Wrong Impression

19. God of War

For Angie, Christmas break was wonderful. She'd forgotten how good it felt to have a mother taking care of her, not having to worry all the time and actually having regular meals, even if they weren't much.

She'd missed her full house, her siblings, the idea of a family. It was the best Christmas in recent memory. The only improvement she could think of was Tom being there, too.

It was amazing how in just a few months she'd grown so used to him. The world seemed so much more boring without his randomness and his smartass remarks. Without his passion and the heat of his body. She misses him more than she should. But in the relaxing family atmosphere, I didn't feel so tragic. It felt possible to have a huge crush on a great guy and make it work. Make everything work. School, money, love. She could have it all.

So she returned to Tucson with new hope and a smile on her face. She couldn't wait to see Tom on Tuesday evening. And she'd never wished she had a phone more. Maybe she should actually get one of those cheap ones with a prepaid card. But did he actually have one? She'd never seen him taking it out if he did. Weird, now that she stopped to think about it.

But since she couldn't contact him, she spent Monday's lunch with Ross and Lily, catching up on their latest shenanigans. Having friends to spend lunch with felt nice, too. And she should stop being so afraid all the time. Nothing bad was going to happen.

As she stepped into her biology class on Tuesday, she could hardly wait for it to be over so she could see Tom. She wore the bracelet he'd given her and she wondered if he would notice. It was a lovely present precisely because it was so honest and simple. She still hadn't gotten him anything, but she knew how to make it up. It was her turn to buy dinner.

Collins entered the classroom and Angie didn't even flinch. Her Tom butterflies were making her immune to that asshole which was a blessing.

"I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, but it's time to get to work." He clasped his hands and smiled warmly and Angie faught the impulse to gag. "First order of business. Here are your last tests..." And he began spreading them out.

She didn't even look at him as he placed the paper before her and moved on. When he was at a safe distance, she turned the page over. Her breath caught in her throat. Her vision tunneled and her pulse accelerated as she gawked at the little black bold letter.

F. There was no way. She'd aced the test.

"Sir, I think there might be a mistake with my grade," she said, voice trembling.

"Really, Miss Jones?" He walked over, a curious expression on his face. He studied her test. "No. You got most of the answers wrong. I was very disappointed. I know it was right before the holidays, but you should've studied."

Angie stared at the little black dots that marked her answers, strangled by panic. She couldn't remember each question and the choice answers. She needed the subject paper. Did she really mess up that bad?

No! You know this! He's screwing with you again. She wouldn't let him. Not this time. "I want a reevaluation of my test."

"Really now?" he asked interested.

She sensed the warning in his voice, but to hell with him. She wouldn't let him ruin her future just because he was pissed she didn't let him grope her.

"Yes, really now."

He sighed and shook his head. "Fine. Under normal circumstances, I would take care of this after class, but since it was multiple choice, a reevaluation will only take a few minutes. Follow me."