Chapter Eighteen — Blair

Blair stared at the clock, willing it to spin faster. Two minutes until he’d be able to leave and see Sandra. That was when he noticed a lot of his classmates sneaking glances at their phones. This wouldn’t have been unusual, except that many of them then looked in his direction.

Their calculus teacher didn’t seem to notice, as her back was to the class as she wrote on the board. She rarely did anything but write, with an occasional comment to break things up. The students just copied it down, then went home and tried to figure out what it all meant. Blair preferred it this way; he learned better on his own.

Blair pulled out his own phone, wondering if he’d missed something. A text from Cameron awaited him. The text didn’t say anything, only contained a link.

He clicked on it, and it took him to the climbing gym’s website. And there it was. The picture they’d taken of him and Sandra, kissing midair. Every time he saw it, he couldn’t believe it was real—it really was an amazing photo. It had somehow captured the intensity of the moment, and every time he looked at it—and he’d looked at it often since they’d sent it to his dad—he couldn’t help but relive that moment.

It had been one of the best memories of his life, and he hoped for many more like it.

“It was that good, huh?” a kid asked from the seat next to Blair. He had no idea what the kid’s name was, only that he was pretty sure the guy had copied off Blair’s paper for every assignment they’d done thus far.

“Huh?” Blair figured it was best to play dumb.

“You’re grinning like it was your first kiss,” the kid said.

Blair made a conscious effort to straighten his smile out but was pretty sure he had failed. The kiss had been that good.

“Just laughing at whoever the schmuck is in the picture,” Blair said. Why was he acting like the guy in the picture wasn’t him—it obviously was. Even being able to see only half his face, everyone would know.

The kid laughed at Blair. “At least you see it for what it really was. All the girls are falling over themselves, wishing they were that girl in the picture. You made us guys look like idiots. Next thing we know, our dates will be demanding to skip the next dance and go to the climbing gym.”

“They will?”

The kid looked at Blair like he was the idiot. “Of course. They’re all going to want a picture like that, and we’ll feel obligated to do it for them or we won’t get any action later.”

Another guy a couple of seats down said, “Yeah, thanks a lot for that.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.

Huh.

Blair turned back to the front, hoping they’d leave him alone. He didn’t want to know about whether the other guys at school would or wouldn’t be getting ‘action,’ and Blair certainly didn’t want all of them blaming him for this new expectation. It wasn’t like he’d planned it.

How had everyone found out about the picture in the first place? The climbing gym wasn’t even in Lakeview. Which meant that someone had seen the website and decided to post it for everyone to see. Why had they even cared? A quick glance at social media told Blair he was right. It was everywhere.

As soon as the bell rang, Blair grabbed his bag and was the first one to leave the classroom. He ignored the calls from his teacher, asking if he’d been able to copy down all of that day’s notes.

He needed to warn Sandra, if she didn’t know already.

“So, that’s what you were doing instead of going to the dance.” Cameron appeared at Blair’s side and joined his best friend in pushing their way through the crowded hallway. “You could have told me, you know.”

Blair felt embarrassed that he hadn’t, now that everyone had seen the picture. “Yeah, I know. I just—it’s still new, you know? I wanted to downplay it until I figured out what it all meant.”

“Well, there’s no way to downplay it now.” Cameron laughed. “How do you think Sandra’s going to take it?”

Blair had been thinking about that ever since he got the text. “She’ll drop out of school and never speak to me again. She probably thinks I’m the one who started it.”

“Maybe, but you can just tell her it wasn’t you. Problem solved.” Cameron gave Blair an appraising look. “I totally understand now why you didn’t care about meeting up that night.” He lowered his voice. “That picture is hot.”

Heat rushed into Blair’s cheeks. “It’s all right,” he muttered. But he knew Cameron was right. It was totally hot, which was why the girls at school were swooning and the guys were planning his early demise.

They were nearly to their lockers when Blair skidded to a stop, causing several people to trip in their attempt to side-step him. He didn’t bother moving. Standing at his locker was his mother, and next to her was Sandra. She didn’t look as terrified as Blair felt she should. Maybe she was just really good at hiding it, because Blair’s heart was where his stomach should be—and it was his own mother. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Sandra.

His mom turned her glare on him. “Now that I have both of you, let’s meet in my office. Now.” She was in full principal mode—there was no way this would turn out well.

Blair’s gaze met Sandra’s. She shrugged, like she didn’t know what this was all about, and then turned to follow his mom. He wanted to yell for her to run—to save herself—but the words stuck in his throat. Even he was scared of his mom sometimes.

His mom had already taken a few steps when she called over her shoulder, “Anytime now, Blair.”

That put his feet into action. He quickened his steps so he could walk next to Sandra. He wanted to figure out what she knew.

“Do you think this is about you coming back to school?” he whispered.

Sandra gave him a quick half-smile. Blair caught a glimpse of her own nervousness before she quickly covered it up. “Could be.”

They reached his mom’s office quicker than Blair would have liked, and she ushered them both in. “Sit,” she said, pointing to the two chairs that sat in front of her desk.

Blair sat, but Sandra chose to remain standing.

His mom studied Sandra for a moment, then turned toward Blair. His mom almost seemed like she couldn’t care less whether Sandra sat or stood. But Blair knew better. He saw the veins pulsing in his mom’s forehead—a telltale sign.

“Would you like to explain to me how every student in this school has that picture of you and Sandra?”

That was quick. Blair had just barely seen the picture himself. He fidgeted in his seat. “I doubt every student has seen it…” His voice trailed off under his mom’s glare.

“Why do you even care?” Sandra said, her tone letting his mom know exactly how little she herself cared. “Everyone is sharing their pictures from the dance.”

Well, that was one mystery solved. Sandra knew about the picture.

His mom’s glare shifted as she turned to face Sandra. “Because he wasn’t supposed to be with you at that dance in the first place.”

Sandra folded her arms. A fierceness had replaced any anxiety Blair had thought he’d seen. “Yeah, so I’ve heard. Why is that exactly—you afraid of what people will think? The principal’s son going out with the goth chick—the dropout?”

That girl had a death wish.

But one glance at his mom’s reaction, and he knew Sandra had pegged the truth. His mom was afraid of what people would think. She was fairly new at the school, and the town had had their doubts when she’d gotten the job.

Blair dating Sandra was an embarrassment. He had tainted his mom’s reputation.

But then understanding dawned in his mom’s expression, and he was left confused. Did she not already realize what Sandra was telling her?

“It was you,” his mom said. “You sent out the picture.”