Her Father, My Master: Mentor by Mallorie Griffin Read Free Book Online

wouldn't budge from his Earl Grey.
    Feeling more at ease, I now opened the fridge door, and wedged my face in there, looking for something to eat.  I was a bit famished.
    "Oh, have you heard from any colleges, yet?" my dad asked, his voice echoing in the door.
    Colleges.  If anything could have pulled me out of my dreamlike trance faster, it was college talk.  My parents had pushed me to apply to the same schools as my sister, God only knows why.  She was the genius.  I would be lucky to be going to a public, state run school, with my grades.
    And after the night I had, I didn't even want to think about college. 
    "I don't know," I replied after many long moments.  "When do they start sending letters about this kind of stuff?"
    "Your sister got most of her acceptance letters around the end of March, or the beginning of April."  God.  That was two weeks away.
    I felt irrational panic begin to rise in my gut.  As soon as I found one thing, one thing wonderful in my life, it was going to be ripped away from me.
    But that's how these things went.  My parents expected college, and off to college I would go.  Even it was a local community college for some bullshit degree.
    My appetite was thoroughly vanquished by the subject, and I closed the fridge door now, heading upstairs.  I was suddenly very tired.  I just wanted it to be next Saturday already.

Chapter 7
     
    The week went by so sluggishly, I swear time had slowed by half.  Maddie seemed to be back to her old, un-skeptical self, and I certainly wasn't going to push the subject of her father.
    I tried to remain angry with her, but it was difficult.  After all, she'd led me to this amazing budding relationship / thing/whatever-it-was with her father.  I couldn't hate her, because of that.
    But that didn't mean I had to like her.  I was cordial enough to her during classes and lunch, but that was it.  I would never forget what she'd done to me.
    Jess, Ash, and Sophie could tell something about me had changed.  They assumed something inside me broke when I caught Maddie and Joey that fateful day, only a week ago.  I couldn't even begin to explain what was happening with me, so I didn't bother trying.  Let them think that I was having problems dealing with life.
    I floated through the week.  I felt like I was simultaneously above it all, and not even there.  My mind was with Mr. Hendricks.  I couldn't stop thinking about him.  I didn't know why, but m y thoughts just kept drifting back to the man.  He'd mesmerized me, captivated me.  He'd shown me the tiniest taste of possibilities I didn't even know existed.  And I knew he would show me more.
    On Thursday, I guessed Jess couldn't take my freaky behavior anymore, because she pulled me aside to have a frank discussion with me.
    "What is up with you?" she asked in one of the hallway alcoves.  Though there were students buzzing all around, we were relatively secluded.
    "I don't know what you're talking about," I replied , more than a little defensively as I looked to the side at a most fascinating bug on the ground.
    Jess grabbed my chin with a hand and forcefully pulled my face back to hers.  "No, and this is exactly what I mean.  You've been distracted all week.  Is it Maddie?  Did she say something to you?  Do you want me to punch her for you?"
    Momentarily snapped out of my weeklong trance by her fire, I couldn't help but laugh.  Jess' eyes were smoldering.  She was always such a firecracker, and with her flame red hair, it was really fitting.  "No, no," I said, trying to calm her down.  She wasn't pleased by my laughing.  "I guess I just realized there are more important things than high school romances."
    Her eyes narrowed.  "Are you on drugs?"
    "No!"
    Now her eyes widened.  "No… it's another guy, isn't it!"
    It my turn to widen my eyes into startled blue orbs .  Jess knew she hit her mark just then.  "Who is it?" she demanded.  "Is it someone at school?"
    "No!  I mean, it's no