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Connor didn’t try catching my hand again, and I didn’t look at any of them as I rounded the car. I didn’t look at any of them as I started it up and accelerated out of the parking space, nearly clipping the bumper of the car in front of me.
Once I was a block away, the trio absent from my rearview mirror, I swiped a hand across my mouth. There was no wiping away the lingering trace of Connor’s lips against mine, though. I could, however, wipe away the tears that had begun to fall, flowing as if they’d never stop.
The hallways were quiet when I got to school the next morning, and that was a rare scene. With over three-hundred students in my grade alone, the halls were never empty, but I’d showed up a half hour early today. Mainly, it was because I couldn’t sleep at all the night before. Connor was taking his test today. This was his make it or break it moment. Between where we left things and the weight of what today would bring for him, sleep had been totally out of the question.
I couldn’t even lie to myself that I was worried about valedictorian. Something I was once so desperate about was now weighed down by things so much more important.
I made my way to my locker in utter silence, save for the lightthudof each step. I glanced at the blue and gold lockers and at the posters hung up on the walls. Several were advertising the homecoming dance, with bright colors and cursive fonts.
Homecoming. A time when Brentwood High could not be more spirited, and a time when everything had fallen apart.
“Maisie?”
I turned to find Principal Oliphant walking down the hallway, donning a polka-dotted raincoat and gripping an umbrella. She shamelessly dripped water onto the floor as she strode toward me. “You’re here early,” she murmured as she got closer. “I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you before classes started.”
Ironically, I thought back to the lengths I’d had to go to once upon a time to get on her jam-packed schedule, all for her to turn me away after two minutes. “Why?”
Principal Oliphant leaned her umbrella against the blue and gold lockers and popped open her work bag. I watched the water pool on the linoleum. “I was waiting to tell you,” she said, digging in her bag. “Today is Connor’s retake test day, meaning your tutoring is over, and that means—”
“Are you reinstating the valedictorian award?”
She found whatever it was that she was searching for, tearing a paper out and offering it to me. She radiated excitement in a way that my numb heart couldn’t get in on.
The Brentwood High logo greeted me on a piece of printer paper, along with the words,
To Whom It May Concern,
After much consideration, the Brentwood High school board has elected to reinstate the valedictorian and salutatorian awards for the current school year.
I stopped after the first line, even though the notification went on for over a page. There were signatures at the bottom, along with an illustration of our school mascot. “That’s great,” I told Principal Oliphant, and even I could hear how tired my voice sounded. “I’m glad it was brought back.”
“Now, it’s premature to say this,” she said, taking the paper back from me, “but of course you’ll be valedictorian, Maisie. There isn’t another student who is close to your perfect GPA and weighted courses. As long as you keep your grades up, of course.”
I looked up at the principal, taking in the brightness in her gaze and the wide spread of her lips. She’d gotten what she’d wanted—me to tutor Connor. This was her, holding up her end of the deal. If she sensed she did anything wrong with using the valedictorian award to bribe me, she didn’t show it.
Four weeks ago, I would’ve been over the moon at the news, at the promise, but now it only tasted bittersweet.
“Thanks for everything, Principal Oliphant,” I said flatly, shutting my locker door. “Go Bobcats.”
And then I turned my back on her and her dripping raincoat, wondering why, even though I’d gotten what I wanted, it didn’t feel like winning at all.
I walked to Mrs. Diego’s classroom, clutching my bag strap tightly. I could hide out in her room until it was time to go to homeroom, time to face the music. I had no idea if Jade had spread the word about me kissing Connor. Ava and Rachel hadn’t texted demanding answers, so I had a feeling that Connor went along with her demands. And then I started wonderingwhy, jumping down a new rabbit hole.
To my surprise, Mrs. Diego’s door was already open, her lights already on. When I stepped into the doorway, I froze.
Mrs. Diego sat in her chair, but someone else took up one of the desks in the front row. My heart lurched at the sight of him, so unexpected that for the longest moment, I stood there, staring.
Connor had his head in one hand, hair rucked up by how his fingers were woven into the locks. Even from his slumped over posture, I could see that he had on his football jersey, a vibrant blue and shocking gold that celebrated homecoming. He was slouched over the desk, over a piece of paper in front of him. His Algebra II exam.
I backed out of view, but Mrs. Diego had already seen me, rising from her desk. “I’ll be right back,” she told Connor, and a second later, she appeared in the doorway. “Good morning. You’re here early.”
I took another step back from the doorway, afraid he’d hear my voice. “Is he taking his exam?”
“Yes, he started a few minutes ago. He wanted to get it out of the way before school rather than after. However, hewassurprised when I gave him such a short test.” Mrs. Diego raised her eyebrows. “You didn’t tell him we altered it?”
I gave her a weary smile. “Guess it slipped my mind.”
“He asked for the full-length exam, said he didn’t want the advantage, but I didn’t have one to give him.”
