The Education of Hailey Kendrick - Eileen Cook [45]
“I told you. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing.”
“Uh-huh.” Drew smirked and looked out the window.
“It was,” I said.
“If that’s what you want to think, that’s fine with me.”
I crossed my arms and tapped my foot on the floor. “So you think it’s something else. You have some explanation for the whole thing. Go on, share your wisdom.”
Drew turned around so that his feet were on the floor and he was staring me straight in the eyes. “You kissed Joel as a way to break up with Tristan.”
I laughed and looked away. “Are you kidding me? Why would I want to break up with him? Tristan’s the perfect boyfriend. We’ve been together for years.”
“You’re not in love with him.”
“And you know how I feel better than I do? That’s amazing.” I couldn’t believe him. His brain must have been clogged with the amount of grease he’d consumed. He had bacon brain. “You must be some kind of psychic, since you know things about me that even I don’t know.”
“Tell me why you love him,” Drew said.
“You want a list, fine. He’s nice. I can depend on him. He’s very loyal.” I started ticking off items on my fingers.
“You make him sound like a cocker spaniel. That’s not love. That’s affection. He’s a habit. Deep down you want to break the habit, so you did the one thing you knew he wouldn’t be able to stand. You kissed someone else, and now you’re free. You’re scared to be off track, but I think you’re sick of always living in the lines. Maybe you wanted to explore what you might find if you wandered away from the tracks just a bit. Best part of being lost, you know, is discovering things you didn’t know you were looking for.”
Just my luck. In addition to his keen cleaning abilities and skill at rolling dice with Egyptian thieves, he was also a philosopher. “That’s absurd. I’m not sick of living ‘in the lines’ of my life. My life was going just fine before all of this.”
“Really? What about the situation with your dad?”
“A person can be disappointed in something without it meaning they want their entire life to be different.”
“Why didn’t you tell your dad that it wasn’t okay for him to ruin your summer by bailing on you?”
“It’s not that simple. He has to go. It’s his job.”
“Ah, slave labor program.” He laughed at my expression. “Don’t get yourself all riled up. All I’m saying is that people act like they’re stuck, when the truth is that they have a choice. Your dad doesn’t have to do that job, and you don’t have to be the good girl all the time. You don’t have to keep dating Tristan just because you did for years. If you want to be happy, then you have to make it happen.”
“Well, this has been very helpful,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Your words of wisdom will make all the trouble I’m going to get in for skipping worthwhile.”
Drew stood up, smiling. He was either ignoring my sarcasm or had missed it completely. “You’re welcome, but you’re going to get even more bang for your buck. I thought of something we can do.”
“I should go back.”
“You’re already in trouble. Might as well make it count. Besides, you’re going to love this.” Drew left some money on the table for the waitress and started walking out. He stopped at the counter and said something to the cook. The cook passed him two giant metal trays. They looked like cookie sheets on steroids.
“What are those for?”
“Wait and see.”
“Where are we going?” I trailed after him. I felt nervous; God only knew what he had planned.
Drew stopped to hold the door open. “Prima Donna, you cannot even imagine how much fun you’re going to have. But first I’m going to introduce you to another place I’m willing to bet you’ve never been to.” He paused for dramatic effect. “We’re going to Walmart. You’re going to love it. It’s like a redneck version of Harrods.”
20
Five hours later I sat outside Dean Winston’s office trying to ignore the glances his secretary kept shooting in my direction. I couldn’t tell if it was because she knew how much trouble I was in, or because of my outfit.
Drew had made all my fashion choices at Walmart. He’d decreed that my school uniform was not appropriate