The Naughty List (The Naughty List #1)(15)

The phone rang. I smiled as I reached out to pick it up. “Hi, sweetie,” I said, lying back and cradling the phone to my face.

“Tessa?”

My stomach flipped, and I bolted upright, darting my gaze around my room. It wasn’t Aiden. But it was a guy. “Um, yeah. Who is this?”

“I didn’t mean to call so late.”

“I’m sorry, who is this?” I looked again at the clock; it was midnight! None of my friends would ever dream of calling me this late. A Kitten needed her beauty sleep.

“It’s Christian …”

Oh, my.

“… from history class.”

I swallowed hard. Cinnamon Toast Crunch! Why was he calling me? First he was in my dreams and now he was on my phone? “How did you get my number?” That might have been a little rude. Guilt crept over me.

“I went to the attendance office and told them that I needed to bring you your assignments, so they gave it to me. I hope you’re not mad,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He sounded really embarrassed. He should be! New boys weren’t allowed to find my number and then use it without asking me first!

“You really didn’t need to call,” I said, closing my eyes and trying to get my agitation under control. Being irritable was hardly becoming of a Smitten Kitten.

“I also wanted to ask you about your notes,” he said.

My pulse began to calm. Sure, it was midnight and that was an odd time to study, but if it was school-related, he could be forgiven.

“What about them?” I asked.

“They were great. Thanks for letting me borrow them.”

“You’re welcome.” Aw. That was really nice of him to say. I appreciated polite people.

“I was thinking I could come by and drop them off to you.”

Sticker shock! What was he thinking? “It’s … super-late.” I threw my legs over the side of the bed and eased them onto my carpet, confused and wondering if I’d missed something. Why in the world would he think he could come to my house at any time, let alone in the middle of the night? The tension from my neck seemed to crawl up to my face and rest between my eyes.

“Right. You’re right, I’m sorry. Stupid idea. I’ll just see you at school tomorrow.”

I rubbed at my temple, calming down. “I think that’s probably better. Besides, I doubt your parents would appreciate you sneaking out this late.” Aiden’s mother always hated when he did that.

“Yeah, I doubt my father would even notice if I was gone,” he mumbled.

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. It sounded tragic. “Well, maybe your mom … ?”

“Nope,” Christian said briskly. “Parents divorced. I live with my dad now. That’s why we moved.”

Suddenly, I felt awful for being so mean. Divorce! That was something I could understand. “I’m so sorry to hear that. If you want to talk about—”

“Not really,” he snapped, cutting me off. “I’ll let you get some rest. Good night, Tessa. I hope you feel better.”

“Thank—”

He hung up. At first I didn’t move, but then I crawled back into my bed and set my phone on my side table. I stared at it. That was a very disconcerting conversation. I had half a mind to call him back and ask him about his parents. Maybe tell him about mine and why I understood.

I chewed on my lip and folded my hands under my cheek as I nestled into my pillow. Even though it wasn’t my fault that Christian had called me, I still felt guilty for talking to another guy. Maybe it was the SOS in me. The inner sense of right and wrong. Or maybe I was just really, really disappointed that Aiden hadn’t called.

There was another sharp pain in my head. I pulled my blankets up to my chin and tried to think things over. Divorce explained a lot … like Chloe’s scowl, for example.

And I shouldn’t really be mad about the notebook thing. Sure, it was presumptuous of him to think he could call, but maybe that was just his lame pickup attempt. I couldn’t fault him for that. Not all guys knew how to properly woo a girl anymore.

I closed my eyes. Aiden had been pretty smooth at winning me over. We were at a school assembly my freshman year, and he’d had to give a speech about recycling. Instead, he got up on the stage in front of all of Washington High, set up a flowchart, and listed “The Reasons Tessa Crimson Should Go Out with Me.” He had handouts and everything!

Yeah. Aiden was my guy. He was my perfect, whipped cream boyfriend sundae.

SOS STOP ORDER

CASE: 044

CLIENT: Becky Roth

SUBJECT: Corey Panchilla

Dear Ms. Roth:

Per your request, SOS shall suspend the pending investigation of Corey Panchilla. This is an official withdrawal from the case.

Although we are pleased that you feel Mr. Panchilla “would never do anything like that,” we caution you against engaging in any unsafe practices that may compromise your well-being.

It is also our duty to inform you that Mr. Panchilla will not be able to be reinvestigated because of the laws of double jeopardy.

We trust that this report will remain confidential as some of the information contained within could compromise our top-secret status.

SOS wishes you and Mr. Panchilla continued happiness and hopes that our services will not be needed in any of your future relationships. Have a great day.