Chapter 13: An Awkward Misunderstanding

"You wish. I have a family dinner planned, unfortunately." I hit send. Hopefully, that was right up my fake persona's alley, and he didn't get suspicious. This was the second time he had tried to get me to video chat. If he kept asking and I kept saying no, that might be the end of our fake social media rendezvous. "You're playing hard to get," he responded. The perfect response came to me immediately, of which I was super proud. "I am hard to get." That was it, and the response was perfect. I added the devil emoji to spice it up even more. It was thrilling how good at this I was becoming. "I love that" was all he said. He started to type and then stopped. "Don't you ever have family time too? Tell me about your parents." I replied, feeling more confident. "Mom's a lawyer, Dad's in real estate investment. They are the best at what they do," he responded, simple and to the point. "Nice. Do you get just about everything you want?" I asked, curious because it seemed like he could get whatever he wanted even without asking. "Sometimes. It's mostly my sister, Emma. They spoil her because she's the youngest," he replied. I was shocked to learn he had a sister. "So you've got that older brother vibe going. I like that. Are you two close?" I hit send. I didn't remember Hannah saying he had a sister. "My parents are either working or taking long trips without us, so it's usually just her and me. I take care of her way better than myself though." He added a sideways face. I was not sure how to interpret that other than he realized he needed to do better. "How old is Emma?" I wondered how many questions he would answer before he logged off. Every day I was learning something about him, whether it was through this fake account or in real life. "Barely sixteen, she's a sophomore and much smarter than I am," he explained. "That's cool. It's nice that you have each other. Although it sucks that your parents are gone all the time. My mom is always home. It feels like I'm also an only child," I responded, realizing I shouldn't give too much of my true self away. Speaking of, I realized I made a fake excuse to avoid video chatting. I needed to get off here. "Well, I need to go now, family obligations. Talk later!" I hit send and logged out of the account immediately. I didn't even wait for him to respond this time. I slept well knowing I was upping my game in real life and the land of social media. It was also nice getting to know him. The next day, I realized Chase was in every class but sleeping. Hannah and I were talking more about what we wanted to do over Halloween break. While a lot of things sounded fun, we couldn't settle on just a few things. Fifth period ended. I barely made it through the door when I heard my name called. "Miss Green, can you please hang back a moment?" I turned around to see my teacher standing at her desk. "Yes, Mrs. Felton. Is something wrong?" I worried that my latest assignment wasn't to her liking. I liked to think I was smart. I got good grades, and I knew I'd be able to get into any college I wanted, minus the financial factor, of course. I still got nightmares about failing though. I was a perfectionist when it came to my school work. She shifted a few papers around and took a seat, encouraging me to sit down as well. I chose the desk in front of hers. "You are very intelligent, have wonderful grades, and seem to be settling into this school very well. Am I right?" she asked. This was only making me more nervous. "I believe so. There have been some bumps, but I have made friends." I thought about Hannah and Chase while simultaneously shaking with anger over Courtney's and Luke's display in the hallway toward my things. "Yes, I know the popular crowd can be a handful. If I'm being frank, most of them won't amount to much. Not only for their grades but because of their poor attitudes." Her eyes drifted down. Disappointment filled the old lines on her face, but it seemed this was something teachers dealt with often. Some students succeeded while others failed, and sometimes that was a matter of choice. She cleared her throat. "Yes, well, anyway. There are a few students here that are not doing well but could change for the better with some encouragement from a peer," she explained. I nodded, not knowing where this was going. I was going to be late for my next class. As if reading my mind, she chirped up. "Don't worry, I will write you a pass for your next class. Anyway, I have noticed that you have become quite close with Mr. Handler and was wondering if you could encourage him to start acting right in class. Sometimes it helps hearing it from a pretty young thing instead of an old bat like me." She smiled at me kindly. There was a knock on the door. Chase was suddenly standing in the doorway. "Mr. Meyers sent me back to you. What did I do this time?" Chase asked, looking at me and then back at Mrs. Felton. She sighed and directed him closer. "Chase, I want you to focus on your grades more. Aria is a very good student, and we were discussing her giving you some pointers to stay on track, especially since you two seem to be close," she said, drawing blood to my cheeks out of embarrassment. Did she think we were dating? Chase laughed, looking between the two of us. "Look, I don't care if Aria is a good student. She has nothing to do with me. I don't need school to take me far. It's just not my thing. So thanks but no thanks." He waved her off. The words almost hurt, but I decided to ignore them. This wasn't personal. She did kind of put him on the spot in front of me. "Mr. Handler, come sit down. This is not just an issue in my class but with several others. It would be best if you had a tutor or another peer that had more evolved interests than the crowd you normally hang out with," she responded quickly. I suddenly felt like I should not be here and that this was one huge mistake. "Her?" He pointed at me. "Why her? Sorry, do you think we are dating or something? She has nothing to do with my grades, and who cares about good influences? Have you met my parents? I can do and go anywhere I want. What's the point of working toward something I already have?" His voice started to rise. I could almost see his blood pressure rising in his body. He was turning red. Mrs. Felton waved her hands back and forth. "No, no. Chase, sit down and calm down right now." She pointed to a seat next to me. He initially paused but then followed her finger to the seat. "Look, Mrs. Felton. Thanks, but I'm good. I don't need a tutor, and I don't need a girlfriend ever. Those are two things I just don't need or want in my life," he spat out. This comment hurt the most. I started to feel daggers in my heart. Maybe it was a panic attack or just pieces of my shattered heart spreading over my body. I stood up and ran out to the hallway. Mrs. Felton called my name, but I ignored her. Several seconds after I left, Chase came out too. I expected him to come after me and tell me it was all an act for Mrs. Felton, but that didn't happen. "Hey, Chase! Want to head to the concert with us tonight?" Courtney asked, slowing down in the hall to flash him a hundred-watt smile. She made me nauseous. Didn't she have a boyfriend somewhere? The anger on his face quickly turned to menace as he looked at me and then back at Courtney. "Yeah, that sounds good. I need to blow off some steam from this hell hole," he said, and they started to walk away. Courtney shifted her finger between me and Mrs. Felton's room. "What is this about?" she asked curiously, and he waved it off. "Nothing important. Just a huge misunderstanding. It's a funny story," he said, and they walk off back to their classes. Meanwhile, I was left fuming. This was the third time he has hurt me. I was feeling more anger than anything else. He didn't need to come for me the way he did, implying that dating me would be the worst thing ever.