But before I can say another word, the bell rings. Lunch is officially over, so I’m going to be eating this sandwich to go. “See you later, Hudson,” I say. “Thanks for the sandwich.”
He opens his mouth as if to say something else, but before he can, I dash off in the direction of math class. I’m hoping to arrive with at least a few minutes to eat my sandwich before class starts.
By some miracle, I land in my seat right before the next bell is set to ring. My stomach lets out a little growl, and I put my sandwich down on the desk and unwrap it. I have about two and a half minutes left to devour this.
“Addie!” Mrs. Bennett’s sharp voice interrupts me before I can take a bite. “No food in my classroom. Put that away.”
“I just need to finish this sandwich,” I explain.
There is a smattering of giggles, but Mrs. Bennett does not look amused. Not that I was trying to be amusing. I just want my freaking sandwich. “Put it away, Addie.”
“But I didn’t have lunch!”
“Whose fault is that?” She sighs loudly. “The bell is going to ring any second. Put the sandwich away.”
I weigh my options, trying to figure out if it’s worth it to gobble down the sandwich even if she’s yelling at me not to. If I do it after she scolded me, she’ll probably send me to the principal. And I’m already skating on thin ice with Mrs. Bennett. Because of that zero on the midterm, she has every right to fail me, and even though I’ve been going to tutoring sessions, a miracle isn’t going to happen here. If I pass the class, it will be with a D.
Mrs. Bennett is legitimately a terrible person, and I’m not saying that just because of my relationship with Nathaniel, although he has told me a lot of things about her that have made me like her even less.
She’s a terrible cook.
She hardly ever smiles at him or says anything kind.
She has this obsession with shoes. He says she’s constantly buying expensive shoes, even though they can’t afford it. Even if he did divorce her someday, he wouldn’t have any money left because she has spent it all on shoes. And the weird part is her shoes aren’t even that nice! They’re, like, just ordinary shoes.
And now she won’t let me eat my lunch.
The bell hasn’t even rung yet, and if she had just let me eat, that turkey sandwich would be in my belly right now. Instead, my insides feel completely hollow, and I don’t know how I’m going to concentrate. She didn’t care about that though. Not that I would expect it.
I asked Nathaniel once if he would consider leaving her. He said it would be difficult. He said it would be very unlikely that she would let him go. He said he thinks he might be stuck with her for the rest of their lives.
I wish it didn’t have to be this way, believe me, he told me. I wish I could be with you all the time instead of her.
It’s not fair. It’s not fair that such a terrible woman is married to the greatest guy I’ve ever met, and she doesn’t even appreciate him. Yet she’ll never let him go.
Honestly, I hate Mrs. Bennett.
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Chapter Forty-Three
EVE
DINNER WITH SHELBY and her husband seemed like a good idea when we scheduled it, but I had a miserable time.
When I first started working at the high school, Shelby and I were close. But since then, she married a wealthy tech genius husband, and now she’s got a three-year-old son who is all that she can talk about. Throughout the entire meal, Justin couldn’t keep his hands off Shelby, which brought more attention to the fact that Nate didn’t seem to even want to touch me. The only positive is that at least Nate isn’t balding like Justin is, although I actually find bald heads sort of sexy.
So I am incredibly glad when Shelby says she has to get back for the babysitter and declines dessert. Nate looks relieved as well, although he was doing a great job holding up his end of the conversation. One thing the two of us apparently agree on is that we hate socializing.
I walk Shelby and her husband to the door, and the two of us linger on the porch to say our private goodbyes while Justin goes ahead and starts the car. Shelby reaches out to give me a hug, even though I don’t feel in a hugging mood right now. I’m just waiting for her to leave.
“That was so fun,” Shelby gushes. “Honestly. We should do it again soon.”
“Definitely,” I lie.
“I better get going.” She looks down at her watch. “The babysitter kicks up such a fuss if we’re late. You’re so lucky you don’t have to deal with that. Although I bet you will soon!” She giggles. “How is that going anyway?”