The Education of Hailey Kendrick - Eileen Cook [54]
The door swung shut softly, separating us with a click.
23
I didn’t wait for Drew. By now I was becoming a seasoned pro. I didn’t need him to hold my hand. I dragged the cart out from the closet and started on the first classroom. If I didn’t get into Yale, I could always apply to work as a janitor. Someone had written notes on the white board with a regular marker. I rubbed it harder, but it didn’t make a dent. I pulled out the oily cleanser I’d seen Drew use.
“Hey, Prima Donna. I was waiting for you outside,” Drew said.
I didn’t look behind me and kept my focus on the board. “I want to finish up early if we can. I have a lot of homework.”
“That’s a shame. I was going to suggest sneaking you out of here after work and doing something fun.”
I made a noncommittal noise. My elbow was starting to hurt from the rubbing. I wasn’t built for manual labor. I wouldn’t make it long term as a janitor. Yet another future opportunity lost to me. “You know what I would consider fun? If you stopped calling me Prima Donna.”
“What? It’s Italian for ‘first lady.’”
“It means ‘stuck up,’ and you know it.” I glared at him over my shoulder.
“Wow. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the mop and bucket today. Better not let anyone see that expression. They’re going to start calling you Cruella De Vil on top of America’s least favorite heartbreaker.”
I dropped the cleanser. “What do you know about that?”
“Just what I read online. You didn’t mention that the boyfriend in question was some famous Hollywood star.”
“He’s not a star. His parents are.”
“I don’t know. I figure if the people on Entertainment Tonight have you on a first name basis, you count as a star.”
“What journalists do you know on a first name basis?” I asked, crossing my arms.
Drew raised an eyebrow. “Is this a trick question?”
“Do you find it tricky to answer?” I held my breath while I waited for him to respond. I searched his face, looking to see if I would be able to tell if he was lying. His eyes didn’t shift away, and he didn’t blush or act like I had caught him. It could mean he had nothing to do with it, or that he was a good liar.
“What are you getting at?” Drew asked.
“Did you sell my story to the magazines?”
Drew took a step back, his face registering shock. “You think I would do that?”
“Someone did.”
“Someone is also responsible for that ten-car pileup on the highway, but that also wasn’t me. Last I checked, I also didn’t start the war overseas, or have anything to do with the banking scandal or global warming. On the whole I’ve kept my nose pretty clean. If you’re looking for a full accounting, I’ll admit that when I was twelve I stole a Snickers bar from the local grocery. I’ve been known to speed in a school zone on occasion, and I’ve had a few underage beers, but never while driving. My mom would be right that I’m the guy who drinks almost the last of the milk from the carton and then sticks it back in the fridge, and she thinks I should make my bed.” Drew stopped, as if he was thinking about it. “I also once dissected my kid sister’s teddy bear. She considered it a case of murder, but I honestly wondered what was in there. I’d call it scientific curiosity gone awry. I thought I could put it back together. I was only eight, if that makes a difference.”
“When I was that age, I once dug up all the tulip bulbs my mom had buried in the garden. I put them in my closet. I think I thought they might grow in there,” I confessed.
“There you go. Neither of us is coming to this situation with clean hands.” Drew crossed the room so that our faces were mere inches apart, his eyes locked to mine. “I haven’t told anyone what you told me, and I wouldn’t. Not for money, not even if they asked me nice.”
I felt myself slump with relief. “Okay. I didn’t mean to accuse you.” All I needed was for him to be mad at me too.
“Nothing wrong with asking. Who else do you think could have done it?”
“One of the security