I Wasn't Supposed To Fall For You #1 Read online

  I turn and walk to my seat in the back row. I roll my eyes, wondering why all of this was happening to me today. It feels like it’s getting worse by the minute. I wonder how long I will be Jordan’s partner for. Hopefully, it won’t be for the rest of the semester because I really enjoy my partner, Isabella Rossini. I guess she is working with Jordan’s partner, Miles Lambert.

  Jordan eventually shows up - fifteen minutes into the lesson. Mr. Perks directs him over to me. Jordan narrows his eyes at me like it was all my fault that he had to sit with me.

  “Please don’t do anything to interrupt this lesson,” I whisper to him as he sits down beside me.

  He gives me a cocky smile. “And what are you going to do about it if I do, nerd?”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “You aren’t going to be a pain in the ass, are you?”

  Jordan shrugs. “Maybe.”

  He leans back in his chair and puts his feet up on the desk.

  Mr. Perks catches him. “Jordan Gates, please put your feet down. This is not your living room.”

  Jordan rolls his eyes and obeys the teacher, sitting in his chair in the rightful position.

  Mr. Perks carries on with the lesson. I listen carefully, taking down notes. Jordan is half asleep beside me. I swear he better pay attention when we do an experiment together. I don’t feel like explaining everything over again for him.

  After explaining what he wanted us to do, Mr. Perks tells us to get the equipment we need for the experiment. I make Jordan get the test tubes and other equipment while I collected the chemicals. Something told me not to trust him with getting the chemicals.

  Once we had everything, I ask Jordan if he knew what we are doing to see if he had been paying any attention to the lesson at all.

  He rolls his eyes at me. “Yes, I know what we are doing, nerd.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t get smart with me.”

  “Well, stop treating me like I’m dumb.”

  “I’m not treating you like you’re dumb. I just want to see if you know exactly what we are doing for the experiment.”

  “Yes, I know what we are doing.”

  “What are we doing?”

  Jordan doesn’t answer me and I knew it meant he hadn’t been paying attention. I go over the experiment with him again. He stares at me with a blank look, confused at what I was saying, and I knew it was pointless telling him anything. He was like talking to a brick wall.

  I turn my attention back to my notes once I finish explaining everything to Jordan to see what the first step was for the experiment. As I read, I could hear Jordan playing around with the test tubes.

  I glance up at him, shooting him a warning look. “Jordan, stop playing with the test tubes.”

  “Whatever.”

  I turn my attention back to my notes, reading over it to get a better understanding of the whole experiment, mumbling out loud to myself, hoping Jordan would hear me and listen. It was then I smell the gas. When I look up, I see Jordan holding a test tube over the Bunsen burner. The blue chemical inside was starting to boil when Jordan had put on the blue flame.

  “What are you doing, Jordan?” I ask him.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  “What chemical is that?”

  Jordan shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  “Give me the test tube, Jordan. You’re doing the experiment wrong.”

  I went to reach for it, but he pushes my hand away.

  “No. I want to see what it will do if it boils. Now that will be an awesome experiment.”

  “Give it here, Jordan!” I scold.

  “Jordan Gates, what are you doing?” Mr. Perks calls out from the front of the classroom.

  Jordan chooses that moment to let go of the tube. My hand is near it, and as the tube hits the table, it breaks. The hot chemical splashes onto my skin, burning it. I scream, jumping off my seat, ignoring the chair as it falls backwards and hits the ground. Everyone in the class turns to me. I had to bite my lip so I wouldn’t curse.

  Mr. Perks rushes over to me, grabbing my arm and switches off the Bunsen burner before turning on the tap, placing my hand under the cold water. I close my eyes in relief as the water soothes the burn.

  Mr. Perk turns to Jordan, his nostrils flaring. “Clean this mess up, Jordan. Once this class is over, I would like a word with you.”

