Counting Down with You(99)

Miss Cannon’s gaze drops to our hands. “I see... I’m glad to hear you’re learning a lot, Alistair.”

“It’s all because of Karina,” he says. “She’s an amazing tutor. She’s so passionate about English that it’s hard not to care about it after listening to her.”

“Ace.”

“What? It’s the truth.” He shrugs, unbothered, but his hand squeezes mine. “Thank you, Miss Cannon. I’m sure I’ll pass the English Regents with flying colors.”

Miss Cannon beams. “I’m happy to hear that. Have you guys started the poetry project yet?”

“I thought I was excused,” I say, biting my bottom lip. Now that I know she’s not mad at me, the anxiety is easing. It helps to have Ace and the scent of cinnamon near.

“You are,” she says. “I meant have you two started working on Alistair’s together?”

“Oh. Yes,” I say, glancing at Ace. He hasn’t let me see any of his poems, but we’ve gone over the parameters several times. “He’s been doing really well.”

“That’s lovely,” Miss Cannon says, clapping her hands. The sound batters around in my skull, echoing. “I was thinking you could present first, Alistair? For extra credit? It would help boost your grade. I think we can get you to an A by the end of the year.”

“I guess I’ll really have to bring my A game then,” Ace says and nudges me. Slowly, I nudge back. “But it should be easy since my name is Ace.”

“Shut up,” I say, a laugh slipping from my lips involuntarily. “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s not my fault you can’t appreciate the fact I’m a true comedian,” he says. “It was funny, wasn’t it, Miss Cannon?”

Miss Cannon is looking between us, a look of understanding dawning on her face. I think her smile might even be wider than before. “Hilarious, Alistair.”

Ace winks at me. “See?”

“Yeah, I see,” I say, rolling my eyes.

Before we leave, Miss Cannon rests a hand on my shoulder. “Could I speak to you briefly, Karina?”

I nod, gesturing for Ace to go ahead. He lingers in the doorway for a moment but when I wave insistently, he disappears, the door closing behind him. “What’s up, Miss Cannon?”

She presses her lips together, considering me. “I received an email from your parents over the break.”

My heart plummets. “You did?” I say, voice shaky. “What did it say?”

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

She leans against the whiteboard. “They said you wanted to stop tutoring Ace. Is that true?”

“No,” I say immediately, my fingers clenching into fists. “No, it’s not. They’re just—it was a misunderstanding.”

Miss Cannon looks me over in concern. “Are you sure? This is a safe place for you to speak your mind.”

“I’m sure.” My nails dig into my palms almost painfully. “I want to tutor Ace. Really. Please disregard their email.”

“That’s not what I was referring to,” Miss Cannon says quietly.

I falter, unsure what to say. The same way Ace can’t save me from my parents, neither can Miss Cannon. She already does enough by providing me a safe haven at school.

“I’m sure,” I say again, looking away from her earnest expression. “Thank you, Miss Cannon.”

She sighs softly. “If you need anything, I’m here, Karina.”

I nod and leave her classroom. Ace is waiting outside and at the sight of my expression, he silently offers me his jacket.

I smile faintly as I accept it, but my mind is whirring. None of this is going to be easy. My parents are going against me at every step, knowingly or not.

For as long as I live under their roof, this will be my life. Refusing to live by their rules is the start of a war I don’t know how to fight.

you look at me across a bloody battlefield
and I swing until my knuckles are bruised
I will run until my lungs collapse
for you
I will kiss death and smile
for you
even in hades, I will fight
for you


46


T-MINUS 2 DAYS

Ace is trying to ruin my life.

“I’m not dressed,” I say. “I can’t meet your dad in a hoodie.”

“You’ve already met my dad,” Ace says, shaking his head at me. He looks amused, as if this is funny and he’s not trying to drag me to his house against my will.

Drag might be an exaggeration, but still. He didn’t tell me where we were going until we arrived, and now it’s a match of wills.

“Yeah, but I didn’t care then! Now we’re like...dating. And he’s your dad.”

Ace huffs fondly. “Karina, my dad already likes you. I told him everything, and he thinks you’re a good influence. It’s just dinner.”

“No offense, Ace, but that sounds really fake,” I say, planting my feet solidly on the ground and refusing to budge. “Your dad probably hates me. I lied to him the first time I met him. Ya Allah, he definitely hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Ace says, squeezing my shoulders.

“Ace, I look disgusting,” I say, crossing my arms. I falter for a moment but then push forward, because I need to assert my boundaries. “You should have told me we were going to do this. We’re supposed to be in this together. You can’t just make decisions for the both of us. It’s just—I’d appreciate if you told me next time.”