Saving Sloan (Sloan Series Book 2) (14 page)

“I saw her throw it, Mrs. Knight,” Tanner, jerky jock-slash-druggie, said as he leaned back in his seat. “I think Saint Sloan was protesting your homework.”

There it was again. Saint Sloan. Would these people give it a rest? There wasn’t anything saintly about her.

“Saint Sloan?” Mrs. Knight raised a brow at Tanner. Apparently, she hadn’t heard about her nickname. Perfect. Time to drag out how she’d gotten it. Sloan shut her eyes and took a big deep breath while she fumbled with getting her pencil from the floor.

“Yeah,” Tanner answered brightly. “See, Sloan thinks she’s better than anyone and everyone. She’s saved, you know. A church type. And you know how sanctimonious and so clean-you-can-eat-off-of those types are.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.” Mrs. Knight inched closer to Tanner’s desk.

“And Sloan is the worst of all. She used to be a slut, as the kids call it nowadays. Then she found
Jesus,
and now we are all supposed to forget about her past.”

Mrs. Knight bit her lip. “Interesting.” She studied him over. “How many times did she turn you down?”

“Excuse me?”

Mrs. Knight spoke slower. “How many times did Sloan turn you down when you begged to sleep with her? Obviously, she did, or you wouldn’t be making fun of her so much.”

Ouch!

Sloan opened her eyes, taken aback by Mrs. Knight’s comments in a good way. No one had ever talked to Tanner that way. In fact, Sloan couldn’t remember any other time a teacher had said anything like that to anyone in class. Mrs. Knight was very smart too. She
had
turned Tanner down a few times when he was being drunk and stupid.

Everyone in the room waited for Tanner’s reply. “You can’t talk to me like that. My father’s on the school board.”

“Yes, I know your father. Had lunch with him just the other day during School Board Appreciation Week. He asked about you. A very nice man. A man who would hate to know his son was acting like a bully in my classroom.”

“You can’t say things like that to me.” Sloan had never heard laid-back Tanner, who would fit more in California than Tennessee, have such an edge to his voice. She pulled her pencil toward her with her toes. She grabbed it and sat up quickly. This exchange was better than a soap opera.

“And you can’t say things about Sloan or anyone else for that matter. Do you understand, or do you need more convincing?”

A noticeable
ahhh
went through the room. Who would have thought that little Mrs. Knight could be so intimidating?

“No, we’re good,” Tanner mumbled.

“What’s that? I didn’t hear you.” Mrs. Knight leaned farther down.

“I said we’re good,” Tanner grumbled bitterly.

“Good.” She smiled and turned back to the white board to finish writing their assignment for the night.

With Mrs. Knight’s back turned, Tanner glared at Sloan with an expression she’d never seen on his normally jovial face. Hatred would be the word to describe it. Hatred mixed with something she couldn’t place.

Darcy patted him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Whatever she’d said made Tanner stop staring her down and kiss Darcy on the cheek. That clinched it. She didn’t trust Darcy any more than she could throw her.

Ray placed his hand on Sloan’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It’ll be okay.” He whispered in her ear, sending chills down her arms. She told herself that she’d have the same reaction if anyone breathed in her ear, but she knew it wasn’t true. Ray was different. “Tanner’s just being Tanner.”

A few minutes later, the bell rang and everyone got their bags together. Sloan stood up and turned so she wouldn’t have to look at Tanner. She could feel him glare though. Drove her nuts.

Sloan had more important things to think about. “Have you heard from Aaron?”

“Haven’t checked,” Ray said as he pulled out his cell from his jean pocket.

How could he not have looked? If it had been her, she’d have checked every five seconds. “He texted about thirty minutes ago.”

Thirty minutes? Lord, please help her not choke him. She could have known who her stalker was thirty minutes ago! Way to go, Ray.

“What did he say?” she asked impatiently.

Ray read the text. “He wants to know when we have lunch. And if we can meet him outside on the yard to eat.”

“He has to wait! He couldn’t have just told you?”

