Page 51
Friday
It was hard to purposefully get a few questions wrong. Calculus was my favorite subject. But it would all be worth it. I stared at Mr. Halifax at his desk. He was writing something in a notebook. When I doodled in the margins I was usually writing Sophie Halifax.
I smiled and forced myself to get a question wrong. And then another. I got enough wrong to get a B-. Getting a C felt too extreme. I didn’t want Mr. Halifax to think I was dumb.
This would be the worst grade I’d ever gotten in calc. And even though it wasn’t exactly failing, it was still a cry for some much needed help. There was no way Mr. Halifax would turn me away once I got my grade back next week.
Tomorrow should have been the day that I finally got to have Mr. Halifax’s hands on me. But my superstitious friends had thrown a wrench in that. December 23rd seemed impossibly far away.
I needed all the after school attention I could get over the next two weeks. Maybe I should get one more question wrong...
No. Getting a C was way too extreme. I wasn’t Scarlett.
I doodled some hearts on the last page of the test as I waited for the bell to ring. It was so tempting to put Mr. Halifax’s and my initials in it. But I somehow resisted.
Tomorrow I’d get to stare at Mr. Halifax for hours on the field. The last time I’d see him on that field. I couldn’t believe I’d have to go to basketball games soon if I wanted to see him in his mascot costume.
The bell rang and I hurried up to the front of the class before anyone else. I held out my test. I wasn’t sure if Mr. Halifax looked up right away or not. I was distracted by his notebook, which wasn’t a notebook at all. But a calendar. He had 7 o’clock listed in today’s square. And some initials next to it. NC.
Mr. Halifax cleared his throat and closed his calendar book.
My eyes snapped to his. Did he have a date tonight? With whoever NC was? What else could that possibly be on a Friday night?
My heart was beating funny in my chest. “Big plans tonight, Mr. Halifax?”
“No, Miss Hunter.”
I just stared at him. He was lying. I knew he was lying. I’d seen it. “No hot date?”
He lowered his eyebrows. “No.”
Then who the F is NC?!
He reached out and took my test. “Have a good weekend, Miss Hunter.”
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. At the game.”
“Of course.”
“Go Eagles!” someone yelled behind me.
Mr. Halifax laughed and slid his chair a bit to the side so he could grab the next test. Since I was in the way.
Scarlett hooked her arm through mine and pulled me out of the room. “Are you okay? You totally froze up there.”
“What if you guys are right?”
“About...”
“What if Mr. Halifax has a girlfriend or...worse?”
Scarlett laughed. “I’d never heard a fiancée referred to ‘as worse’ before. But I don’t think he does. Like you said, there’d be pictures.”
“He has a date tonight though.”
“How do you know that?”
“I saw it in his calendar. He’s meeting up with someone with the initials NC at 7 o’clock tonight.”
