Tutoring my Rival Boy novel · Chapter 6 of 24

Chapter 6: A Quiet Price

For a moment, neither of them moved.

The flashlight shook slightly in Chris's hand.

He had pictured this a hundred times, and in every picture he had a speech.

Now he had none.

"Get out," he said.

"Chesbro."

"Get out of here, Ashgrove."

"I will. Put the light down first. You're blinding me."

Chris lowered the flashlight an inch.

Leander climbed the last rung and sat on the floor of the loft, as far from him as the space allowed.

His knees almost touched the roof.

"How did you find this place?" Chris said.

"I followed you."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight." Leander didn't meet his eye. "You ran out like the building was on fire. I wanted to see where."

"You followed me to my home."

"Is it your home?"

The question was not mean.

It was almost gentle, and that made it worse.

Chris put the flashlight down and crossed his arms over his knees.

"It's my bed," he said.

"I can't pay board. The Hale Fund quit. I have a room in Fenn House, I just can't afford to live in it."

"So you sleep in a boat shed."

"It has a roof."

"It has a hole in the roof. I saw the water stain."

"It's fine."

"It's thirty degrees."

"It's thirty-eight."

Leander made a short sound that was nearly a laugh, then stopped.

Chris stared at the floorboards.

He knew exactly how the next minute would go.

Leander would tell the dean, or worse, Bradford.

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