Ever After (East Raven Academy Book 1)(17)

As I’m brushing my teeth, I look at my phone and see that I have a text from Brooks. I smile around the toothbrush and I read it.





BROOKS: I can’t stop thinking about you.





That one sentence makes my heart skip a beat.





ME: I would say sorry, but I’m kind of not. I like that you can’t stop thinking of me.





As soon as I send the text, I realize that it’s 4:45 in the morning and he’s probably asleep. And if I wake him up, he’s probably going to hate me.

And why did I have to sound so flirty? Now he’s going to think I’m a creep. I want that text back.

As I’m rinsing, my phone goes off again.





BROOKS: This is pretty much the best way to wake up. (With a text from you).





ME: Ditto.





Ah, why can’t I stop smiling?

Charlie and I used to make fun of girls at school who smiled a lot while texting. We would make up a fake conversation between the girl and whomever she was texting, and laugh. And now, I am one of those girls.





BROOKS: Is there a reason you’re up before 5am?





ME: Yep. Training.





I slip my shoes on, grab the keys to my dorm, and head out the door. I’m half way down the hall when he texts back.





BROOKS: Training for what? The Olympics?





ME: Yeah, no. Not even close.





Crap. Why am I training?





ME: MMA. My uncle kind of forced me to start it, but I’m glad he did. It’s kind of fun.





Yes. That is good. And kind of true. Jake and Uncle Matty are teaching me a lot of mixed martial arts. Forcing me. It’s not fun yet, but I have a feeling it could be.





BROOKS: Can you fight better than I can? I might have to rethink this whole arrangement. I can’t be interested in a girl who can take me on in a fight.





ME: Why? Scared I might bruise your ego ;)



He doesn’t text back for a few minutes, which scares me. I hope I didn’t offend him. But just as I arrive at the gym, my phone goes off.





BROOKS: Okay, that’s it. You are the coolest girl, EVER. Marry me. Today.





ME: Sure. We can fly to Vegas after school.

ME: I’m at the gym now, so I’ll talk to you later.





When I put my phone and keys down on the chair, Jake and Uncle Matty are both looking at me.

“Sup?” I ask.

“Who are you texting?” Jake asks. He is smiling.

“Just this guy,” I answer. “What does it matter?”

“You’d better not let this guy distract you from training,” Uncle Matty says.

“She’s sixteen. Don’t give her grief about her boyfriend,” Jake says.

“Brooks isn’t my boyfriend,” I say.

“Brooks?” Uncle Matty asks, then looks at Jake. “There isn’t a Brooks at this school, is there?”

They know the names of all the students?

“He doesn’t go here. He goes to West Raven,” I say.

“How did you meet him?” Jake asks.

Ah, crud.

I can’t exactly tell them I met him when I snuck out after curfew.

“I just... sort of ran into him on campus,” I say.

“He was here?” Uncle Matty asks.

“Yes,” I answer.

“I didn’t see his name on the visitor log all weekend,” he says.

Seriously?

“Maybe he kind of snuck on campus,” I say. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” Uncle Matty says, his face turning red.

“He was crashing the party, that’s all.”

“Party? What party?” Jake asks. Now he looks mad.

Uh...

“It was nothing,” I say. “Just... a bunch of us hung out at the docks last night. Practically the whole school was there. Brooks and another guy from West Raven Academy came. We were just chilling.”

“When did you hang out?” Uncle Matty asks. “You were at the mixer until curfew.”

I clear my throat. “Um... it was... um... after the mixer.”

That’s when they both lose it. Uncle Matty and Jake both start yelling at me. I can’t quite make out what they’re saying, but I do hear the words curfew, dangerous, stupid, and possibly the word expulsion.

“I’m not going to get expelled. If they expelled me, they’d literally have to expel half the school,” I say. “It wasn’t even a big deal. The kids hang out at the docks all the time. You can’t expect me to not hang out with my friends. You guys are the ones who told me to blend in.”

“Blend in, not get yourself killed,” Jake says.

“I thought I was safe here.”

“You are,” Uncle Matty says. “But what happens if your location gets compromised, and you’re not safe anymore? We wouldn’t even know where to find you.”