Tutoring my Rival Boy novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: Nobody

Chris left Ashgrove Hall at seven-thirty in his own dried clothes, with Leander's sweatshirt folded in his bag.

He kept telling himself it was a favor that did not count.

It counted.

He could still feel the blazer on his shoulders.

He went to Fenn House, showered for real, and made it to first period with his hair still wet.

All morning, the words stayed with him.

You said my name.

He did not remember saying anything at all.

At lunch, Finley slid a tray across the table and gave him a long look.

"You have a weird face," Finley said.

"I do not."

"You have the face of a person who ate a lemon and liked it."

"I'm tired."

"You're glowing."

"I am not glowing, Finley."

"Fine, you're radiating. Is it Ashgrove?"

Chris dropped his fork.

"What?"

"Bradford says you came out of Ashgrove Hall this morning. In a hurry. Bradford says a lot of things."

"He's wrong."

"He says you spent the night there."

"I studied there. Late."

"Right." Finley chewed slowly. "Which is also a thing a person does at three a.m."

Chris stared at his food.

"He's a tutoring student," he said.

"That's all."

"Okay," said Finley, and he looked at Chris with kind, freckled doubt.

"I'm only asking if you're all right."

"I'm all right."

"Okay."

After lunch, Chris went to the library and spent twenty minutes failing to read.

Around two, he went to the lacrosse field to return a clipboard he had borrowed from the Field House supervisor.

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