As Emma grabbed her coat, her phone buzzed in her purse. Her heart almost stopped when she pulled it out and saw that it was Mr. Mercer. She let the call ring through, and a moment later she got a voicemail alert. With shaking fingers, she pressed LISTEN.
“Laurel said you’re not coming home again. I’ll cover for you for one more night,” Mr. Mercer barked into her ear. “But if you’re not back tomorrow…” His voice trailed off and the message ended with a click.
Emma gazed at the phone. She almost wished he had just said his threat outright so she could bring it to the police. But he was too smart for that. At least she didn’t have to deal with him tonight. She was staying at Madeline’s—Charlotte’s parents were hosting a dinner party that night for some of Mr. Chamberlain’s coworkers—but it looked like tomorrow, she’d have no choice but to go back to the Mercers’.
Exhaustion settled around her like a heavy cloak. If she could have curled up inside the locker, she would have. Luckily she was having lunch with Ethan. She needed some quality one-on-one time with the only person she could let her guard down with. He’d been such a rock these past few days especially—he’d called her every night before bed, and had even brought her flowers at Charlotte’s. Mrs. Chamberlain had proclaimed him a keeper.
Emma leaned against her locker for a second and shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself staring at Thayer. She jumped, startled.
“Whoa!” Thayer said, holding up his hands. “Just me!”
Emma’s mouth wobbled into a smile. “H-hey,” she said, taking in Thayer’s hazel eyes and gleaming skin. She hadn’t seen him since Sutton’s father’s party, though he’d texted Sutton’s phone a few times. The moment they’d shared had felt a little too intimate for her, and she’d wanted to keep her distance.
Thayer moved a little closer, leaning his hip against the bank of lockers. “I just wanted to check in to see how you’re holding up about…everything,” he said softly.
“I’m…” Suddenly, Emma’s gaze locked on someone behind Thayer. Sutton’s ex, Garrett, had spied both of them, and was barreling toward them fast. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were narrowed into little slits.
Thayer turned, too, and gave Garrett a cautious wave. Garrett just stared at him. “I wouldn’t waste your time talking to Sutton, man. She’s over you. She has a new boyfriend now. Or haven’t you heard?”
“Garrett!” Emma exclaimed.
Thayer rolled his eyes, ignoring him. “Get lost, dude.”
Garrett let out an ugly snort. “Oh, I forgot,” he said sarcastically. “You don’t have much respect for relationships, do you?”
He stared at Thayer. Thayer stared back. For a long moment, neither boy blinked. “Back off,” Thayer said through his teeth.
“Or what? You’ll sleep with my girlfriend? Oh wait, you already have. Because you’re both sluts.”
Thayer’s face turned bright red. Then his fist met Garrett’s face, and Garrett was clutching his jaw. The very next second, Garrett was grabbing Thayer’s shoulders and shaking hard. Thayer tried to remain upright, but his knees buckled and he stumbled on his bad leg.
“Guys, stop!” Emma shrieked, yanking the back of Thayer’s T-shirt. “Please!”
Garrett took another swing at Thayer, but Thayer ducked and circled his arms around Garrett’s waist. Both boys let out guttural groans, and suddenly they were on the floor, rolling around.
“Stop!” Emma shrieked again.
I watched in horror…but also in awe. I wasn’t sure if two boys had ever fought over me before, and it was kind of flattering.
“Fight!” yelled a scrawny guy in a flannel shirt. Instantly, Hollier students materialized from out of nowhere, gawking at the boys on the ground. Members of the marching band streamed from the auditorium to watch, and kids swarmed from classrooms, forming an amoeba-like cluster around Garrett and Thayer. Half the crowd held up their cell phones to capture the action.
Now the boys were on their feet again. Thayer lunged at Garrett, but a soccer player Emma recognized intervened and yanked Garrett out of the fray. “Stop it, man,” he growled into Garrett’s ear. “Fighting will get you kicked off the team.”
Garrett struggled against him, his eyes blazing and his chest heaving hard. “You’re an asshole,” he hissed at Thayer.
“So are you,” Thayer spat, standing in the middle of the circle. His nose was dripping blood.
The crowd began to break up as quickly as it had formed. Emma rushed to Thayer and touched his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“That guy is crazy,” Thayer rasped, catching his breath. He ran a hand over his jaw and winced.
“You shouldn’t have provoked him!” Emma cried.
Thayer rotated his shoulder gently, then met her gaze. “It’s one thing for him to say things about me. But I can’t stand him insulting you.”
A warm feeling swelled in Emma’s stomach, and she felt herself blush. It was kind of touching that Thayer was so chivalrous, standing up for her like that. Even sort of…romantic.
I was touched, too. Especially because he was standing up for me, not my sister.
Someone cleared his throat behind her. Emma turned and saw Ethan nudging through the remnants of the crowd, looking worried and confused. Emma sank into him, relieved Ethan couldn’t read her thoughts. “Hey,” she murmured.