Page 161 of Shy Girls Can't Date Rockstars
“Are you going to tell your aunt what you saw?” Madison asks.
“Nope. I’m gonna drop this key near the side table where I found it, and plead ignorance.”
“You’re not going to stew on this all evening, are you?”
“If by stew you mean research scholarships and legal firms, then yes.”
Madison pouts, rubbing my arm. “This is a lot, Alice. Don’t stress yourself completely out.”
I notice the length in my spine, and my hands have become steady. “Compared to the hell I’ve already been through, this is nothing.”
Twenty-Nine
Tuesdaydisappearedinablur of determination and avoidance.
Madison dropped me off at school first thing in the morning. The guidance counselor only came to her office fifteen minutes before the first period, but I used every minute to my advantage. By the time I left her office, I had a printed document folded in my blazer pocket that felt more solid than anything I’ve held in weeks.
I avoided English by lingering in the library until the period was over. I avoided hallways where Ryder was likely to be and learned the school’s back routes.
Nobody noticed. Nobody said anything.
At Ashworth Academy, the easiest way to become invisible is to stop being interesting. Without Ryder acknowledging me in public, I’m halfway there.
When Madison dropped me back at Miranda’s after school, the house was empty. Ryder and Miranda were somewhere across town in rehearsals and meetings. I made myself a quickmeal and carried it upstairs to spend the evening drafting college essays until my eyes went square.
Wednesday at school was much the same, and when I walk back into Miranda’s house this afternoon, I march with the single-minded focus on getting upstairs and continuing where I left off yesterday.
“Good, you’re home.” Miranda falls into step beside me. “Ryder should be back from practice soon. Remember, you’re meeting him in the library for that new English essay.”
I keep walking. “I’m going upstairs.”
“Alice, we discussed this on Monday.”
“You discussed it,” I say. “I didn’t agree to anything.”
“Alice, the showcase is this Friday. I’ve already stretched the essay deadline around the band commitments. I need this taken care of.”
I stop and turn around before I reach the sitting room. “I understand that, but I have my own deadlines. My guidance counselor gave me an accelerated course load, and I need to stay on top of it.”
Miranda blinks. “Guidance counselor?”
“I’m getting back on track academically. It’s my priority.”
Something shifts in Miranda’s expression, too quick to read. She checks her watch with a slight frown. “I know you see Ryder as a slacker compared to you, especially since he hasn’t been at school the past two days. But you’re gifted, Alice. He needs your help.”
I stare at her. “He hasn’t been at school?”
“Extra rehearsal time,” Miranda says simply. “He’s been practicing solo, trying to rid some of those nerves.”
Two days. I’ve been contorting myself into back hallways and library corners for two days to avoid a person who wasn’t even there.
“The library,” Miranda says, gesturing down the hall. “One hour. Two at the most. That’s all I’m asking.”
“Miranda, I’m not doing it.” I grip my backpack straps and back away. “I’ve got my own future to think about, and I’m going upstairs to work on it.”
Miranda opens her mouth, and I brace for the smooth pivot that turns my refusal into something that was her idea all along. But then, from somewhere deeper in the house, comes the sound of voices I don’t recognize.
Two of them. A man and a woman, overlapping each other with enthusiasm and anticipation.
