Page 61 of Left on Read

Only … there are too many sets of feet clustering around me, suddenly. I look up, but only because I recognize one pair of those brown leather Chelsea boots.

“What’s going on?” I ask Hayes. He’s almost ruthlessly calm. He doesn’t answer my question, but I see determination in the set of his shoulders. In the furrow of his eyebrows.

Everyone’slooking at me, becauseeveryone’shere. I meet each and every gaze. That same determination is present in all of them, and I’m beginning to feel like I’m not in on the joke. (It’s not an unusual feeling for me, but I don’t love it.)

Professor Lowry comes out of her office down the hall. My gut drops at the sight of her. Such a small woman. And yet, she eviscerated me two days ago. My heart was butter, and she held a hot knife. As she steps closer, I try to feel something other than my intense heartbreak. Some shred of anger. Some morsel of indignity.

Lowry stops abruptly. Her zebra-print chiffon skirt swishes around her ankles. She’s a whole zoo. It should be so unbelievably ridiculous to be intimidated by someone who looks like this. Like a cartoon Disney villain.

“What’s going on here?” she asks, only meetingmyeyes. I wish I had an answer for her.

Olivia’s expression as she looks at the professor is menacing in a way that’s mildly terrifying. I reach out for Hayes. It’s a reflex. My fingers land on his elbow. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

“None of us are going back to your class,” she says. I gasp, because that was the absolute last thing I thought she’d say.

The pieces start to fall together into a horrible picture where this is all about me.

“Not until you apologize to Nova.” Brittany joins Olivia, shoulder to shoulder. Arms crossed. Feet planted.

“Yeah, we all know that you said someawfulstuff to her,” Kelsey adds, her eyes blazing. “We’re thinking about complaining to the dean.”

The whole class has closed ranks in front of me. I can’t see Lowry’s expression from where I stand, not through the wall of humanity and hair bows. Hayes squeezes my hand.

Lowry laughs. It’s bitter and dark. This is just unreal.

She takes a couple of steps closer to us all. I can see her now. Her eyes are glassy, as if she’s been taken over by a kind of anger I don’t think I’ve ever seen. Somewhere deep in my chest, the remnants of my heart shatter again. Shards flutter down to the pit of my stomach and leave my insides bleeding in their wake.I don’t know what I did that made her hate me this much.

“You—” She points at me.

I hear footsteps. Heels on linoleum. Lowry does too, and she stops talking. Iknowthose footfalls; the cadence of those clacks is familiar.

Hayes smiles. We’re standing so close that I can physically feel the victory rolling off of him in waves, and time seems to slow down.

“Dr. Lowry,” I hear Mrs. Jacobs say.

Hayes winks at me. I still don’t know what’s happening here, but I suddenly feel a thousand times better about it. Some of the shards of my heart start to sparkle.

“If you have anything more to say to my student, I suggest you say it to me first. In your office. Now.” Her heels continue to clack all the way to Lowry’s door, and as if compelled by magic, Lowry follows.

I nearly sag to the floor in relief. My body feels like it’s held together with wet cement. As the door to Lowry’s office slams, a cheer goes through our little circle.

“What the fuck just happened?” I ask no one in particular.

Hayes chuckles, and I feel myself smile in response.

“I called for backup.” His hands move to my shoulders, and he turns me to face the rest of the class.

Olivia comes up to me first, and I shock us both. I hug her. I’m not sure what possessed me to do that, but I don’t really have words for how grateful I am for what she just did. So this seemed like the next best thing. I hug her and Kelsey and Brittany, and I thank everyone else with as much sincerity as I have left in what feels like the hollowed-out hull of my soul. After that, everyone drifts away, smiling, since, obviously, there won’t be class.

Finally, it’s just me and Hayes in a silent, empty hallway. He tugs on my hand, and I follow him into the equally silent, empty classroom.

“Did you really organize the troops?” I ask, even though Iknow he did. There’s no other plausible explanation, plus his pride in his scheming is obvious. He isbeaming.I almost regret how I’ve contributed to inflating his ego, but I’m pretty sure it was worth it.

“Yeah.” We sit down in our regular seats, and I throw my legs over his lap, resting my heels on the edge of his chair.

“Yeah? That’s it?” I use my heels to scoot him closer to me. “Care to elaborate?”

“I told you, I called for backup. She can’t talk to you like that.” He shrugs. Everything always seems so simple when he explains it. I bet he could try to teach me the general theory of relativity and I’d get it.