Watching You Read online

  So with peace of mind for now, I set out for the rest of the day with the student tech crew, and eight hours later the day is gone.

  “Remind me why I signed up for tech crew?” Sharon, the girl beside me bitches.

  “Because it’ll look good on your college apps.” I drag my tired body across the polished tile and gleaming wood of the dorm hall. For me, the scholarship requires it.

  “Right.” Sharon yawns. “That. Do you realize we unboxed, set up, wired, and installed fifty computers today?”

  “You counted?”

  “Yeah, I counted. My body’s screaming. Wish these dorms had bathtubs. I’d so be in one right now.”

  “And classes start first thing in the morning.”

  Sharon groans. “Don’t remind me.”

  I let myself into my room. “See you later.”

  “Four Motrin, here I come.”

  I wave as I click my door closed. I don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted.

  With the biggest sigh in history, I slip off my shoes and moan with pleasure. I glance across the tile floor to the empty twin bed that’s supposed to belong to my roommate. Maybe she decided not to come.

  Sitting on the floor, I stretch my legs toward the ceiling and prop them on the wall, like I’ve seen my momma do a million times after being on her feet all night.

  Closing my eyes, I allow my mind to drift to my old life. Little ole Viola from that family. Well, I’d shown all of them, hadn’t I? No one had expected me to actually win the scholarship. How many people had told me I wasn’t good enough?

  Too many.

  But my momma and my good friend Levi had believed in me. So had my Algebra II teacher, Mrs. Nowicki. I smile. She’s one of the ones who wrote me a recommendation letter to this place.

  Levi. My smile gets bigger. I miss him. My ex-boyfriend, Manny, hated when I talked to Levi on the phone. In fact one time, Manny even forbade me to talk to Levi. I never really got it. It’s like Manny was jealous or something. Then again, he’d done a lot of that over the year we’d dated—telling me where to go, what to do, and who I could and couldn’t hang out with.

  But I’ve never once thought of Levi in that way. We grew up together in the projects and were always more brother and sister than anything. Now, though, Levi plays keyboards for the indie group, Bus Stop. When he started making money, he moved his family into a beautiful home in one of the best neighborhoods in our hometown. That’s what I want, too. I want to make good money and take care of my family.

  I sigh again, wiggling my numb, cool toes, and rotating over, I reach for my phone. My ex no longer controls my life. I can talk to whomever I damn well please. Starting with Levi.

  “Viola!” he yells on the second ring.

  I laugh. “Hey!”

  “Oh my God. I forget how crazy our hometown is.”

  “Oh, man. You’re home?”

  “Yeah, we got a break from the tour, so I came back here to check on everyone.”

  “I wish I was there.”

  “Me, too,” he agrees. “I could use a Zesto run.”

  Zesto makes the best banana splits, and me and Levi have shared way too many of them over the years.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Levi says. “My little sister got pregnant by that stupid idiot she’s been dating.”

  I roll my eyes. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  “Ugh. I can’t stand him. And boy, oh boy, is Mom pissed.”

  “I bet.” I know Levi’s mom well, and she put his sister on birth control when she was thirteen. She also put condoms in her purse on a regular basis so this exact thing wouldn’t happen. So, yeah, his mom is pissed.

  “Hey, have you been ’round to see my momma yet?” I ask.

  “Yep. She’s doing good. I went and saw her at the club last night before she went on.”

  For all her faults, Momma never misses a night of stripping. “How ’bout the twins?”

  “They’re good,” he assures me. “I can’t believe they’re in kindergarten.”

  “I know.” I smile, thinking of their matching toothless grins.

  “Your older sister’s still keeping her distance.”

  “Good.” The last thing Momma needs to deal with is my older sister and her meth friends coming around and stealing from her again. “Hey, did Momma tell you if he’s been around lately?”

  “Which bastard you referring to? Your dad, your ex, the twins’ dad, your older sister’s dad? Or the many exes of your momma?”

