked her butt off for the award, and I shoved the heartbreak down. “I didn’t take it. Thank you for believing that. You’ll get the funds though, Kayla. I promise.”
She frowned, looking older than an innocent, doe-eyed teenager. “I’ll be fine. I just hate seeing him like this. He’s a mess, Ms. Carter, and I keep telling him it’s a mistake, but he’s stubborn as hell.”
“What happened?” I asked, unable to move a single muscle until the truth spilled from her mouth.
“I skipped school to cash the check with my dad. We were excited, but it wouldn’t go through.” She blew out a breath, and her jaw trembled a bit. “We called the number on the congratulation letter, and a woman told us we needed to check with the treasurer of this specific scholarship.”
“Which is me.”
“Christopher didn’t tell us much after that, just that the money was gone.” She bit her lip and looked way to stressed and worried for a seventeen-year-old. “I overheard him tell my dad you had it, but I don’t believe it.
I nodded, feeling like I was watching this happen in a movie. He didn’t leave me because of my lie about being an heiress. He left because he made the worst possible assumptions about me without saying a goddamn word about it. “You’re right, Kayla. It wasn’t me, but we’ll find who forged the check. I promise you. You earned this scholarship, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you get it.”
She gave me a sad smile, one filled with questions and worry. “He’ll come around.”
“Not sure that matters now, Kayla. Thanks for checking on me though.” I patted her arm and left the bathroom. I didn’t deserve a guy who refused to even talk to me about any of it. He ended it, and he could deal with his decision. I finished the shift with my heart in my throat and walked out into the parking lot without looking back.
I should focus on saving the one relationship that would be there forever. My brother.
Chapter Twenty-Five
My entire weekendflew by in a blur of tears and ice cream, and Grace coming over and watchingReal Housewiveswith me. She knew me well enough to let me mope. That’s what I wanted. A full mope session.
The mopey weekend didn’t help the heavy, constant weight in my chest as I got ready for work. I put on a denim dress with red flats and accessories, and matched my lipstick to my bracelets. I looked decent, and hopefully, I could use that confidence when facing Christopher today.
Not even my playlist could make my mood better, so I turned off the music entirely and focused on getting to school safe. I parked in the mostly empty lot, getting my teaching bag and laptop out of the back seat as a loud muffler rolled in. I knew that car.Christopher.
I ducked my head down, walked faster, and made it through the front doors, not even bothering to stop in the mailroom so I could find safety in my room. Why did I get involved with a coworker? How long would it take before I moved on? Why did he make me want to cry and punch his handsome face at the same time?
I moved so far into my class that I spilled scalding hot tea on my hand and winced. His footsteps neared my door, stopped, and for one second, a sliver of hope burst inside my chest like a sudden summer storm. It started as a sprinkle and quickly spread to more.Was he going to come in? Talk to me? Admit he was an idiot?
The footsteps continued, and his door opened, shut, and that was it.
The hope died, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Why did I keep doing this to myself? Thinking people could change when they proved to continue to resort back to themselves? Samantha, Christopher…ugh. I sniffed, checked emails, and got ready for the day.
I needed to pick up some copies and made my way to the teacher’s room. Hushed tones and wide eyes greeted me as I walked in, and Larissa beelined for me with a crease between her brows. “What’s going on?”
“Everyone is talking about it.”
“About what?” My pulse pounded against my temples.
“Samantha Sullivan stealing thousands of dollars!”
My heart skipped a beat, and I glanced around the lounge, expecting her to be there and laughing like this was part of her plan. There was no way everyone knew. This had to be a setup. A game. Another way to make me suffer. “Wait, what?”
“There was a detective here this morning asking questions, and you know how social media is…someone posted about it, and we all know.”
I gulped, scanned the room, and met every pair of eyes looking my way. I lowered my voice and yanked Larissa closer to me. “Does everyone know she tried to frame me?”
“What? No! Girl, what is going on?”
