Page 71 of Tutor With Benefits

We’ve got Tori back, we’re doing well in chemistry, and we’re going to ride out the rest of the season on the ice. Life is finally coming together as it should be, and I’m willing to allow myself to bask in it.

Nothing can stop us now.

TWENTY-FIVE

ZACH

After English class, I gather my things and shove them into my bookbag before heading out the door and going to find Tori.

Even though we’re in class together, she managed to get out faster than I did.

I don’t mind, I’ve got plenty of time to catch up to her before she has to get to her next class, and since I’m done for the day, I don’t have to really hurry for anything on my end. All I want to do is ask her to grab something to eat after her next class anyway.

I head out into the hall and glance up and down, scanning for Tori as I do.

Without seeing her in either direction, I head toward her math classroom. If she’s doing what she normally does, then it’s likely she went straight there after leaving English. She doesn’t like to be late, but I can see whether I can get her to come out and talk to me before she has to get started with her class.

I round the corner, picking up the pace to catch up before her class gets going, but I stop dead in my tracks as I do.

The last thing I expected to see as I came around the corner was Tori, and I never would have thought she would be in Johnny’s arms.

To make matters worse, they’re kissing.

I don’t waste any time standing and gawking. I don’t know if it’s a passionate, deep-throated kiss, or if it’s just one of those quick kisses she does when she’s in a hurry. To me, a kiss is a kiss, and if she’s kissing Johnny that tells me right away that she’s not over him.

You don’t kiss people who are just your friend.

With my heart pounding, I backtrack.

I feel like I’ve been punched right in the stomach, and I can hardly think straight. My initial reaction is to walk around the corner and march right up to Johnny to punch him in the face. I want to demand what he’s doing with my girl, and I want to demand what she’s doing with him.

Why the fuck did she spend the weekend fucking us and hanging out with us when there was still shit going on with Johnny? If she wants to be with him, then what the fuck is she doing with us? If she doesn’t want to be with him, then what is she doing right now?

I don’t know how to process what I’ve seen, and I know the best thing for me to do in the heat of the moment is to get a hold of my friends. I can’t make a rational decision right now, and I know it. The only way I’m going to be able to get through this without doing something rash is to talk to each of them and figure out how we are going to deal with this.

I whip out my phone and send them both a text. I make sure I send it to only the two of them and not Tori, too. I’ve gotten so used to using the group chat for all our conversations, I almost send it to the wrong one. But I don’t want Tori to know that I’ve caught her lip-locked with Johnny, and I don’t want her to show up for this conversation, either.

Both Taylor and Cory tell me they’ll meet me at the usual spot, and I make sure they know that the sooner we get there, the better. It’s urgent, and I don’t want to fuck around with this. If we’re being played as fools, then we need to get our heads out of the clouds and put an end to this bullshit as soon as possible.

But if I’m overreacting, then I need to get to the bottom of that, too.

I head out the doors in front of me and walk straight to the fountain that’s located about two blocks away. It’s not far from where we have most of our classes, but it’s a place on campus that’s easy for everyone to find. It has long been where we meet up if there’s a reason for us to have a face-to-face meeting during the day.

And right now is definitely one of those moments when we have to see each other face-to-face.

I reach the fountain first, and Cory isn’t far behind.

“Where’s Taylor?” I ask.

“Don’t know, but he said he’s on his way,” Cory says with a shrug. “What the fuck is going on? It’s been forever since we’ve had to have a meeting like this.”

“You’ll find out in a second,” I say.

“You okay? You’re pissed.”

“I’m livid,” I tell him. “You have no idea what I just witnessed, and I am about to flip shit on the entire school.”

“Take a deep breath, bud, you don’t have to lose your cool. We’re going to get to the bottom of whatever this is, and it’s probably not as bad as you’re feeling right now,” Cory says as he tries to talk me down from my anger.