Page 44 of Teacher's Pet

I went to look at it, and saw the latest messages.

One was delivered 2 minutes ago.

Landon:

U safe?

Hey, pick up.

“What?” I snapped into the phone.

“Don’t fuckin’ yell at me! I’ve been calling for the last hour. Where are you?”

“I told you I’m with… my—”

“Yeah, your little fuck buddy, got it.” I could practically hear the eye roll. “You good then? ‘Cause I’m about to leave.”

“What? You’re still here? It’s been like two hours!”

“Yeah, just got tackled by some dude… ‘cause of that little dumbass in my trunk and, yeah. You need a ride back or not?”

From where I stood, I could still hear them, Nathan and his wife, voices raised just enough for me to catch the edges of their argument about the baby thing.

Ew.

“Yeah. Go where I left you.”

“Already there.”

I hung up.

The bathroom was on the lower half of the house, which made slipping out easy. The air outside was colder than I expected, sharp against my skin. My head was a mess, images I didn’t want crowding in anyway. Nathan with her. Nathan with a kid. Nathan kissing her the way he—

No.

The thought was like acid under my skin, eating through everything else. My chest felt tight, not from the cold, but from how fast I was walking. I didn’t even remember shutting thedoor behind me, just the pounding in my ears and the way my jaw locked so tight it hurt.

By the time I hit the street, I’d already decided.

If she thought a baby was gonna fix their marriage, she was wrong.

I’d make sure of it.

Chapter 9

NATHAN

He wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

I had caught him slipping out of my house that night and had watched from the window as he slid into a black Mercedes waiting at the curb.

The car was back today. Ryan wasn’t.

Two weeks, he had missed an entire quiz. His grade was tanking, and I was starting to get concerned, not that I’d ever admit that to him.

I was the last person he saw before disappearing.

At least I knew he was alive. I had found one of his social media accounts, hidden behind some ridiculous username, and he had been posting with a brunette I didn’t recognize. The latest post, seventeen hours ago, was just a pool.