Page 77 of Never Been Matched
There must be a million of them. Or thirty. Carter is herding them into the room, directing them to drop their bags over by the bleachers and meet where Audrey and I are in the center of the room.
Despite his words, the kids scatter in every direction, a chaotic swirl of energy and excitement.
Then Spencer enters after holding the door open for the last few stragglers, scanning the room.
Our eyes lock.
I can’t look away. Dammit, it’s not fair that he looks so hot in the middle of my impending failure and eventual breakdown.
He’s been avoiding me since we made out last week.
Too quickly, the kids are gathering around us in the room. Audrey is chatting with a few of them, like she’s a natural. What the hell? How is that possible?
Everyone looks at me.
What am I supposed to do now?
Chapter Eighteen
Spencer
* * *
My gaze meets Vivien’s as soon as I cross the threshold into the gym and gets lodged there.
She’s like a lighthouse, illuminating any room she’s in, even when her face is drawn, and lines bracket her mouth. She’s staring down at her phone.
I frown. Something is wrong.
Carter corrals the rambunctious group of kids to line up and quiet down.
Audrey is crouching next to one of the shyer kids.
I make a beeline for Vivien’s direction. “Is everything okay?”
She slips her phone in her pocket, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”
“What do you need?”
She swallows. “Graham’s not here. He’s out of town, and I don’t know what to do.” She winces, cutting off her words and glancing over at Audrey.
My mind races.
If Graham is out of town, she will have to teach the class alone—or with Audrey, I guess—but I am not sure that will meet Beverly’s specifications. Not without confirming with the next letter, which I can’t do until she completes the task.
I wish I could fix this for her, but I can’t. I can’t get involved. But maybe I can ask . . . “Did the letter specifically state Graham had to be here? The movie one did, right?”
Her lips purse. “I can’t remember if this letter said Graham’s name, specifically, though. It said I have to share something I love, and that’s all I remember. I need to get the class started. What if this doesn’t count though? I’m out of time. Today was the last possible day I could do it.”
I reach out and squeeze her shoulder. “Just keep moving forward. It’s all you can do. We’ll figure it out together. Okay?”
She swallows and nods. “Okay.”
“We’ll have Carter stand in for him, just in case.” I have to act as a witness. But depending on what’s in that note exactly, maybe there will be wiggle room to allow someone else to step in. Beverly never would have intended to back Vivien into a corner.
“Fine.” She takes a breath and then straightens, squaring her shoulders. “Might as well make this as fun as I can for the kids.”
She walks directly into the fray. “Hey, everyone.” Her voice rings through the gymnasium. “I’m Vivien, and this is my sister, Audrey.”
