Tailspin (Better Than You) by Raquel Valldeperas Read Free Book Online Page A

Really young, kinda hot. He came to a few parties last year but always keeps a real low profile.”
    “Wait…he’s a teacher. At our school?”
    “Yeah. Crazy, right?”
    Chief will be thrilled, I think to myself. To Hannah, I say, “Fucking stupid if you ask me.”
    She shrugs her shoulders and then we sit in silence for the last four minutes of the drive. The house looks empty, but I know it’s anything but. We park around the side and walk through the kitchen door, where we’re met with hoots and hollers from the small crowd. Russell comes over and puts me in a headlock. “You guys are kinda late,” he says once he releases me, a sly smile on his face.
    I run my hand through my hair, something I’m able to do now that it’s growing out from the buzz cut I had while in the academy. “Sorry, we got sidetracked.” It’s obviously not true, but I know it’s what he expects to hear. Hannah doesn’t correct me, because it’s what she wants them to hear.
    “Well, let’s get this party started,” Russell yells, holding a cup in the air and cheering as everyone joins in.
    Three hours later and the house is packed. It’s a bigger party than usual, with the end of the semester today and a month off from school. The kids are getting crazier, Russell is nowhere to be found, and Mr. Wilson actually showed up. I’ve been holding the same cup of beer since the beginning of the night, with strict instructions not to drink one single ounce of alcohol. My palms are sweaty as I dig my cell phone out of my pocket and send a text to Chief.
    Good to go.
    Three little words. That’s all it takes to bring the world down around these privileged high school kids. Less than thirty minutes later and the house erupts into chaos. Men in green and black uniforms come storming in, demanding that everybody stays where they are. Most of the kids take off running, and for the most part they get away. The team knows who they’re looking for and who they can’t afford to let out of their sights.
    I have my back against the wall, watching as one of the men brings Russell down the stairs, hands behind his back. His lip is bleeding and he looks angry, but it’s nothing compared to the look he gets when he sees me standing there, seemingly unbothered and unfazed by the situation. And then the Chief strolls up next to me and places a firm hand on my shoulder. “Good work, son,” he says before walking away. My eyes never leave Russell’s murderous stare. Not even when Hannah says my name, wary and confused. She calls me again, and against my better judgment, I turn my eyes on her.
    She’s sitting in the middle of the room, legs crossed and hands zip-tied behind her back. Her long blonde hair is disheveled, some of it plastered to her cheek with sweat. There are many things that have happened in my life that I know I won’t forget, and this is one of them; the way her eyes meet mine with betrayal and hurt. The way her chin quivers slightly as she tries to hold back the tears brimming in her eyes. The soft sound of her voice as she whispers, “I trusted you.”
    I know that there’s nothing I can say in this moment that will help. There’s nothing I can do as the guys search every bag in the house and come up with bottles and baggies and straws and pipes. I don’t offer an apology, to Hannah, to Russell, to Melanie and Lauren who won’t meet my eyes or to Thomas who simply shakes his head as I walk past him. Instead I just walk away, out into the salty air and away from the guilt. As I approach the SWAT van, I’m greeted with handshakes and friendly shoves, and it should be enough to let me know that I’ve done the right thing. But it’s not. It never will be. All I can think about is how I wish Dad were here to let me know that everything will be alright.
    The sun is just beginning to rise above the ground when I walk into the house. It’s still dark and quiet, which is why I don’t see the pair of sneakers on the floor until