Chapter 154 Chapter One Hundred And Fifty Four
Martin didn't look up from the train he was carefully positioning on the track.
Today there were no excited greetings from him. His voice was a flat monotone as he tried very hard not to show any emotion. "Rosie didn't talk to me all day... I don't know what to do."
I felt my heart squeeze with sadness for the kid. I knelt beside him, reaching out to give him a gentle pat on the head. His hair was soft under my palm. "That sucks, Martin. I’m really sorry to hear that. Do you want a hug?"
He shook his head, still refusing to look at me. "Not really. Not unless it's from her."
Oh, Martin.
"Don't worry," I said softly. "There has to be some way to get you guys to be just friends again. We'll figure it out together later, okay, bud?"
"Yeah," he said quietly. “I don’t have any school work to do today so I guess you can—"
Then he suddenly froze, his nose wrinkling. He finally looked up at me for the first time, his curious eyes going wide. "Did you fall in a dumpster?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
Suddenly I remembered the food fight and the spaghetti sauce and chocolate pudding that I'd been scrubbing for an hour which had probably transferred from the floor to my clothes.
I touched my hair and felt the sticky residue still clinging to the strands. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should go wash all this off first."
Martin nodded seriously. "You smell like the cafeteria on pizza day. It’s really weird."
"Thanks for that," I said dryly, standing up. "Very helpful."
It took forever to get all the food to wash out.
I stood under the hot spray of the shower for at least twenty minutes, scrubbing shampoo through my hair three times before the water finally ran clear.
I followed that up with conditioner, then body wash, then more conditioner, so that by the time I was done, my skin was pink from the heat and my fingers were pruned.
I stepped out of the shower feeling like a new person, wrapping myself in a short towel, one of the fluffy white ones Mrs. Dawson always kept stocked in the bathroom.
My wet hair fell down my back in heavy curls, dripping water onto my shoulders.
I padded out of the bathroom and into my room, already planning what I'd wear. Something comfortable, maybe those soft pyjama pants and—
Should I call Mom first? I thought, biting my lip and picking at my fingernails. Would it be better if I told her about the incident before Mrs. Henderson does? Yeah, it probably is, so that way she hears it from me and not the vice principal. That’s a good plan, right?
I was still debating this when my bedroom door suddenly burst open.
I shrieked, clutching my towel tighter around me. “Who goes there?!”
Jace stood in the doorway, frozen mid-step, his eyes going wide. “Whoa.”
"What are you doing here?!" I practically yelled, my face going red as a tomato.
I wrapped my towel tighter around myself, now very aware of how short it was and how much of my legs were exposed and how my wet hair was dripping water down my bare shoulders.
For a second, just a second, Jace looked completely stunned. His eyes travelled down my body, then snapped back up to my face.
Then his expression changed going hot and hungry, before he seemed to catch himself. He spun around quickly, turning his back to me.
"I just walked in to see how you were doing," he said, his voice rough. "I didn't know you were in the shower."
"When did you get back?" I demanded, my heart hammering partly because I was startled, but also because of the way he was gazing at me.
"Just now."
"And you never even took your helmet off?” I gestured at him even though he couldn't see me. "You still have it on! You just parked and then ran straight up here. Gosh, I really hope you weren't going too fast on that motorcycle, Jace. It's already dangerous enough as it is.”
His shoulders tensed. "I had to see you."
"Why? I'm fine." I paused, familiar feelings of guilt bubbling up in my chest. "If anything, I should be the one checking in on you to see how you're doing. I think…”
I trailed off, my voice going softer as I spoke “I think I used my drama to get you in trouble. You intervened when Allison tried to hurt me, and because of that now you might be in trouble with your dad. I—I feel really bad about it, and—"
I fumbled awkwardly with the hem of my towel. "I'm really sorry. I promise I'll do everything in my power to set it straight, okay? I owe you one.”
"Don't worry about it." His voice was strained. "But you know we still have to have that talk, right? You promised you were going to hear me out tonight.”
My stomach dropped. "I know. I haven’t forgotten about it."
"So do you want me to leave and come back, or...?" He trailed off.
His voice was cracking slightly, and I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.
He clearly wanted to turn around.
"Um." I looked down at myself: a towel, wet hair, and bare legs. No way in hell was that ever going to happen.
"I can just go change in the bathroom, so I guess you can stay here." I paused. "Or maybe you could use the bathroom too? Because you kind of have a little something on your jacket."
"Come in the bathroom with you?" His voice got lower.
Meanwhile, my face went bright red. "No! No, of course not! Obviously I meant by yourself, probably in your own room. Definitely in your own room."
He let out a laugh, and I was surprised to hear that it was genuine and warm despite all the awkward tension. "I guess I've gotten my answer."
He started walking toward the door, still not turning around. "See you soon."
He paused in the doorway, his hand holding on to the frame. "Also, my mother’s home. I think she’s been in the kitchen all day doing a few things, judging by how messy it looks. She might ask you to come to family dinner today. Looks like she's in the mood for it."
After a short pause, his voice got strained, "Noah might be there."
My stomach twisted into knots. "Oh. Okay. Cool. See you at dinner then."
He nodded once and pulled the door closed behind him.
I stood there for a long moment, dripping water onto the carpet while my heart raced and my face burned.
What just happened? I wondered.
Through the door, I heard his footsteps going down the hallway, then the sound of his own bedroom door closing.
I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and sank onto the edge of my bed.
Dinner. With Jace. And Noah. And Mrs. Dawson too.
Somebody. please send help.