Brody smiled out of the corner of his mouth. “You sure do apologize a lot, when it’s not even your fault.”
“I’m getting your seat all wet.” She tried to use the shirt to wipe off the pools of water on the leather but he reached out and touched her hand, stopping her efforts.
“It’s just a car. It’ll dry.” He looked at Mina and her heart fluttered. He meant it, he wasn’t lying or trying to appease her. He didn’t care about the car at all.
Mina let the heat of the car soak into her bones, no wait; those were Brody’s heated seats. She was so nervous; she didn’t know what to say or where to look. Should she talk to him, look at him, ask him about his family? She couldn’t decide, so Mina did none of these things, staring quietly out the passenger window instead.
Brody cleared his throat. “You know, you’re one hard person to find.”
Mina turned to look at him. “What do you mean? You were looking for me?”
Brody cast her a quick glance before focusing on driving again. “Well, I tried to call you to apologize, but you were unlisted, and then no one I knew had your cell number.”
“I don’t have a cell phone.” Mina felt her cheeks turn pink; she must be the only girl in high school without a phone. “I’m also not friends with anyone you would know.”
Brody shrugged. “I didn’t know. So then I was going to come to your house, but again…”
“Unlisted,” Mina finished for him, glad for once that her mother paid a small fee to keep it that way. She didn’t know what she would have done had Brody showed up on her doorstep, in the middle of yesterday’s tearful confession.
“Brody, it’s okay. What happened yesterday was an accident. I left it in the middle of the driveway. It wasn’t as if you ran me over.” Mina played with the edge of her sleeve. She was doing it again, taking the blame.
“Then why did you run from me?” Brody asked, looking at her. “You didn’t give me a chance to apologize or explain.”
Mina hadn’t anticipated this question and now desperately wished she was back outside, walking in the rain. She shrugged her shoulders pathetically in answer. “I don’t know.” A few minutes of silence filled the car and then Mina turned on Brody. “What were you doing on this side of town this morning? I know for a fact that you live on the other side of town.”
Brody chuckled and smiled at Mina. “Looking for you.”
“For me? Why?” Mina was numb with disbelief.
“I felt bad about what happened and wanted to find you. So I had one of our employees do some digging, and found out you lived in the international district. So I decided to head over here to find you. I mean, I did destroy your only mode of transportation. The least I could do is drive you to school.”
“And lock me in the car, so I have to listen to your apology, right?” Mina pursed her lips in anger. She couldn’t believe him. He had someone do a background check on them? “You had no right!” she said.
“I had every right.” Brody pulled the car into the school parking lot. He put the car in park and turned toward her, the windshield wipers still moving back and forth, in rhythm with the rain. “I knew that if I didn’t find you outside of school, I might never get to apologize.”
Mina scoffed. “Oh, I understand. I mean, after all, you’re Brody Carmichael and you have a certain social standing to uphold. I’m just Mina Grimm, a nobody.” Mina realized she’d let her real name slip, but he didn’t seem to notice. He opened his mouth to argue but Mina cut him off. “It’s okay. You’ve apologized, see? Apology accepted. You’ve done your civic duty and now you’re off the hook. Don’t worry; we aren’t going to sue or anything.” Mina grabbed for the door handle and exited the car, fuming at his nerve.
Doing everything she could to keep from running into school, Mina marched as quickly as possible toward the girl’s bathroom and locked herself in a lone bathroom stall. She couldn’t believe she just had a fight with Brody. Tears burned in her eyes from embarrassment and anger. How could he? She fumed. Why would he go to all of the trouble to search her out, to apologize; when he could have just done it at school? It’s because she was right, he was embarrassed by her. To bad that she, boring old Mina, had saved his life, and not some more exciting girl. If only he knew.
Mina wiped away her tears and walked to the sink to compose herself. The rain had added a slight wave to her brown hair, which was not unattractive. It fell past her shoulders and was mostly dry thanks to the awesome heaters in Brody’s car. She suddenly felt queasy as she remembered what she’d said to him in anger. She hoped that it would all blow over and he will forget her.
The first warning bell rang and three girls rushed into the bathroom, to apply a final layer of makeup before class.
“Did you see Brody out there?” one girl whispered. “He looks angry. I wonder what Savannah said to tick him off.” She pulled a giant can of aerosol hairspray out of her back pack and began to spray it all over her head.
Mina started to cough and back up from the sink.
“Didn’t you hear?” A brunette commented between mascara swipes. “They are officially over.”
“Since when?” the chunky one asked.
“Since that day when he almost died.”
“But I thought they got back together?” Aerosol girl commented.
“Only for a few hours. I heard he broke it off after school.”
“Excuse me.” Mina interrupted and all three heads snapped in her direction. Each of them appraised her and the chunky one frowned in disapproval. “Did you say that Brody is outside these doors?”
“What’s it to you? Thinking you’re going to move in now that he’s single? I can tell you right now, you’re not his type.” The dark-haired girl and the heavier girl laughed.
“Actually, I’m trying to avoid him.”
The dark-haired girl appraised her once more before she answered. “Not anymore. He was pacing outside for a few minutes, but I saw him head toward his first class.”
Mina sighed. “Thanks.” She rushed out of the bathroom and made it to her first hour class just in time for the second bell. Mina slid into her desk and Nan immediately leaned over and whispered. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” Mina whispered back pulling out her history textbook.
“That Brody drove you to school. Are you two an item?”
Mina couldn’t believe how fast things spread in this school. “No! He gave me a ride and that’s it.”
“But I saw …” Nan started.
“Please Nan, I will tell you at lunch. I promise.”
Nan must have seen the anguish in her best friend’s eyes, because she let the subject drop. Sighing, she leaned back and looked at her brand new iPhone, a gift from a friend of the family’s after they learned she dropped it trying to help Mina and Brody. Nan’s fingers gently tapped a response to the text message she received moments ago.
Upset. Give Time.
Chapter 7
“Spill,” Nan demanded once they had taken their trays far away from prying ears. Mina had selected the table farthest table from the one Brody sat at with his friends.
