“So, how about it?” Greg asked, crowding her, a leer on his face. “You’ve been skipping class a lot lately from what I hear. What’s one more time for a little fun? You and me, outside in my car? I promise you’d have a good time.”
Misty felt as if she was going to throw up right then and there. “Get out of my face, Greg,” she said, drawing on some tiny shred of inner strength.
He only laughed at her. His friends nudged each other, not even trying to hide their own amusement over her pitiful attempt to fend Greg off.
“Who’s going to make me?” he taunted. “Not you, that’s for sure.”
“How about Annabelle?” she suggested, looking him straight in the eye. “Could she make you back off? If she ever developed a spine, that is.”
Hoots greeted that comment, which clearly incensed Greg. “Annabelle’s got nothing to do with you and me.”
“She seems to think otherwise. She seems to think you’re her personal property. And I’m sick of taking the fall for you. I’m not after you. I’m not interested in you. I’d be happy if I never saw you again.” She glanced at his friends. “Get the message? Pass it on.”
She shoved past the three of them and practically ran to her next class. She didn’t stop shaking until the period was half over.
She’d pay for that little scene. She knew she would. Not that Greg would say a word about her rejecting him. His ego wouldn’t allow that. But those friends of his were blabbermouths. Annabelle would hear something from them or any one of a dozen kids who’d been passing by. By tonight, she’d be spewing more garbage on the internet.
But, Misty consoled herself, once she’d been called a slut and a zillion ugly rumors had been circulated about all the guys she was supposedly sleeping with, how much worse could things possibly get? At least for once she’d finally stood up for herself. If she could take on Greg—who was just a jerk—and survive, how hard could it be to find a way to deal with Annabelle?
Maybe she’d made a mistake all these weeks by letting herself be a victim. Didn’t they say that most bullies were really cowards? She’d assumed there was no way to fight back without making things worse, but maybe there was.
She just had to figure out what it might be. Amazingly, bit by bit, she was starting to feel strong enough to do just that.
9
Laura did her best to steer clear of the teacher’s lounge during the day, but eventually she had to stop by for some kind of last-minute meeting of the school’s social committee being held right after classes ended.
“I was expecting you in here at lunchtime,” Nancy said as soon as Laura appeared.
“I had tests to grade. I ate at my desk,” Laura said.
Nancy grinned. “In other words, you didn’t want to be bothered with any more of my advice. Not to worry. We have a few minutes now. Jessica and Cal told me they were going to be running late.”
Laura regarded her suspiciously. “Did you encourage them to be late?”
“Of course not,” Nancy said innocently. “Now, have you given any more thought to what I said last night about dating J.C.?”
Since word about tonight’s dinner was likely to spread through town with lightning speed, Laura saw little point in not mentioning it to a woman who was one of her closest friends.
“Some,” she admitted.
“Great!” Nancy enthused. “Now we’re getting somewhere. You’ll need a plan. What’s your next step?”
“You really are living vicariously through me, aren’t you?”
“You bet,” Nancy replied without hesitation. “So far it’s been pretty dull, but I have high hopes for the future.”
“Then you’ll be absolutely thrilled to know that J.C. and I are having dinner tonight at Sullivan’s, and he himself has described it as a date,” she announced, barely containing a smile at Nancy’s stunned expression.
“When did that happen?”
“Right after I spoke to you. Apparently he spent a lot of time yesterday fending off well-meant suggestions, as well. I thought the conclusion would be that we’d go back to our isolated corners and never see each other again.” She shrugged, then allowed herself a tiny, satisfied grin. “He came to a different conclusion.”
“Well, good for him. He’s obviously smarter than I was giving him credit for being.”
“He has an M.D. in pediatric medicine,” Laura reminded her. “I doubt there’s ever been any question about his intelligence.”
“There’s smart and there’s smart,” Nancy argued. “I know a lot of exceptionally well-educated men who don’t have the common sense of a gnat. My ex was one of them.”