When my feet finally touch the ground again, she’s nowhere to be seen. It doesn’t matter though because I’ll see her later, and I’ll hopefully get her number.
The afternoon’s classes drag by. Algebra is the fucking worst. Becca spends the entire time doodling on her book and I gaze out of the window. I’ll be lucky if I get a C at the end of the year.
“Ready to meet the lovely Eden?” Becca whispers in my ear, five minutes before the end of class.
“It’s just a quick meet-up to go over the schedule.”
“Uh-huh. So do you want me to wait for you then?”
I bite my lip. “Um…no, you can go. I’ll walk or—”
“Ask sexy Eden to drive you home while you watch her be all dark and mysterious?”
“She’s neither of those things.” A little mysterious, I suppose.
Becca giggles. “She’s both of those, and you are a pile of mush around her.”
Saved by the bell.
Clearing away my books, I hoist my backpack over my shoulder and take a calming breath. Becca smacks me on the ass and gives me a wink.
Eden is exactly where I found her at lunch, although this time she’s leaning against her locker with one foot resting on the metal. Her hair drapes in front of her face, obscuring her features. I wonder if she does it on purpose to keep the world out.
“Ready,” I ask, far too cheerfully.
Kicking off the locker, she grabs her backpack and nods. “Yeah, um…I have my car.”
“Good, because I don’t. Becca drove me.”
“Right, so…”
“Let’s go.” Ugh, it feels weird and stilted and I don’t know how to change it. I’m the cheer captain, for fuck’s sake. I know how to communicate. Except with Eden, it seems.
Eden has a beat-up truck. The paint job is rusting, but it’s in pretty good shape. She looks at me and then back at her truck.
“Sorry, um, it’s old.”
Ah, she thinks I’m judging her. “It’s nice. I like it.”
She cocks her eyebrow. “Sure. Okay, where are we going?”
I tell her about my favorite burger place, which is close to my house. It’s relatively new, which is why it offers veggie and vegan options. Every other place in town is solely cow-based.
Eden looks around the restaurant with trepidation. I feel like I’m messing this up, but I don’t know how.
“All the food is good here,” I say, hoping to encourage some sort of conversation.
She looks at the menu. “I’ll just have the plain veggie burger,” she replies quietly.
We place the order and sit silently again.
“So, shall we go over my plan?”
After a gulp of water, she nods and finally looks at me. “I’m not getting out of this, am I?”
“Nope. Especially not after securing your release next semester.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Shut the fuck up. Porter agreed?”
