Chapter 2

Mrs Iverson was your typical maths teacher with mousy brown hair pulled back from her face in a ponytail and thin-rimmed glasses,which she always looked over when she was giving a telling off.

That’s exactly how she looked now,stood in the doorway with her glasses halfway down her nose,her eyes fixed upon us as though she knew exactly what was going on.

“Everything is fine,Mrs Iverson,”Lola said all too sweetly as she straightened up and offered our teacher a butter-wouldn’t-melt smile.

“Then,class,please take your seats.”Mrs Iverson swept into the room and placeda pile of books on her desk at the front of the room.Even the students who had been milling about took to their assigned seats.

“This isn’t over,”Lola vowed as she turned to go to the back of the class,not missing out on stamping on my foot as she went.

I barely managed to hold in the squeal of pain that shot up my foot,but I was relieved that the tingling sensation began to ease off as soon as she moved away.

Maths class that usually dragged on forever because I hated it seemed to be over alltoo quickly.

I spent the entire hour with my nose in my work,half-listening to Mrs Iverson,and half-trying to avoid catching Lola’s eye.

It wasn’t that I was scared of her.In fact,I was pretty sure it was the other way around.It was because of the fact I had no intention of falling out with my best friend because some Paris Hilton wannabe was a jealous freak.

When the bell rang,I had mentally prepared myself for whatever crap Lola was about to throw my way.

What I didn’t expect was for Mrs Iverson to hold me back as the rest of the class made their way from the room.

I was so stunned by her calling my name,so focused on my soon to come confrontation with Lola,that I almost dropped the maths book I carried in my arms to take back to my locker.

“Have you got a minute?”Mrs Iverson asked as soon as the door closed behind the last student.

“I really should be getting ready for PE.”I threw my thumb over my shoulder as if pointing to the gym clothes I had in my locker in the hall.Not that she could see them from all the way in here.

“I won’t keep you long,”Mrs Iverson promised,looking over her glasses with an‘it was an order,not a request’look in her brown eyes.

With a sigh,I stepped away from the door and walked up to her desk.She sat with herelbows on the surface,and her hands clasped together in front of her face.

“What is going on between you and Miss Richards?”

Sheesh.Mrs Iverson didn’t beat around the bush.

“Nothing,”I responded far too quickly and felt my cheeks beginning to flare up.

For a redhead like me,blushing was just about the worst thing I could do.There was no way of hiding it with my pasty,ghost complexion.

“Come on,you students might think we teachers are stupid,but I know trouble when I see it,and there’s definitely been tension between you and Lola for the last fewmonths.”

That’s probably because Lola had begun dating my best friend two months ago.I know it’s weird to know exactly how long your friend has been dating someone,but when that someone is as much of a cow as Lola Richards,you practically begin scratching the days into your bedroom wall.

“It’s nothing.”I insisted,gritting my teeth until my jaw felt as though it might break.

The last thing I wanted to do was get a teacher involved,even if that teacher was askind as Mrs Iverson.Telling her what was going on would only make things worse.

She didn’t look convinced,but I was relieved when she didn’t push me any further.

Perhaps that was only because the bell for the second period suddenly rang,but still,I was relieved all the same.

“You had better get going,or you’ll be late for PE,”Mrs Iverson insisted with awave of her hand.

Too late.All the other girls would already be dressed and on their way out of the changing rooms by now.

Miss.Eddings—or as we called her,Butch—would probably make me run laps for being late.

Great.Just what I needed.On top of Lola’s bitch fit,I was going to sweat my boobsoff on the track where all the boys in Mr.Wigan’s class could see me from the tennis courts.

Today was getting worse by the minute.

***

Just as I’d expected,Butch ordered me to give her five laps of the track while the other girls set up the gymnasium for our volleyball class.