“Guess not.” Ray fixed his thumbs over the keypad. “Can you meet him at lunch?”

“I can meet him now if he can,” she said impatiently. They needed to get this show on the road. No sense dragging it out.

Ray’s thumbs worked overtime. He put the phone back in his pocket and motioned for Sloan to move so they could go to second period.

“I can’t focus, you know,” she said. “I have to know.”

“I know, but I also know Aaron. Better than you do.” He averted her eyes. “And I know he won’t tell you what he knows until he’s ready. And I also know it must be something important for him not to text. He has to work tonight so he’s missing sleep to eat lunch with us.”

Sloan didn’t like the sound of that.

Before she could say anything, Ray shrugged. “Then again, maybe he just wants to see you again.” He walked past her and out the door before she could catch up.

She had no choice but to follow to see what Aaron texted back.

“Miss Bridges,” Mrs. Knight called from her desk. Sloan looked out the door and back at her, really wanting to catch up with Ray. “Can I see you a minute, please?”

Mrs. Knight had that tone to let her know it wasn’t a question. She expected her to stay a few minutes. It didn’t look good for her.

“Yes, ma’am.” Sloan walked over like a dog with its tail between its legs. Not literally, of course, but that’s how it felt.

“Saint Sloan, huh?” Mrs. Knight grinned.

Sloan cringed. “It’s a name Darcy stuck me with in August. I hate it.”

“I can tell. Can I give you some advice?”

Did she have a choice? “Sure.”

“Don’t let it bother you what Tanner says. In five years, you’ll barely remember him. Trust me. As for the church part, I go too.”

“You do?” For some reason, that surprised Sloan.

Mrs. Knight laughed. She’d never heard her laugh. “I don’t tell this to everyone. School policy and all, but yes, I do go to church. Every Sunday, even on Easter. And I know what people like Tanner think about us. The world thinks we are judgmental and hypocritical.”

“Hypocritical. Yes. I get that a lot, and I don’t mean to be. Honest. I don’t think I am, but I get called it a lot.”

Mrs. Knight nodded. “The only way we can change other people’s perception of Christians is to show them that we aren’t what they think. Get it? We prove we don’t think we are better than they because, I don’t know about you, but I
know
I’m not. I’ve known non-Christian people I’d love to act like simply because they have good attitudes and are very nice people. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you automatically stop making mistakes and everyone loves you.”

“Don’t I know it,” Sloan said sadly. As much as she liked talking to Mrs. Knight about this, she really needed to get to Trig.

“I heard something once, and this is totally off the record. I read it on the Internet. It said, ‘You are the only Bible some people will ever read’. Meaning…”

“Meaning I have to be nice and good even if I don’t feel like it.”

“Meaning…” Mrs. Knight corrected. “That you need to focus on living life the best you can, being nice to others, even those who don’t deserve it… turning the other cheek when someone makes fun of you for being Christian. Know that when you fail miserably, people will call you on it. People don’t forget, but if you ask God to forgive it, He will.”

A few students started walking in for second period. “And that, Miss Bridges, is my sermon for the day.”

“Very good sermon,” Sloan whispered, just in case Mrs. Knight didn’t want it getting around she was talking about God in school. She knew how much of a hot button topic it was and didn’t want to get her new favorite teacher in trouble. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Knight nodded as she changed from confidant to teacher by her hardening facial expression. “Have a good day. Do your homework. Don’t rely on Mr. Hunter this time.”

Sloan could have fallen over. Mrs. Knight just winked and turned her attention back to the papers on her desk.

She took the reprieve to try to catch up with Ray, which wasn’t hard since he was waiting for her a few feet from the door. “What was that all about? Are you in trouble?” He had his cellphone in his hand and a worried expression on his face.

“No. She just wanted to talk.” Sloan walked by him and he fell in step. “Did you hear back from Aaron?” Time to change the subject.

“He said he’d be here for lunch. Said he had something to tell us that had to be done in person.”

That did
not
sound good.

