Was it too much to hope that I could be that serious girlfriend? Or would he choose someone else once his Mom was satisfied that he’d changed? He’d told me from the beginning that this was a temporary arrangement, and I would be foolish to think that would change. Boys like Tyler didn’t go for girls like me, even if those looks he gave me were enough to make my knees weak, and the kisses he seemed to give freely made me melt.
Tyler paid for our food when we were finished, and we arrived at school about fifteen minutes before the bell would ring. As I opened my locker, something oozed out of it and plopped onto the floor. The scent of strawberry-banana yogurt hit me at the same time I realized that everything in my locker was coated in the stuff. It seemed Alicia had struck. It hadn’t taken her long, and I’d been expecting something, but not anything quite this messy.
“Looks like I’m going to be late for class while I clean this up. No way I can use my books. Think they’ll let me swap them out without having to pay for the damages?”
Tyler’s friend, Robert, came skidding to a halt beside us. “I tried to reach you all morning to warn you. I had to come in early to talk to coach and I caught her squirting tubes of the stuff through the locker vents.”
“Alicia?” Tyler asked.
“I saw her do it, and I have no problem telling the principal what happened.” Robert looked at me. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop her before she’d done so much damage.”
“It’s okay.” I nibbled on my lower lip. “I’m just not sure how to go about cleaning it up.”
“You’re not going to,” Tyler said. “Robert, go get the principal and tell him we have an issue that needs to be addressed. He needs to see the evidence himself.”
Robert ran down the hall in the direction of the office, and I sighed as I studied the mess that had once been an orderly locker. She’d even gotten my notebooks from every class, except the few I had in my bag. I wouldn’t be able to take notes in most of my classes today.
When the principal arrived, it seemed Robert had already filled him in.
“Hadley, I’m going to see that Alicia cleans this up, and I’ll have the custodian keep an eye on her so nothing else gets messed up. Once she’s cleaned the yogurt off everything, I’ll see that your books are returned. Take this slip to your classes and see that you get new books,” Mr. Richards said as he handed me a pink slip.
“Thank you. I’ll have to get some new notebooks before I can take notes in these classes. I only had English and History at home with me last night.”
“Bring in your receipt and I’ll see that Alicia reimburses you.” Mr. Richard patted my shoulder. “You’d better get to class so you aren’t late. Don’t worry about this mess a moment longer.”
Tyler took my hand and led me off in the direction of my first period class, and he met me at the door when class was over. It was a pattern I was starting to get used to as he did the same thing after every class. We even ate lunch together, at a table with my friends. Robert joined us, but it seemed Tyler’s other friends were shunning him. I hoped this scheme of his was worth losing his friends over.
At the end of the day, my locker was completely cleaned out and smelled like lemon cleanser. I put my new books inside, even though I felt uneasy about it. What if Alicia pulled another prank and my new books suffered for it?
“I had every intention of giving you some space,” Tyler said. “But do you think your mom would mind if I stayed at your house and worked on homework for a little while? Assuming you have any that is.”
“Did you really just ask if you could do homework with me?”
He nodded.
“I don’t guess Mom will have an issue with it. Hunter never wanted to do homework with me.”
“I thought we already decided that Hunter was an idiot.”
I smiled as we walked out to his truck, then froze in horror. “I think Alicia is pissed at you too.”
His gaze swerved to his truck, and the very flat tire with a knife sticking out of it. Except, on closer inspection, I knew it hadn’t been Alicia who had done this. I knew that knife. Hunter had kept it in his glove compartment for as long as we’d dated.
“Hunter,” I hissed.
Tyler looked down at me. “Hunter did this?”
“I recognize the knife. It seems he’s transferred his attention to you now that it’s gotten around school that we’re dating. I’m really sorry, Tyler.”
“No worries. I have a spare tire, but it’s going to take me a few minutes to change it. Are you okay waiting with me or do you want to catch a ride with someone else?”