Veer (Clayton Falls #2)(19)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“I just wasn’t interested. Besides, she lives in Charleston.”

Tom shook his head. “So is that your excuse with Becca too? She lives too far away? Because a second ago, it sounded like you were tired of this town anyway.”

Becca. The last thing I needed was to hear her name.

“Becca and I aren’t going to happen, so just drop it.”

“Not until you tell me why. It’s obvious you’re interested, and she is too. Where’s the issue?”

“Forget it.” I threw some cash on the table and walked out. I was going to lose it on Tom if he didn’t shut up.

“Come on, man. Chill out.” Tom caught up with me outside.

“Just forget I said anything, okay?”

“It’s going to blow over. You’re just having a rough patch. Maybe you should take some vacation, visit your family or something.”

“Maybe,” I mumbled, but I knew I wouldn’t actually take his advice.

Chapter Thirteen

Becca

I hid out all weekend, telling Molly and Jake I was sick and didn’t want them to catch it. I rewatched my movies again, making another mental note to ask Jake to borrow some of his. If I didn’t keep my mind occupied, it just went back to Friday night. That night was now firmly on my list of events I wanted to erase from my memory. Maybe some people would have been able to handle a dumb hookup, but I just felt gross and worthless.

Mrs. Mathews came by on Sunday evening. I reluctantly opened the door and found her holding a large Pyrex dish.

“Hi, hon. I made some extra lasagna, and I thought you might want some.” She had her hair tied back in a low ponytail that made her look younger.

“Oh, wow. Thanks. That wasn’t necessary.”

“Nonsense. It’s always easy to make a little extra when you’re cooking.” She adjusted the foil covering the dish. “I’ve told you already, you are always welcome to join us for dinner.”

“Thank you, but I don’t want to impose. You’ve already done so much.” They might have given me a place rent free, but they had no obligation to feed me like I was part of the family.

“It’s not imposing. We’d love to have you, but I won’t push you.”

“Well, thanks for the lasagna.” I accepted the dish and carried it into the kitchen. Mrs. Mathews came in and waited as I placed it in the fridge.

“So how are you doing? Is there anything I can do to make you feel more at home?”

“No, I have everything I need. But thanks for thinking of me.” She looked disappointed when I didn’t ask for anything. “Well, I do have one question.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Is there anywhere to get sushi around here?”

“Sushi?” She smiled. “I wouldn’t trust anything with that name in town, but I’m sure there’s something decent in Wilmington. I can ask around for you.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I just thought I’d ask.”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll get a name of a place. Maybe Jake knows. Speaking of which, has he been bothering you too much? Be honest. If he has, I can get him out of your hair.”

Jake definitely wasn’t my problem. “No, he’s been great.”

“All right. I just wanted to check.”

“Thanks, but he’s been nothing but nice.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m going to get going, but I’ll find that restaurant name for you.”

“Thanks so much.” I closed and locked the door behind her, feeling better than I had all weekend.

***

Monday morning came agonizingly slowly. As much as I dreaded seeing Matt, it would provide a welcome break from sitting around feeling stupid—even if he did eye me like I was a piece of meat. I got dressed, ready, and into Molly’s car.

Matt was waiting for me with a smile. “Have a nice weekend?”

“I was sick, but it was fine. You?”

“My in-laws came to visit.” He said it like it explained everything.

“Oh, I’m sure your kids enjoyed seeing their grandparents.”

“They did. I’m just glad to have my house back. You know how it is when family visits, right?”

I didn’t, but I nodded.

He gave me some more research to do, and it kept me busy for a while. I called the garage to check on my car again, but the owner gave me the same answer he had when I’d seen him the last time. They were waiting on a part.

I checked my email around eleven and got the message I was dreading. My grades for the semester had started coming back in, and they’d dropped for the second semester in a row. Any hope I had for keeping my scholarship was gone. Even if I got A’s in my last two classes, I was sunk. I tried to push it out of my head, but by lunch, I decided I needed to call the dean and see if they could make an exception and give me another semester to prove myself.

I went for a walk around the square as I waited for the dean to call back. I picked up as soon as I heard the first bar of my familiar ringtone. I really needed to change the song. The dean didn’t beat around the bush. He got right to the point. “I’m sorry, Rebecca, but we can’t make an exception. I know you had a difficult year with your mother’s death, but there’s nothing we can do.” His sympathetic tone did little to ease the impact of his words.

“I understand you can’t make exceptions. I’ll just apply for extra loans, thank you.” Seriously, what else could go wrong?

I shouldn’t have asked. Matt found every excuse in the book to put his hands on me that afternoon. It took all of my strength to avoid snapping at him. I couldn’t afford to lose the job.

***

“All right, enough is enough.” Jake pounded on the door Saturday evening. I’d successfully avoided everyone all week. I’d begged out of a barbeque at Kelly and Tom’s. I knew Gavin would be there. There was no way I was letting him see how much he’d hurt me.

I opened the door, afraid Jake would tip his parents off if I didn’t. Mrs. Mathews was nice, but she was also really nosy.

“Yes?” I asked as he pushed his way past me.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I’m just watching TV.”

“Molly called me. You cancelled plans with her for the fourth time this week. You cancelled on me twice.” He took his usual spot on the couch.

“So?”

“So, that isn’t like you.”