  If the students around this place knew what I came from. “You know what, never mind. As long as everyone’s safe.” Because it hasn’t always been that way.

  “Yes, all good,” he assures me again. “Hey, you want to hear something weird that happened?”

  “Do tell.”

  “Remember that girl Rachel who graduated a couple of years before you? She dated Manny before you did?”

  Of course I remember Rachel. She’d been horrible to me the whole year Manny and I went out. Stirring up gossip. Even keyed my momma’s old car. “Yeah, I remember.”

  “They found her dead.”

  I blink. “Did you say dead?”

  “Yeah, about an hour south in the woods behind some convenience store. Somebody had beaten her senseless and strangled her.”

  “Oh my God,” I murmur. I never liked Rachel, but dead? Jesus. “Any idea who did it?”

  “No, nothing yet.”

  Rachel has a brother a couple years younger than me. He was always a sweet and quiet boy, and despite Rachel being a raving bitch to pretty much everyone, she was kind to her brother. Remembering that sends a pang of sorrow through me. “Will you keep me posted?”

  “Of course.”

  Chapter Four

  I fall asleep right on the floor, and the next morning I wake to the sounds of girls shuffling up and down the halls. My nerves immediately frazzle. I lay for a second, just breathing. This is it. My first day. Everything I’ve worked for. The start of my new future. I can do this. I will do this.

  One last deep breath, and I’m up and off the floor.

  I get myself ready, dressing in the required blue pencil skirt, white blouse, and tapered black jacket. My scholarship came with a clothing allowance. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be able to afford to dress this way. I bet most of the students around here hate the required code. I like it. It makes me feel smart and like I belong to an elite group.

  Too nervous for breakfast, I go straight to my economics class.

  I choose a seat in the back, and after looking through the assignment I printed and did off Blackboard, I sit back and do some more breathing as I glance out the bank of windows.

  The building I’m in is the closest one to the coastal highway, and across the two-lane road sits a small junior high school. I watch busses and parents drop their kids off for the first day of school.

  I think of the twins and smile. I’ll miss them this year. But this will pay off for the whole family in the long run.

  Momma doesn’t like stripping, and I want nothing more than for her to be able to stop. I want to see my sisters grow up to be great girls. To see them out of public housing and into a real place. To help my sisters go to college if they want. To—

  I stop myself and take another breath.

  Go to classes, study hard, and keep this scholarship. That’s what I need to stay focused on.

  Someone else comes into class, and we exchange a small smile. He opens his textbook, making it clear he doesn’t want small talk, and I go back to gazing out the window. Anticipation tickles through me, and I bounce my knee. Class needs to start already!

  An old battered Jeep pulls into the parking lot. Riel steps out of the driver’s door, and my stomach gets these little butterflies. He’s wearing blue dress pants, a red tie, and a black jacket. He cut his dark hair since the last time I saw him, getting rid of the curled tips. Too bad, I liked those tips.

  Unfortunately, I’ve always been attracted to
the “bad” boy look, but his clean-cut prep is definitely doing it for me.

  The passenger side opens and a young girl jumps down. She must be his sister. With their matching olive skin and dark hair, they look just alike.

  He leans down in front of her and says something. She nods. He hands her a green and yellow book bag, and she slings it over one shoulder. Together, they walk away from the academy and across the coastal highway to the junior high school.

  She seems so small next to Riel. So small for junior high. Then again, I was a small girl at that age.

  They reach her school and she says something to Riel. He motions back to the Jeep. She shakes her head. He gives her a gentle push toward the door and sprints back across the highway, onto the academy’s grounds, and jumps into his Jeep.

  Even through the windows I hear his tires squeal as he peels out.

  More students enter economics. Dr. Carter, our teacher, finally comes in and begins class. Fifteen minutes in, I glance out the window again to see Riel’s Jeep brake to a squealing stop, and he bolts toward the academy.

  Seconds later, he wrenches open the door to the classroom, and I sit straight up. He’s in this class?

