Such a Pretty Face by Annabelle Costa

Chapter 13

I end up skipping the afternoon shower entirely. I tell my boss I have a headache and go home early. I just can’t face them after that little confrontation with Candace.

After dinner, I take the bus to my Tuesday evening class. After the shitty day I’ve been having, at least I can look forward to seeing Brody. The entire ride over, I keep imagining his face and getting tingly all over. I wish we could go out tonight.

As I’m walking to class, I see Black Bob is just behind me. She jogs a bit to catch up with me. “Hey,” she says. “You’re in Dr. Nichols’s class, right?”

I nod, flattered she’s making an effort to talk to me. “That’s right.”

She chuckles. “I think we’re the only two females in the room.”

“I think there’s one other.”

“Still. We girls have got to stick together, right?” She winks at me. “I’m Ruby, by the way.”

“Emily,” I say.

Ruby peers at me through her tortoiseshell glasses. “Is this your first class here?”

“Actually,” I say proudly, “I’m almost done with my Master’s. Just one more class.”

“You go, girl!” Ruby laughs. “I have a looong way to go. And man, this class is hard. I didn’t think it would be this hard.”

I nod sympathetically. Although truthfully, I don’t think it’s that hard. Maybe because I’ve taken so many other classes. Brody and I were discussing the material during our dinner the other night, and he seemed to think it was a pretty easy class too. He’s clearly a smart guy. “You’ll catch on.”

“Maybe we could get together sometime,” Ruby says. “Have a study session and go over some of the material, you know?”

“Maybe…” I nod. “Or if you want to get drinks sometime…”

Ruby makes a face. “I am just so busy these days. But the study session would be amazing. When do you want to do it?”

I get that uneasy feeling that I have when somebody is taking advantage of me. But maybe that’s unfair. She wants to study together. She wants a partner. She’s not just expecting me to explain the entire course to her.

Is she?

As we go into the classroom, Ruby starts for the corner where Brody usually sits. She almost sits at a desk, but then she stops herself.

“Oh wait,” she says. “This is where that creepy wheelchair guy always sits. I better move.”

I freeze, staring at her. I can’t believe she just referred to Brody that way. Well, I can believe it. But I don’t like it.

“He just kind of sits there every day and he can’t even take his own notes,” she goes on. “I mean, how are you qualified to take a class if you can’t even take your own notes? I can’t believe he suckered you into doing it for him. You are way nicer than me.”

I open my mouth but no sound comes out.

“You were talking to him, right?” she says. “Is he, like, mentally impaired or something?”

“No,” I say weakly.

“Well,” she says, “he looks it. And honestly, it’s such an inconvenience that he comes in here and makes everyone get up and rearrange themselves so he has a spot. Like, how inconsiderate, right? It’s not my problem he’s in that chair.”

I remember how polite he was when he requested my notes. Actually, no, I offered them to him after Ruby refused. But he isn’t really interested in my notes. Not as much as he’s interested in me. Whereas Ruby is only interested in using me to pass this class. I’m old enough to know these things by now.

“He’s actually a really nice guy,” I speak up. “And any decent person would have moved to let him have room to turn around without having to be asked. Also, it sounds like he’s got a better grasp of the material than you do, so maybe you shouldn’t call him mentally impaired.”

Ruby obviously did not expect me to talk back to her. Her mouth is hanging open, and she’s giving me the stink eye. Also, I become aware of a presence behind me. I turn around, and I realize Brody is behind me. He heard the whole damn speech. Great.

I mean, yes, I was defending him. But I didn’t want him to know Ruby called him mentally impaired.

“Well, sorry,” Ruby hisses at me. “Geez. Some people are so touchy.”

I can barely look at Brody as I slide into my chair. Thankfully, the lecture is starting.

I try my best to focus and take good notes, both for my sake and for his. It isn’t until the lecture is over and people start filtering out, he leans in closer to me. “Hey,” he says, “thanks.”

I shift in my chair. Ruby is hurrying across the room, but she turns back to glare at me one last time. I glare right back—screw her. “For what?”

He grins at me. “You stuck up for me. That was really cool.”

My cheeks grow warm. “Well, she was being a bitch. But I didn’t want you to hear what she said.”

He shrugs. “What? That she thought I was mentally impaired? Yeah, I don’t let that sort of thing get to me. When you’re in a wheelchair, people make assumptions. I’m over it. I know I’m crazy smart.”

I laugh, my shoulders relaxing. “Okay, good.”

It’s a relief when we’re out of the room, away from all the stares. I have a sixth sense for when people are looking at me. I can practically feel eyes boring into my back. I wonder if Brody notices things like that too. He may get stared at even more than I do, but probably not for as long as I have. He’s only had ten years of it. I’ve had a lifetime. I don’t know what it’s like to not get stared at.

“I had a great time the other night,” he says to me as we make our way down the hall.

“Me too,” I say.

“I know it’s short notice,” he says, “but would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

My heart leaps in my chest. “Yeah, sure.”

“Great.” He beams at me. “Would you be okay with coming over to my apartment? We could go out if you’d like, but it’s much easier for me at my own place.”

“Sure,” I say again.

“And this way we can have some privacy,” he says, and then he blushes. “Not that I expect us to… I mean, I’d just like to be alone with you, that’s all. No waitresses interrupting us.”

“It’s okay.” I smile at him. “I’d like to be alone with you too.”

Brody looks floored by my comment. It’s flattering.