Page 35 of The Sandbar saga

Chapter 13

Mrs. Hanan, her FreshmanWashington History class teacher, walked out of the classroom. Katie hunched over the open book on her desk. It made no sense why she needed to know where each tributary was located and the name. She couldn't even remember how to say Pend Oreille or Similkameen.

"Hey." Britta leaned toward her. "So, are you doing it with that man who meets you after school all the time?"

"What?" She shook her head, looking back at her book. "You're crazy."

"You said the other day he wasn't your dad, so who is he?"

"A friend." She put her elbow on the desk and cradled her head in her hand in an attempt to get Britta to shut up before someone else overhears and starts a rumor.

"Are you having sex with him?"

She straightened and looked Britta straight in the eyes. "Shut up."

Britta leaned back with a smirk. "You totally are."

"I'm not," she muttered. "Don't talk about him that way."

Britta leaned the other way, whispering with Alissa.

Glaring, she pulled out her backpack from underneath her chair and shoved her book, paper, and pencil inside. She stormed out of the room, running into Mrs. Hanan in the hallway.

"Where are you going, Katie?" Mrs. Hanon gripped Katie's shoulders, turning her around to go back to the room. "You're supposed to be in class."

Not wanting to get in trouble, she shrugged. "I think I started my period and need to run up to my room."

It was the excuse all girls gave at St. Mary's when they wanted to get out of class or meet another girl in the bathroom to talk. The teachers were more understanding when you used the period excuse to get out of class.

"Okay." Mrs. Hanon looked at her watch. "There's only ten more minutes of class. Do you have your homework with you?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead and leave." Mrs. Hanon stepped out of the way.

"Thanks." She hurried down the hallway.

Near the office, she looked over her shoulder. Mrs. Hanon was out of sight. Instead of taking the stairs, she turned in the opposite direction. If she could catch Dr. C when he arrived, they could leave before the other girls see him.

Pushing through the front doors, she stopped at the top of the steps. Dr. C had already parked at the curb and was leaning against the outside of the car.

She dropped her pack from her shoulder to her hand and ran to him.

He frowned and stepped forward onto the sidewalk. She lunged, dropping her backpack, and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest.

"What's wrong?"

Ignoring his question, she pulled back, tugging on his arm. "Let's go."

He opened her door. She slid in the seat, buckled up, and tapped her feet for him to hurry.

Dr. C picked up her bag, put it in the backseat, and then got in behind the steering wheel. She looked back at the school. No one else had come out. School hadn't finished yet.

As he pulled away from the curb and entered traffic, he said, "Why are you out of school early?"

"Mrs. Hanon let me go."

"Why?"