  “Perdóname,” he says and quickly takes a seat.

  I take Latin, not Spanish, but I still know he just apologized.

  As Riel pulls out his binder, he glances around the room and catches sight of me sitting in the back. I expect his eyes to flash with surprise, but they don’t. Then I remember he’s my mentor; he’s probably seen my schedule. I should probably smile or something in greeting. He should probably, too. But for whatever reason neither of us do. Did he find out something about me that I don’t want him to?

  He does smile, then, politely, and my lips quiver up into the same. The girl behind him leans up and whispers something into his ear. He spares her a cursory glance as he turns from me and tunes into Dr. Carter.

  “So with that aside,” the teacher says, “please take out your first assignment.”

  Everyone glances around, and although no one says anything, I guess their thoughts. First assignment?

  “Ah,” Dr. Carter goes on. “I see no one went to Blackboard in preparation for their first day.”

  “I have mine, sir.” I lift my printed packet in the air, trying not to come across as a total brown-noser.

  Dr. Carter looks around the fifteen other students sitting in the class. “Only one then?” He tsks. “Too bad. That was worth a good starting five points, and, Viola, five more if you’re willing to present.”

  I wasn’t expecting a presentation on the first day, but ten points? I can’t pass that up. “Yes, sir.”

  I pray no one sees me shaking as I make my way to the front of the class. I was on the debate team. I know how to speak in public. Just take your time and think about what you want to say, I remind myself. A few sentences in and you’ll be just fine. But this isn’t my old high school’s debate team. This is Ponce de Leon Academy.

  I clear my throat and make myself speak before I lose my nerve. “I made copies for everyone.”

  “Great!” Dr. Carter compliments me.

  Riel stands and takes them from me and hands them out without Dr. Carter having to ask. When Riel’s done, he sits back down and immediately opens his own copy. Quickly, he flips through several pages, and I get this weird feeling he’s looking for a mistake.

  I think through things, second-guessing myself. No. I did a thorough job. I know I did.

  I clear my throat again. “I’ve put together comparisons from different vendors on the equipment and software the academy still needs. I’ve rated them based on their prices, warranties, reputation, and I’ve also included my recommendations.”

  Riel lifts his hand, interrupting. “I don’t see any local vendors here. They’re all out of town. The academy prefers to support the local economy.”

  So he was looking for a mistake. I don’t get offended though, because it’s exactly what I would do. “Actually, two of the five companies have local offices. If we order nationally though, we’ll get a better price. They’ll filter the products through the local branches, and our community will get the business.”

  He scans the graphs again and nods, and I walk the class through the rest of the economics assignment. When I finish, I take my seat, and quietly listen as the class begins discussing my data.

  Riel’s voice draws my focus, and I watch him peruse my report with the girl behind him. The one who whispered in his ear.

  Why his hands catch my attention, I can’t exactly say. But they’re perfect hands. Strong and tanned. His legs were the same. I’m sure the rest of his body is, too.

  The cuffs of his shirt, stark white against his skin, peek out from beneath his jacket. Muscles and veins play across the tops of his hands as he shuffles through my papers. I get a quick flash of those hands on me. Grasping my face as he moves in for a long, sensual kiss.

  “Comprehensive, Viola. Nicely done,” Dr. Carter says.

  I snap my fantasizing gaze away from Riel’s hands and up into his eyes. He arches a brow like he suspects what I was just thinking, and my face flushes hot.

  I reposition my glasses and clear my throat. “Thank you, Dr. Carter.”

  What am I doing daydreaming about Riel? This is not why I am here. I will maintain focus. No distractions allowed, especially not boys, or rather one in particular—Riel.

  Chapter Five

  What a first day of classes!

  Spinning in a circle, I let out a happy squeal. Ponce de Leon Academy is everything I expected. And more!

  I toss my books onto my bed and glance again at the empty mattress across the room. How odd that my roommate hasn’t shown up yet. I know I have one. The office told me I do. It’s just weird she isn’t here yet. Although, after sharing a bedroom with my sisters, it is nice to have a little space. Hey, maybe I’ll get lucky and my roommate won’t show and I’ll have a private room for the year. Sweet.

