Chapter Five

I splash water on my face, staring at my reflection. Dominic actually thought I was serious. The nerves of that boy. Imagine that—me, Catherine—and Alice’s cheeky brother.

Although he’s just a few months younger, we’re worlds apart. This is all the alcohol’s fault. And he was even a virgin. I’m his first—just like Asher was mine. What a mess.

I step out of the restroom and return to class. Mrs. Margaret Benjamin, our teacher, is passing out midterm results.

She drops mine on the desk and presses it down with her palm.

“Come to my office once I’m done here,” she says before moving on.

I glance at my sheet. A big red E is circled at the top right corner. I wasn’t expecting much anyway, but still—ouch. At least I haven’t failed completely.

I slip it into my locker, tuning out the noise as more complaints fill the room. I rest my head on the desk. I just want to go home.

“Catherine Young, my office. Now,” Mrs. Margaret calls.

I drag myself up and follow her out. Inside her office, she shuts the door.

“Have a seat, Catherine.” She gestures to the chair in front of her desk. I sit down, bracing for the talk about my grades.

“You already know part of the reason I called you here,” she begins. “Your grades are too poor—far below average.”

“Mrs. Margaret, I’m trying—”

She lifts a hand. “The school hasn’t announced this yet, but we were chosen as one of the schools to represent how education is done in our country. Foreigners will be coming to film for a national project. And you, Catherine, were chosen as the student host because of your social skills.”

“What?”

“This is a rare opportunity, one people would do anything for. But if your grades don’t improve before the semester ends, the school will replace you.”

I blink. “Replace?”

“Yes—with the girl standing in as cheerleader.” Her tone is brutal.

I suck in a breath. I couldn’t care less about some foreigners filming, but Jennifer taking my spot again? That stings.

“You’re joking.”

“Do I look like I am?” she says, leaning back. “Jennifer White is the vice principal’s niece. Her grades are outstanding. If you don’t raise yours by thirty percent, she’ll take your place. You can leave now. Take your test sheets.”

I grab them and leave, shutting the door behind me. Jennifer—of course. No wonder she already had her cheer uniform sewn. She must’ve known this would happen.

I can’t let her take anything else from me.

As I round the corner, I crash into someone. My sheets scatter everywhere. I bend to pick them up, embarrassed by the ugly red marks.

“Are you okay?”

I look up. “Dominic.”

He hands me the sheets. “Leaving the staff office?”

“Yeah. I was called in…”

“Trouble with your grades?” His grin is teasing, his curly hair falling over his eyes. Why can’t he just cut it? He’s almost in his final year.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I was told to sit up.”

“I could tutor you. It’s not a big deal.”

I force a smile. “You’re a class behind. I doubt you can.”

“I’m called a nerd for a reason. I read ahead.”

“I’ll manage,” I say quickly, walking off.

It’s bad enough we slept together. Getting tutored by him? Not happening. He should stay in his lane.

Back in class, I spot Jennifer laughing at my desk. My pulse jumps.

“What’s going on here?” I demand.

She points at my result slip. “Poor girl. A queen with no brains.”

A few boys laugh. My hands curl into fists. “How dare you go through my things? Are you crazy? Do you want to die?”

I raise my hand, but Alice grabs me.

“Calm down,” she whispers. “I overheard her telling Camille she wants to make you lose some spot at an event. She’s trying to make you violent.”

Mrs. Margaret’s warning flashes in my head. Jennifer, the vice principal’s niece—of course she already knows.

I unclench my hand and force a cold smile. “It’s rude to go through people’s personal things, Jennifer. It makes you look desperate.” I snatch the results from her desk and shove them into my locker.

She storms away. Alice sits beside me.

“What’s up with you two?” she asks.

“I have no idea. She just wants to frustrate me.”

Alice shrugs. “So what are you going to do about your grades?”

At first, I wanted to ignore Mrs. Margaret’s words. But I won’t let Jennifer take that spot. Never.

“I’ll hire a tutor.”

Alice grins. “A tutor? Those people are too strict. Dominic is your boyfriend—tell him to tutor you. It’ll be fun.”

“He’s a class behind,” I remind her.

“My brother’s a nerd. He could pass a college exam.”

Could she be right? Should I really ask Dominic to tutor me?

“You should ask him before he agrees to tutor someone else,” Alice says, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Exams are coming up soon, and he’s always busy taking those online competitions.”

She stands and tugs my wrist. “Don’t be shy talking to your boyfriend—there’s nothing embarrassing about it. He should be in the science club right now since it’s extracurricular period.”

“Maybe I’ll just talk to him later,” I protest, trying to pull free. But Alice is already taking the stairs to the science club meeting room.

“Talk to him,” she insists. “He’ll be thrilled to tutor you.” Her phone rings just as we reach the door. “Go on, while I take this call.” She winks and runs off down the hall.

Part of me wants to turn around and head straight back to class. But then I remember Jennifer’s smug smile. I square my shoulders and move to the door.

“I can’t believe you’re dating Catherine Young,” I hear a red-haired girl saying. She’s standing near Dominic, surrounded by four other members of the club. Her tone drips with contempt. “You could do better than that, Dominic. Catherine Young will destroy you. She’s just beauty with no brains.”

“Stop talking about her like that,” Dominic says sharply. “She’s intelligent—and people have different strengths. Being good at academics doesn’t make you better than someone who’s sociable, athletic, or creative. They might succeed before you.”

“Wow,” the girl scoffs. “So your silly crush on her is still alive?”

My heart skips. Crush? He had a crush on me?

“Sasha, stop, please,” Dominic mutters.

“But Dominic, you deserve someone better. Not Catherine Young—”

“And what’s wrong with Catherine Young?” I cut in, stepping inside.

Dominic freezes. “Catherine…” he breathes.

The room falls quiet. The red-haired girl—Sasha—meets my gaze, then rolls her eyes and walks away. I know that look. Jealousy. So she likes him. Interesting.

Dominic quickly grabs my hand and pulls me out of the club.

“What are you doing here?” he asks once we’re in the hallway.

I exhale. “Taking you up on that offer—to tutor me.”

His brows lift. “Oh, really?”

I nod. “My place. Today.”

He grins, that same goofy spark in his eyes. “Yeah, great. See you later.”