I shrugged, not sure why that mattered.
“You have a problem…with the pastor’s son.”
What, that suddenly made him perfect? “He’s not as innocent as you think.” I glanced over my shoulder, hoping no one had overheard, and kept it at a whisper. “We have some…bad blood,” I explained.
Ms. Tolken held my gaze. “This is a class about relationships. Re-lation-ships!” she barked a second time, only louder now. “I suggest you use the skills you’ve learned in class thus far to become friends with Mr. Bryant.” Suddenly, she pushed away from the desk, shot to her feet, and looked over the classroom like she was about to address them.
I hurried away from her toward the closest aisle, wondering if I could squeeze out the open window crack before she spoke up.
“Anyone else want totryasking for a partner change?” she asked.
My neck went fire-hot as I forced my eyes to the scuffed up floor. Thank heavens Jett had taken a seat at the back of the room. If he hadn’t, I might have marched right out of the door and into the hall and bolted for that cinnamon roll after all.
Instead, I circled the desk, pulled the chair out, and sank into it with an inward groan.
“You didn’t want to partner with my man Jett?” Ky asked.
Levi leaned around Ky and grinned. “Yeah, what’s up with that?”
Cool, Harper. Play it cool.I pulled an innocent-looking face. “Where’d you guys get that idea?” I put some extra snark on the comment for their benefit and felt a grin coming on as the duo chuckled and shook their heads.
“I’m great with having Jett as my partner,” I assured.
A heavenly, spicy scent wafted from Jett’s side of the desk, reminding me of how close he was. I tucked my elbow against my ribcage to keep from touching him.
Focus, Harper. Do not let this affect your grade.
Ms. Tolken snatched a nub of chalk off the tray and shuffled over to the blank side of the blackboard. Why the woman refused to use a whiteboard like the rest of civilization was beyond me. “We’re going to discuss a few popular relationship claims, and I’d like to know what you guys think of each.” She stepped back to reveal what she’d just written:You cannot make someone change.
The woman dropped the chalk nub back onto the tray and dusted her hands on her pants. I worked to pull my eyes off the handprints, white against the brown polyester, as she addressed the class. “Do you agree or disagree, and why?”
“Disagree,” I hollered. I knew this was a hot topic and that some would argue, but I had my reasons for feeling the way I did.
“Harper.” Ms. Tolken pointed a finger at me. “Stand up and tell us why. Why do you disagree?”
I pictured my boyfriend TJ. He had a bad-boy image, and in some ways he’d earned it. But I had fixed about a million things in my life so far and I was determined to fix TJ too. In fact, I was already making a difference. “I disagree full heartedly because people change all the time. My grandfather was an alcoholic for years, but eventually, he changed and it was all because of my grandma.”
Ms. Tolken’s gaze narrowed behind her thick rims, then darted over to Jett. “Do you agree with your partner, Mr. Bryant?”
My eyes widened as Jett stood to his feet. He folded his arms, causing the sleeve of his tee shirt to brush against my skin and that yummy, yummy scent of his to assault my senses. I shuffled away from him so we no longer touched.
“No, I do not,” Jett said.
Big surprise.
“In fact,” he continued, “I full heartedlyagreewith the statement on the board, Ms. Tolken. Sure, people change all the time. But they do it by setting their own mind to it, not because someonemadethem change.”
I shook my head. “My grandfather said he got sober for my grandma and his kids.”
“Yeah, but he had to do it on his own. Your grandma couldn’t havemadehim do it.”
Ms. Tolken put her hands up to stay us. “Thank you, thank you for your opinions. You two can sit down.”
“I know the guy you’re going out with,” Jett mumbled once we took a seat.
I felt my eyes double in size. I could hardly believe he’d even dared bring him up. “Know him personally or just knowabouthim?”
Ms. Tolken was already writing another statement on the board, not that my irritated eyes could even focus.
