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“Nope. I got it. I can even stop by there on my way to lunch,” she said, hoping her smile didn’t convey the lie.
“Fabulous!” Mr. Delgado said, clapping his hands together. “If there’s anything I can do for you in the meantime, just let me know.”
“Will do.” She swung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to the cafeteria as he returned to his spot behind his desk, shuffling around a mountain of papers.
The second she entered the lunch hall, the scent of pizza and french fries assaulted her, and the cacophony of laughter and conversation filled the large room. Her gaze trailed over the tables, spotting Kaden at her usual spot with a couple of her friends. When she took in his sober expression, head bent over a tattered paperback, she smiled, the poor grade on her calculus test all but forgotten.
She headed for their table, allowing her gaze to trail over him, noting he looked particularly cute today with his straw-colored hair styled so it no longer hung in his eyes. When he heard the sound of her approach, he lifted his gaze to hers and all else fell away—the voices, laughter, forks clanging against trays. Those chocolate orbs burned into her, sending a bolt of electricity up her spine.
“Sorry. I had something to take care of,” she said, as she sat.
She placed her bookbag on the ground and grabbed her lunch, then turned to her friends and acknowledged them with a quick hello.
Cammie wiggled her eyebrows at Abigail, nudged her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “He’s such a cute nerd.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “He’s not a nerd.”
“Whatevs. Regardless, he’s actually kind of a babe in a very, young-hot-college-professor kind of way.”
Abby laughed. “You’re unhinged, you know that?”
“Don’t think I’m not still mad at you for not telling me you were hanging out with a boy.” A lascivious smile snaked over Cammie’s lips. “This is so good for you though. You need to let loose, get lost in a boy.”
Abby’s face caught fire. “Cammie,” she hissed.
She glanced up at Kaden from under her lashes who appeared to be lost in his book, save for the telltale pinkening of his cheeks which indicated he overheard.
“Just don’t forget to start carving out more time for yours truly,” Cammie said in a sing-song voice. “And don’t think I’m letting you off the hook with whatever it is you two are whispering about. You are so telling me.”
Abby mumbled her agreement and opened her lunch, as Cammie piped into the conversation beside them.
Taking advantage of Cammie’s distraction, Abby turned her attention back to Kaden, whose nose was practically pressed against his book now.
Abby grabbed a pretzel and threw it at him. “Whatcha reading?”
When he flashed her the cover, Abby pursed her lips, impressed. “Stephen King? Didn’t take you for a horror guy.”
He shrugged. “I like the distraction, the escape from real life. A good scare is great for the heart.”
Abby chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Kaden set his book aside and unwrapped a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; Abby watched him. “Did you get in trouble with your dad yesterday? Like, once he got home was he mad about us stopping by?”
Kaden shrugged. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle.”
For a moment, Abby wondered if maybe she wasn’t being selfish—sharing this secret with him. She had been relieved to confide in someone else, more so than she could’ve ever imagined. Having a partner abated some of the pressure, the anxiety of the lurking skeleton in the closet. But at what cost was this for him?
“You know, we can just forget it. I can handle this on my own. We can still be friends and—”
“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “I want to help you...” His voice trailed off, and he narrowed his eyes as if remembering something. “Wait a second. I was too distracted by the files, and I never asked you what my dad said to you when he pulled you aside. He did this, didn’t he? He said
something that has you wondering if maybe I shouldn’t help you.”
Abby opened her mouth to...what? Defend Mr. Oliver?
“Well, sorta. But that wasn’t the only thing,” she said, as Kaden’s jaw hardened. “He realized Lawson was working for my grandmother, and I think he knows we wanted information for more than just a school project.”
“Crap. I told you. He’s like a human lie detector.” He stared straight ahead, lost in his thoughts, then shrugged. “Eh, well. He’ll have to just deal with us hanging out because I’m not going anywhere. Also, don’t even try to friend zone me with this ‘we can still be friends’ crap.”
