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Harleigh
“Harleigh,”my father’s voice was an unwelcome sound as I roused from a deep sleep. Everything ached; the lingering effects of my afternoon with Nate no doubt.
“Harl—”
“Yeah, yeah” I murmured. “I’m awake.”
“Actually,” he said, poking his head around the door, “I was hoping we could talk.”
“Talk, right.” My lips thinned as I tried to force myself upright against the headboard.
“May I come in?”
“Technically, you’ve already let yourself in, so…”
He gave me a disapproving look and slipped into my room. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Good… why?”
“Principal Diego emailed me. He’s concerned you skipped out yesterday afternoon.”
“Are you keeping tabs on me?” I bristled.
“I would like to think that Principal Diego would inform any parent if their child was cutting class.”
Their child.As if I’d ever been his child.
“I had a stomachache.”
“You were seen leaving the school grounds with Nate Miller.”
Crap.
“He gave me a ride, yeah.”
“I’d assumed from the altercation at the mixer at the end of the summer that you and Nate weren’t compatible.”
“Compatible? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He let out a strained chuckle and I hated it. Hated that he had the same cleft in his chin as I did. The same green eyes. I didn’t want to look like him, to resemble the man who abandoned me.
“Excuse my poor choice of words,” he said. “I merely meant I didn’t see the two of you striking up a friendship.”
“I wouldn’t call us friends.”
“But you let him give you a ride?” His brows knitted.
“Is there a point to this interrogation? It’s too early for this.”
“Principal Diego asked your teachers for some feedback…” He let the words hang, his insinuation heavy in the air.
“So you are monitoring me.”
“Harleigh, be reasonable. Last year was… difficult. We all just want to make sure you’re handling things okay.”
“I don’t know how many times I need to say this, but I’m fine.”
“So what happened?”
