Four Doors Down(29)

I turn back to the girls. “Seriously?”

They both send me sheepish looks and finally start to focus on what I’m saying and pitch in with ideas on how we’re going to get this done.

“Oh my God. They’re looking over here,” Sara whispers.

Paige’s eyes widen and she quickly glances over my shoulder. “Oh my God, they are!” She stills completely and I have to force myself not to sigh in annoyance. I’m pretty sure they’re not looking this way or if they are, it’s probably for a perfectly sensible reason. “Oh shit, they’re heading this way. They’re coming over here!”

Now I do roll my eyes. Why on earth would the school football team be coming over here? I’m pretty sure they’ve got better things to do than talk to three girls they think they’re socially above. They’re delusional. I thought they would be too sensible to get dragged into the whole popularity cliché at this school but nope, apparently not.

A second later I look up and Sally and Paige have gone completely still, eyes wide. Then a huge shadow crosses the table and I look up, and they’re right, what looks like the whole football team is surrounding us. Like completely surrounding the table. When I glance around at them, they’re all smirking in my direction, and I immediately start to feel uneasy. The last time I was this close to the team, Kevin Wilson was groping me, but a quick look around shows that he’s not in the group, which is a small relief.

“Hey, Becca,” Jake says grinning down at me. I’m sure my face isn’t exactly welcoming. He knows I hate this crowd. I have no idea why he’s brought them over here.

I glance at his bare torso. “I’m not talking to you, Edmondson, until you cover yourself up.”

He grins. “Finding it hard to control yourself, huh?” he teases before pulling his shirt out of his back pocket, wiping it across his sweaty forehead, then throwing it in my face.

Ewww! Gross. I quickly yank it away from me while his friends chuckle. “You shit,” I tell him, but I can’t help smiling back at him. I can never stay annoyed at Jake for long.

“So, McKenzie, we need to talk to you,” John says sitting down next to Paige, who quickly moves away from him like she thinks he’s going to burn her something. I raise my eyebrows at him. Talking to me twice in the space of one afternoon? Pigs will start flying across the school next.

“What?” I ask suspiciously.

“Jackson’s bombing English.”

I narrow my eyes incredulously. Ryan may not be valedictorian material but he’s not dumb, and as far as I know he’s never had any problems in English. I glance around to see him but surprisingly he’s not with them. Jake notices me looking for him. “He’s talking with Coach.”

“He’s bombing English?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“Well, if he fails English he can’t play on the team. And we need him if we’re gonna win state,” Jake tells me. I shake my head, still not knowing what this has to do with me. I genuinely couldn’t care less if they win state or not, and Jake knows this.

“So we were thinking,” John continues, “that since you have English together, you could tutor him.”

I laugh out loud at this. No. Absolutely not. No way. “No,” I tell them.

“Oh come on, McKenzie,” Mason pipes up. “We need you. The whole school needs you.”

I glance around and the whole team are staring at me with what I’m sure they think are puppy dog eyes. This is ridiculous. I don’t even tutor. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I hate having this many pairs of eyes on me. “I can’t.”

“He really needs your help.” This from Luke. I roll my eyes in his direction. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he helped me out at The Red Rhinos gig, but that doesn’t mean he can gang up on me now that he’s back with his friends.

“If he needs a tutor, go to student support. You know, where they have actual tutors.”

“But you guys are in the same class.”

“So are a ton of other kids.”

“It’d be easier if you do it.”

How on earth would it be easier? I have no idea.

“Look, I’m sure Ryan will have no trouble finding a tutor.” There are plenty of girls in this school who would gladly volunteer to have the chance to spend some alone time with Ryan. Maybe it’ll do him some good to spend some time with a tutor, someone with brains, rather than the girls he’s usually surrounded by.

“Yeah, but you live so close to him. It’d be easier,” Mason pipes up.

“There are these things now, called cars.”

Mason grins back at me. “You’re such a smartass, McKenzie.”

“Listen, Becca,” Jake says. “He’d never ask you himself, but you should do it. It’d be better if it’s someone he knows.”

I sigh in annoyance. Sure Ryan knows me…knows how to drive me crazy! It’s literally the worst idea I’ve ever heard. I have no desire whatsoever to tutor Ryan. “Ask Sam,” I say suddenly. I grin at my answer. This is perfect. “Sam’s in our class too and she can actually stand Ryan.”

Jake rolls his eyes, like I’m not getting it. I don’t see what his problem is. This is the perfect solution. Sam’s way more patient than me and actually better at English too.