“No, it isn’t. Probably best to stay off his radar if you can. It already seems like he has it out for you.”
“That’s my plan.”
“You want to head back to my room and study for a bit?”
For reasons I don’t really know, I snap a few more photos of Mr. Carter, and then Sybil pokes me in the arm.
“Hello, earth to Stella. Are you there?”
“Sorry, got distracted.”
“By all those hunky soccer players?” Her eyes light up.
“Uh-huh.” I lie because I don’t want to admit that I have a weird hate crush on my teacher. “Let’s go study.”
WHILE SYBIL DOES her math homework, I pretend to read on my phone, but really, I’m checking out Mr. Carter’s bio on the school website. I have no idea why, but I can’t seem to keep my mind from drifting back to him. What Sybil told me about his almost career as a soccer player has only managed to spark my curiosity about him.
Unfortunately, other than a small blip about him being the soccer coach, there isn’t much about his past. There’s a mention of his time at Harvard, that he played in the Ivy Leagues, and that with his advanced standing, he graduated with a masters in just four years. It seems insane, but then again, he is insane. I can just imagine him not eating, sleeping, or blinking while he aced every one of his college courses. All to end up here. It’s rather odd. Not that Loyola isn’t prestigious, but teaching doesn’t seem like it would be his career of choice. In fact, I would think it would be the last thing on his list.
“Finally.” Sybil slams her book shut with a yawn. “Got that done. Now I can spend extra time in the studio tomorrow morning.”
As much as Sybil loves to goof off, she never lets anything get in the way of her dedication for dancing, and I admire her for that. I wish I could be as passionate and free spirited as she is. I wish I could go after what I really want without disappointing my father.
“I think you’re going to do great things someday,” I tell her with a weak smile.
“So are you,” she insists. “Just wait and see.”
I nod and gather up my things, taking my cue to leave. We both need to get some sleep, and I need to be on my game tomorrow with time management and organization. That means extra planning tonight for what I’ll need.
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“K.” She flops back onto her bed and nods. “Night.”
I shut the door behind me and pad down the hall to my room, trying to stay quiet. Most of the other girls are already in bed, and I don’t want to wake them. Sneaking into my room, I change into my pajamas and toss my hair up into a messy bun before flopping down onto my bed, only to be horrified when I do.
The mattress is soaking wet, and now my bedding and pajamas are too. I pull the cold wet material away from my body and groan as I hop up and stare at the mess. Looks like Louisa is up to her tricks again, and I am officially fucking over her shit. Tempted to respond in kind by walking down the hall and throwing a bucket of ice water in her face, I take three deep breaths and calm myself. That’s exactly what she wants. Girls like Louisa have everything, and she knows that if we get into a catfight, I’m the one who will get the boot.
I have to be smarter. I need to be the bigger person. If I let my emotions win, I could end up losing my place at Loyola. And right now, I just need to get some sleep. I won’t allow Louisa or anyone else to deter my focus this year. My parents are counting on me, and I can’t waste this opportunity.
Dragging the only spare blanket I have from the closet, I spread it on the floor and wad up a sweater for a makeshift pillow. It’s not going to be the best sleep I’ve ever had, but at this point, it will have to do. I lay down and close my eyes, finally starting to drift off when something taps at my window.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groan.
I get up and slide the window up, only to be greeted by Ethan’s face. “Hey, Cherrybomb. Watch out.”
“What the—” I squeal as he pushes his way inside and wiggles a bottle in my direction.
“I brought the party.”
“What are you doing here?” I demand. “You’re going to get us both in trouble.”
“It’s no big deal.” He waves off my concern and takes a seat on my bed.My soaking wet bed.His face morphs into an expression of surprise, and he jumps up and stares at the blanket on the floor. “Fucking Louisa. She did this, didn’t she?”
“I’m assuming.” I throw my hands up. “As you can see, it’s been a long day. So please just go.”
“Come on.” He twists the top off the bottle and offers it to me. “Just do one shot. It will help you relax.”
“I don’t need to relax,” I argue. “I need to sleep.”