  My teacher asks my old lab partner to take me to the nurses’ office. As we walk, Isabella wanted to know what Jordan had done. I tell her. She wasn’t pleased, and felt bad that she wasn’t my lab partner anymore. She shouldn’t need to feel bad. Mr. Perks was the one who thought this was a great idea. Obviously it’s not, even if I am tutoring him.

  “Don’t worry, Isabella,” I tell her. “I’m Jordan’s partner temporary before we can switch back to being partners again.”

  “I hope so. I don’t mind Miles, but he isn’t the same as you.”

  We walk into the nurse’s office. She looks up from where she was sitting at her desk. I tell her what happened in class. She gets me to sit down and checks my burn.

  “It’s just a minor burn,” she says. “You are very lucky, MK. I will just get some cream for burns to help soothe the pain, and you should be fine.”

  I smile at her. “Thanks.”

  Jordan is going to pay for this. I will make sure of it.

  Chapter 3

  I was sure Mr. Perks was going to give Jordan a detention for what he did. Instead, he asked me to go over the lesson with Jordan again, without doing the experiment in case he acted with the same stupidity as he did last time. I wasn’t looking forward to the tutoring session. I decided to spend half an hour with him because the nurse advised me to see the doctor about the burn, just to double check that it will be alright.

  After school I head to the library and sit in the tutoring section. Jordan was supposed to meet me here. He hasn’t shown up yet. I take out my chemistry book and read over the notes from today’s lesson, thinking of what I’m going to say when he does arrive.

  If he arrives, that is.

  It takes him ten minutes to show up. He walks over to me like he had all the time in the world.

  I look up at him. “You’re late.”

  “So?” He flops himself down on the chair and put his feet up on the table like he was in his own living room.

  “You aren’t supposed to put your feet on the table.”

  He frowns at me. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  I want to say something, but I figure it’s not worth it. We will only get into an argument.

  I turn to my textbook. “Anyway, I thought that we could go through what we did in class today.”

  “Why?” Jordan places his feet on the floor and straightens himself up.

  He is going to make this hard for me, I think to myself.

  “Because we need to do this so you can pass the exam,” I tell him.

  He chuckles. “Wow, it’s nice to know you really care about me, Mary-Kate. You never seem to care about me before. You have never even spoken to me until now.”

  His words hurt, but I don’t show it does. “Why are you being such a jerk?”

  “Why do you care if I am? You don’t like me, I don’t like you. You think I’m a jerk, I think you are a smart ass.”

  I place the pen I have been holding down. I may not have wanted to show him that his words hurt, but now I knew he was doing it to piss me off. I can’t believe Mr. Heckenberg even wants to me to tutor him. Jordan Gates is not even worth helping.

  “I’m trying to help you, Jordan.”

  He laughs. “Cut the crap, Mary-Kate. You don’t want to help me.” He moves closer to me, putting his face right into mine. I can smell the mint bubble gum flavour on his breath. “Let’s face the real reason why you’re here with me. You’re here because Mr. Heckenberg told you to do so. But I assume that’s not really the real reason at all. You are really here because you want extra credit for college. Isn’t that correct?”

  I stare at him. He has me speechless.

  He laughs. “I thought so. Little Miss Smart Ass is only tutoring me because she wants extra credit.”

  Without saying anything else to me, he gets up and leaves. I stare at him as he walks away, not understanding why he acted the way he did. Yet again, this is Jordan Gates we’re speaking of. He always acts like this. He has no respect for anybody, not even for himself.

  I gather up my things and head home. Mom is in the kitchen when I walk in, preparing dinner. I join her, showing her my injury. She gasps, questions flying out of her mouth. I didn’t tell her it was Jordan who was responsible for the burn. I just tell her it was an accident. If I tell her the truth, she will tell dad and they will be all over the school about what he did. As much as I dislike Jordan, I didn’t want my parents on his back.

  ***

  “So how did it go with Jordan?” Keegan asks me later when I arrive at her place, walking up the stairs to her room.

  I roll my eyes. Did she really have to mention his name? “Please. Don’t remind me about that jerk.”

  “I’m sensing something horrible happened this afternoon.”

