Page 132 of Tell No Lies

I lifted my hair from beneath the jacket, which had gotten trapped when Mike put the jacket on me, and grabbed my bag as the bell rang and people began dispersing.

“Come on, babe.” He held out his hand, and I accepted, knowing this was the final signal that cemented our relationship status. I was now one-half of a whole.

Once we were seated, he leaned forward and whispered into my ear. “So, can you make it to practice today?” It took a few seconds for his words to make sense.

I turned in my chair to face him. “I have team practice tonight. We’ve got our first competition this weekend, so I’ll be at the studio every day this week.”

“Really? That sucks. I need my cheerleader there.” He winked and opened his notebook.

“Maybe after competitions are over I’ll have a free afternoon, but I probably won’t be able to come anytime soon.”

“Well, can you at least come to the spring games?”

“It just depends on when they are. I’ll try, though. Are you going to make it to my competition this weekend? It’s the first time I’m performing my solo.”

“I’m going paintballing with the guys, so I’ll probably miss this one.”

The bell to start class saved me from saying something I’d regret later. He expected me to skip dance practice right before a competition to watch him, yet he wasn’t even planning on coming to my first big show. Because of paintball. Did he not see how unfair that was?

I sank in my seat and tried with little success to take notes. Mr. Cox, a creature of habit, took up less than half of the class time with his lecture before releasing us to start on the assignment. I jumped up and grabbed the bathroom pass before Mike had a chance to scoot his desk forward. I needed to get away from him.

As I opened the door at the end of the hall and stepped into the quad, I almost ran directly into Gage. With one look at me, he gathered me in his arms and gave me what I needed: a moment of comfort without judgment or questions. He wasn’t the one I necessarily wanted it from, but it was much better than dealing with Mike.

Gage gave me a final squeeze before stepping back and holding on to my shoulders. “You look pretty down for someone who’s half of the school’s new favorite couple.”

I dropped my gaze and gave a cowardly shrug.

“Well, I have office aid this period, so I am free to walk around for a few minutes if you want to join me. No talking necessary.”

I reluctantly followed him away from my class and the restrooms where I had been planning on hiding. He was true to his word and simply led me around for a few minutes, but I could feel his gaze falling on me.

Eventually, I spoke up. “I like your shoes.”

His head shot down then immediately locked eyes with me. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure they went with this outfit, but then I remembered I didn’t care.” He posed with his hands on his hips and one foot pointed, showing off the suede shoes.

I laughed for the first time in what felt like forever. “They’re adorable.”

He studied my face, causing me to flush. “I haven’t heard you laugh in a while.”

“Really?” Things had been crazy lately, but I hadn’t realized it showed.

“Yeah. I mean, I’m sure you have. I just haven’t heard it. Seems like forever since you invited yourself to have a smoothie with me and force me to like you. I miss that girl.”

The ache in my chest deepened. Maybe I had lost a part of myself over the past few weeks, but I had so much on my mind. Between a new stalker and dance and a broken heart, I had more on my mind than making friends and hanging out.

☼ ☼ ☼

I felt like cheering when the final bell rang, releasing me from the burden of pretending to be interested in anything that was discussed today. If there had been a pop quiz and the only question was to write one note from any of my classes, I would have failed.

In the classes that I could pull it off, I had listened to my solo music, practicing over and over again in my head. Since I couldn’t be in the studio in person until after school, I’d mentally checked out and disappeared into my paradise.

Mike caught up to me just as the parking lot came into view. Pulling myself together, I smiled at him as I continued walking.

“Hey, you got out fast. I was looking for you by your class, but someone told me you had booked it out of there.” He laughed and gave me an opportunity to deny it, but I just nodded along. “You’ve been quiet all day. Is there something going on?”

He was just now catching on. At lunch, he had sat next to me with an arm resting across my shoulders, but his friends had kept his attention.

“I’ve just been focusing on my routine. Trying to pump myself up for this weekend.” Keeping his focus on sports should stop him from digging deeper.