  Though, I don’t want to be isolated. I do want to make friends.

  A knock sounds on my door and I frown. Maybe the roommate did show up after all. I go to open it.

  “Hey,” several girls greet in unison, all dressed in new bikinis with fancy cover-ups and designer flip-flops. Immediately, I tense. These are the types of girls who made high school back home hell for me and so many others.

  I recognize them all from classes today. What are they doing at my door?

  “Heading to the beach,” one says with flat-ironed, high-lighted hair and a big yellow hat. “Want to come with?”

  Wait a minute, they’re inviting me? This is a first.

  “We don’t bite,” a redhead says, and I chuckle. I guess I am being a little standoffish.

  “Well.” I look over my shoulder to the stack of books, mentally going through my assignments. I was planning on going to the library.

  “Bring ’em.” A really tall girl in the back holds up a book bag. She’s got her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. I think I remember her name is Abbie. She’s in my calculus class. Good Lord, she’s got to be over six feet tall. I can’t remember the last time I saw such a tall girl.

  “I’ll be studying, too,” she says.

  “All right,” I agree. “Meet y’all there.” A few hours on the beach will be the perfect celebration to a great day one. I’ve barely been to the beach, and I’ve been here a whole week, and…I was just thinking I wanted to make some friends. They seem nice enough.

  Plus, didn’t I tell myself I would be different here? No one knows the old me. Clean slate. I can reinvent myself. I can be whoever I want to be.

  A few minutes later, I stand in front of the mirror attached to the back of the door, examining my years-old bikini. I turn from right to left, checking out my body.

  You could stand to lose about ten pounds. Manny had told me that right after the first time we had sex. I’d been mortified. At five-foot-two and 130, I’m not skin and bones. I never have been. But to think I even tried
to lose weight after that. I’m so glad that part of my life is over.

  Taking my glasses off, I throw on an oversized tee and head out the door. I don’t look all put together like those girls, but I’m me. If they expect me to look like them, then I guess their friendship isn’t that important after all.

  Yes, I do like the new me.

  I take a path that winds through campus, past the classroom buildings and dorms, around the tennis courts and stables, and open the wrought-iron gate that leads to the academy’s private boardwalk out to the beach. I can’t believe I’m here. I really can’t. Gorgeous campus. Elite program. Private academy. All on a full-ride scholarship. Someone seriously pinch me.

  Coming to the end of the boardwalk, I key in the code for the beach gate and let myself through. I slip my plastic flip-flops off and step onto the white sand. Warmth permeates my toes and I smile.

  “Over here,” the tall girl with the book bag yells, and I head over. “My name’s Abbie.”

  “I thought so. My name’s Viola.”

  “Yeah, I know. Heard you’re a brain.”

  I smile. “I can hold my own.”

  She motions to all the other girls, earbuds in, stretched out sunbathing. “They don’t come to the beach for homework.” She pats the towel beside her, inviting me to sit.

  I slip my tee off and take a seat on the towel, and she doesn’t even seem to notice my raggedy old bikini. Feeling more comfortable now, I say, “Well, anytime you want a study partner, just let me know.”

  Abbie gives me a genuine smile. “Thanks. You know, you’ve totally got the Katy Perry thing going on.”

  Because of my blue eyes, fair skin, and dark hair, everyone tells me that. “Yeah, I’ve heard that a time or two.”

  Abbie motions to her spread-out books. “Well, not to be rude, but I need to dig in.”

  “Oh, sure.” I turn away and for a few seconds just sit, watching the sun sparkle on the water and the waves lap to shore. It doesn’t get much better than this.

  Momma took me and my sisters to a beach in North Carolina once. The twins found a jelly fish washed ashore and Momma freaked out that they’d get stung. Nothing happened, of course. It was dead. But boy, did Momma screech.