  I wouldn’t say it was horrible, but I went on to tell her what went on in the library.

  “With an attitude that he has, no wonder he is failing school,” Keegan says once I finished explaining.

  I nod in agreement. “I know. I have no idea why he was acting the way he did. I was only helping him like Mr. Heckenberg said to do.”

  “Well, at least you will be going to college,” Keegan says as we walk into her room, closing the door behind me. “Jordan will either end up on the street or in jail.”

  I sit down on Keegan’s bed. I didn’t like the way she spoke about Jordan, even if I don’t like him at
all. Although, I do agree with Keegan how Jordan has no hope for the future with the attitude he has. He could end up in jail, but I’m not so sure about ending up on the streets.

  We drop the subject of Jordan. I didn’t want to talk about him. It gave me a headache just thinking of him. Besides, Keegan’s test is more important than Jordan.

  I didn’t stay at Keegan’s for long where I was there for an hour, before heading back home, parking my car on the street outside my home.

  “It’s about time you got back,” I hear Kyle’s voice from behind me.

  I look up from where I was locking the car. Kyle stood on the sidewalk with a smile. I return the smile and walk over to him, greeting him with a kiss.

  “Have you been waiting for long?” I ask him as I pull away.

  “Only for half an hour. Your mom said you were at Keegan’s. I forgot you were helping her study. I thought I would wait for you out here.”

  “Well, it’s good to see you.”

  “Do you want to go do something? We could go get something to eat or go to the park and make out.”

  A nervous feeling appears in the pit of my stomach at the idea of making out while we are alone at the park. I have made out with Kyle countless of times, but sometimes it made me uncomfortable. Especially when Kyle has been trying to get me to lose my virginity for a while now. It’s not like I didn’t want to have sex with my boyfriend or haven’t thought about it. I just don’t feel ready, and Kyle doesn’t seem to get that.

  “I don’t know, Kyle. Maybe another night.”

  “Come on, MK,” he begs. I can hear the annoyance in his voice when I rejected his offer.

  “I don’t mind going out to maybe get some dessert as I already ate dinner. And I’m not saying that I don’t want to go to the park with you and make out, I’m just terrified of where it might lead to.”

  Kyle sighs. “Come on, MK. There is nothing wrong with hanging out for a bit. What can possibly go wrong if we snuck away without your parents knowing if you disappear for a while? You aren’t afraid of getting in trouble by your parents, are you? They don’t need to know anything.”

  Before I get a chance to say anything, he cups his hands around my jaw and kisses me slowly, like maybe it will get me to change my mind. He hated it when I chose to listen to my parents’ strict rules.

  Our kiss is interrupted as something knocks over the trash can in front of my house, causing a loud noise that could wake up the dead. We turn to see what knocked the can over. Lying on the ground amongst the rubbish is no other than Jordan. His skateboard was beside him.

  “Oh my gosh, Jordan!” I quickly rush over to him to make sure he was alright while Kyle ignores him, continuing to stand beside my car.

  I shake him gently, but he was too passed out to gain consciousness. I smell beer on his breath. I wonder how much he has had to drink to make him pass out. I know he drives a motorcycle and he is lucky he wasn’t riding it when he lost consciousness. He must have been riding his skateboard and lost his balance from it.

  “Kyle, help me get him inside my house.”

  “Why?” he asks like it was too big of a task to do.

  I turn to him. “He might be hurt.”

  Kyle laughs. “Trust me but he won’t be hurt until the morning when he wakes up with a hangover. Why don’t you call for an ambulance if you’re so worried about him? Or you can just leave him where he is.”

  “I’m not leaving him here. My dad won’t like it if he is passed out on our front lawn. Besides, the garbage truck comes tomorrow morning.”

  “Wouldn’t that be a good thing?” He chuckles at his own comment. “They could take away his body and bury him in a rubbish tip.”

  I gasp at his comment, not understanding why he could say such a cruel thing. I don’t like Jordan, but I could never say something like that about him. I turn back to Jordan, tapping his cheek, hoping he will wake up, but he seems to be completely out of it.

