“That’s using the old noodle,” she said, doing her best to sound pleased.
And then, because her suspicions were on high alert, she asked, “Exactly what does Callie need help with?”
At the question, Spencer’s smile faded. From his body language, Hope knew he was reluctant to tell her.
“Nothing big, just some back-end coding that’s a little beyond what she can do…It’s not a big deal.”
Hope wasn’t sure she believed him. “You’re sure that’s all?”
“Yeah.” He paused, as if wanting to change the subject. “I’m going to take her in the car my dad and I have rebuilt. It’s a classic.”
Hope suspected Callie wouldn’t have any appreciation for the car, not when Scott drove a newer-model BMW. Again, she resisted the urge to burst his bubble. She feared Spencer wouldn’t want to hear it, and she wanted to be careful not to overstep.
“I thought you’d be pleased. You were the one who…you know, who encouraged me.”
“I am excited for you,” she said, forcing enthusiasm into her voice.
“I wanted you to know how much your advice helped.”
Hope wanted to be pleased for the young man, but she had doubts. Callie may have agreed to attend the dance with him, but she still completely ignored Spencer in the two classes they shared. She had to wonder if this homecoming date was actually going to happen.
Spencer left the counseling office with a happy bounce to his steps. Hope slumped onto her chair, fearful of the ramifications that were sure to follow. Callie’s relationship with Scott was obviously tempestuous, but the last time she saw them together, they were all over each other. Scott likely wouldn’t take kindly to this development.
Unsure what she could do, Hope closed her eyes and prayed for wisdom. Before she left the school, she had a bit of paperwork she needed to turn in to the office. As she headed in that direction, she could hear raised voices, followed by a loud banging sound. Afraid someone might be hurt, Hope quickened her pace. To her dismay, she found Spencer slammed up against a row of steel lockers. Scott Pender, the football quarterback and Callie’s on-again-maybe-off-again boyfriend, had Spencer pinned there with his forearm securely lodged across Spencer’s throat.
Horrified, Hope rushed forward.
“Scott,” she shouted. “Release Spencer this minute.” The star athlete was a good four inches taller than Spencer and probably had thirty to forty pounds on him.
Angry and red in the face, Scott glared menacingly at Hope before he reluctantly did as she asked. As if turning on a light switch, his demeanor instantly changed. He laughed and looped his arm around Spencer’s shoulders like they were the very best of friends.
Spencer immediately gasped. His hands went to his throat, as it took him a moment to recover enough to breathe again.
Hope was furious and had trouble hiding her irritation. She calmed herself. “Scott, I understand you’re upset. The girl you thought was your date has chosen someone else. That, however, doesn’t give you the right to attack Spencer. You need to come to the office with me to see Dean Wilcox.”
“Aw, come on, Teach, we were just horsing around. It didn’t mean anything, did it, Spencer?” Scott glared at the other boy, daring him to contradict.
“He’s right,” Spencer said, shaking off the other boy’s arm and stepping away. “It was nothing.”
“See,” Scott said, grinning like he’d just won the lottery. “All good here.”
“It didn’t look like nothing to me,” Hope protested, unwilling to ignore Scott’s aggressive behavior. She could only guess what might have happened if she hadn’t come upon them when she did.
Spencer’s eyes connected with hers, silently pleading for her not to make an issue out of this. She returned his look, and while she would have liked to comply, she was unwilling to let this go. Spencer gave his head a small shake as if to say reporting Scott to the dean would only make matters worse for him.
A moment of tense silence followed. Looking from one boy to the next, she noticed the heated look Scott aimed at Spencer. They were like two gunslingers outside of the O.K. Corral. This was exactly what Hope feared would happen. Spencer was out of his depth. Furthermore, she didn’t trust Scott.
Hope didn’t need a fortune-teller to understand the situation. Scott believed he would be taking Callie to homecoming. It was expected. Scott was a shoo-in as homecoming king. Callie would be giving up the key position as his date if she went with Spencer instead of Scott.