T
HE MORNING WENT BY
at a snail’s pace. Apparently every teacher tried to make up for no school on Friday by cramming everything in today. Sloan tried to focus, she really did. She wrote down notes and listened. Okay, truth be told, she listened to about every other word, and her notes were all drawn roses. What was with all the roses? Couldn’t she draw another flower? Or a circle or a stick person?

By ten o’clock her head hurt so much she couldn’t take it any longer. She pulled out two pills and drowned them with some water. There. They’d kick in in a minute and she’d feel much better. Feeling better would be great.

Sure enough, a few minutes before it was time for lunch, her headache disappeared. Of course, her eyes got fuzzy again, and she felt sort of funny. She took it to mean she needed food and headed to the cafeteria.

After grabbing her tray she sat with Mackenzie for just a second. Mackenzie’s eyes got wide when she saw her friend. “You look horrible.”

“Thanks for being so blunt,” Sloan deadpanned.

“No, I’m serious. You look bad. Your eyes are all red, and you’ve got bags. Bags, Sloan. You’re just eighteen. Way too young for bags.”

Mackenzie’s concern for the bags under her eyes was overwhelming. “Not sleeping well.” Not a lie. She slept, too much probably, but not well.

Mackenzie leaned way over and pulled her thick red curls to the side to block the people next to us from hearing. Mousy was there, the same familiar girl who had been sitting a few seats away all week. Sloan noticed she leaned closer to them when they started to talk. Weird.

Sloan put her finger on her lip to let Mackenzie know she needed to talk quieter.

“I know. She’s acting strange,” Mackenzie whispered.

“Do you know who she is?” Sloan asked, forgetting for the first time about meeting Ray and Aaron outside.

Mackenzie’s jaw flinched. “Her name’s Sarah. Sarah Blaylock.”

Sloan gasped audibly and the girl, Sarah, looked quickly at them and then away
. “Blaylock?”
Sloan mouthed, her eyes wide.

Mackenzie nodded.

“As in Travis Blaylock? As in your ex who helped Boyd attack me?”

Mackenzie looked hurt. “He didn’t help him. He just didn’t tell the police what he knew.”

It was then that Sloan realized Mackenzie still had feelings for him. She hadn’t gotten over him, even though he’d moved five months ago to who knows where. As far as Sloan knew, no one knew where he’d gone. His family had just moved and now here was another Blaylock. It wasn’t the most common last name ever.

“Are they related?”

“Cousins.”

“No!” Sloan said louder than she meant. She’d make a terrible spy.

“Shhh.” Mackenzie smiled. “She is. Kara Long in first period told me. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“Very,” Sloan said, trying not to stare. “Who are her parents?”

“Travis’ mom’s sister or something. I’m not sure.”

Mackenzie looked longingly at the girl. She was so missing Travis.

“Have you asked her where Travis is?”

The question made Mackenzie take notice, and she sat up quickly. “No. Why? What would I want with that loser?”

“You liked him.”

“He hurt you.”

Sloan bit her lip, not believing what she was going to say next. “He didn’t. Boyd did. He was just being a
good friend,
I guess.” Good friend, right. But she wanted to make her friend feel better.

Mackenzie’s brow rose. “You don’t believe that.”

Sloan didn’t have to answer because Ray walked up with his tray. “Ready?” he asked Sloan.

Mackenzie looked from Sloan to Ray and back again. “Y’all eating somewhere else?”

“Outside today. Aaron’s coming.”

“Really? Why?”

Sloan didn’t want to get into it. She just wanted outside, and with Aaron… to know what he wanted to tell them.

“Just wanted to visit I guess. He didn’t get to have a senior year,” Ray reminded them. Aaron hadn’t finished high school because his mother had left him and Ray when Aaron was eighteen. Her age. He’d given up so much to take care of Ray, and she respected that. He’d gotten his GED, gotten a job, and had taken care of both of them since — except for the few days the police had mistakenly thought he had attacked and attempted to rape Sloan in her kitchen. Her body automatically shook. The thought of that night always made her tense up.