  “Kyle, can you please help me to bring him inside?” I ask him.

  “Give me one good reason why I should?”

  “I can’t carry him on my own. I need to get him inside my house without my parents knowing. They would never allow me to bring him inside.”

  Kyle rolls his eyes. “Fine. I will help you.”

  He helps me to lift Jordan to his feet. Before we head inside, I clean up the mess with the garbage and then pick up his skateboard. With one arm around Jordan’s shoulder and Kyle being on the other side, we walk towards the backyard. I figure we might as well go through the back door. My parents are probably in the living room. If I sneak him through the back door, I can sneak Jordan up to my room by the stairs that are in the kitchen rather than taking the stairs in the living room.

  We manage to sneak through the back door without my parents knowing. I can hear the television on in the living room. I pray silently to myself that my parents will stay there until I can get Jordan up to my room. I hope also that they won’t come up there and check up on me. I don’t want them to know I have him in my room. They don’t even allow Kyle in my room.

  “So what are you going to do with him now?” Kyle asks me, speaking softly so my parents don’t hear us.

  “Can you help me bring him up to my room?”

  Kyle lets go of Jordan, making him put all of his body weight on me. I almost drop him on the kitchen floor. It wasn’t easy holding his skateboard and him at the same time.

  “Are you serious, MK?” he asks.

  “Yes, I am. Jordan is really drunk. He needs to sleep it off. Besides, I don’t know where he lives.”

  “So you are going to let him sleep in your bed?”

  “Kyle, I’m just letting him sleep it off. We aren’t going to do anything.”

  “Right, so you let him sneak into your room when your parents are around, but you don’t allow me to sneak in.”

  “Kyle, it’s just until he is sober.”

  “Whatever. I’m going to go. I will see you in school tomorrow.”

  He turns to walk out the door. I let go of Jordan so I could stop the door from slamming. I manage to stop it, but I couldn’t stop Jordan from falling. His body hits the table, taking a chair with him as he hits the floor. I curse softly to myself knowing I could possibly be dead once my parents find Jordan in here.

  “MK?” I hear Mom calling from the living room. “Is that you, sweetie?”

  Leaving Jordan on the floor, I quickly head to the living room before one or both of my parents were to walk in. Mom had already stood up from the couch while Dad stays where he is, his eyes glued on the TV.

  “Honey, what was that noise?” she asks me.

  “Oh, it was nothing. I just bumped into the chair,” I say the first thing that pops in my head, hoping they will believe me.

  “When did you get home?” Dad wants to know, his eyes only drifting to me for a second before it lands back on the television.

  “Just now.”

  “Why didn’t you come through the front door?”

  “I needed a drink so I thought it would be easier to go straight through the back way than the front.”

  Dad nods, turning to me. “Okay, well now that you’re home make sure you don’t stay up too late.”

  I promise my dad that I wouldn’t stay up past ten o’clock. I wait until Mom sits back down on the couch before heading back to the kitchen. I pick up the chair Jordan had knocked over before picking him up. He is heavy, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to get him up the stairs. Why did Kyle have to leave me to deal with this?

  After a few attempts of trying to lift him up, I manage to get him to his feet. I leave the skateboard on the floor, pushing it under the table so my parents don’t find it. It took me a few minutes to drag him up the stairs. I almost trip over, and I was glad when I reached the top of the staircase. I take him to my room and place him on my bed. When he wakes up, I hope he doesn’t get upset with me.

  “Mary-Kate, get down here now!” I hear Dad call from downstairs. I froze from the angry tone in his voice. My first thought was he knows about Jordan.

  Leaving Jordan, I walk back downstairs to see my parents in the kitchen. Dad was holding onto Jordan’s skateboard. How did he find it under the table?

  “Where did you get this skateboard?” he asks me.

  I stare at the skateboard in my father’s hands. What do I say so Jordan doesn’t get caught being in my room? I hated lying to my parents. I only lie when I really need to, and right now I needed to.