smiling, sharing a dessert at our holiday brunch. I'd ripped it down months ago.
“God, I hope he does—”
“ Whatever.” His voice held a note of impatience. “The point is, even if he did feel any guilt, he still did what he wanted. Right?”
I didn't answer and he continued. “If you want to run, join the fucking track team. But if you don't, then don't. Don't do it because someone else wants you to.”
“I know. And I don't.” I closed my eyes. I was tired. “Want to do it, I mean.”
He sighed. “That's actually kind of a bummer.”
“Why?”
“ I would have loved to see your ass in those black spandex pants they wear.”
“ Puh-leeze,” I said, doing my best to sound nonchalant despite the fact that my eyes had flown open and my heart was beginning a jiggety-jog of its own.
“ Actually, I prefer to see you wearing nothing at all.” His voice dropped lower, to almost a whisper. “I'm falling for you, Meg. Hard.”
*
Lunch on Tuesday was a disaster. Logan and Carter shot ominous looks at me as I ate while Jada babbled on about how great track was going to be, insisting I should stop by after school to see if I could still try out. Even if I hadn't already made plans, I wouldn't have gone. Aidan was right. I needed to do what I wanted.
Case was the only one who acted as though nothing was wrong.
“You ready for the quiz today?” he asked. He'd already finished his sandwich.
“ No.” I smiled. “You?”
He shook his head. “I hate Spanish.”
I nodded in agreement.
He unzipped his backpack and took out his textbook. “Wanna quiz each other?”
We spent the remaining fifteen minutes of lunch taking turns asking and answering questions and sharing my package of chocolate chip cookies. If Carter and Logan continued their murderous glares, I didn't see them.
I told Aidan about it that afternoon. We were in his room. “I don't know why Logan and Carter are so mad at me.”
“Maybe they're jealous.” He trailed his fingers down my bare back.
“ Of what?”
He stared at me. “Of this,” he said, his eyes roving over me and the bed.
“No. It's definitely not that.”
“ How do you know?”
“ For Logan, it's always been Jada. At least that's what he says. And Carter...” I tried to imagine him being interested in me and smiled. Carter wasn't interested in anyone except himself. “No, he's not jealous, either.”
“ What about the other guy?”
There was a knock on the door then and my hands flew to the sheet, pulling it tight around me. I looked at the torn foil wrapper on his nightstand —a condom he'd produced of his own accord—and the ashtray next to it, the shriveled stump of a joint squashed in the center. A pile of discarded clothes—mine and his—littered the floor next to his bed. Glaring evidence of how we'd spent the last hour surrounded us.
“ Aidan, honey?” His mom's voice. “I'm running out. You guys need anything?”
He grinned, his eyebrows raised and I shook my head. “Nope, we're set.”
“Alright.” There was a pause. “You two be good.”
I swallowed a horrified laugh. His mom was either totally clueless or in complete denial. Today was the first time she'd been home when I was there. I saw immediately where Aidan had gotten his coloring, that white blond hair and those cool blue eyes. Like me, she was tiny and thin. Dressed in white pants and a silvery, cloud-like blouse, she'd looked like an angel. Aidan had breezed past her earlier, planting a quick kiss on the top of her head as he led me back to his room.
“Is this OK?” I'd whispered as he led me down the hall. “Is she going to freak out?”
He'd smiled at me. “About what?”
“About me? Us? In your room?”
He'd nudged me into his bedroom and locked the door behind us. “Nah. She's cool.”
And she'd left us alone.
“ So the other guy,” Aidan prompted, bringing me back to our conversation. “Brown hair...”
“ Case?” I shook my head. “He's the only one
“God, I hope he does—”
“ Whatever.” His voice held a note of impatience. “The point is, even if he did feel any guilt, he still did what he wanted. Right?”
I didn't answer and he continued. “If you want to run, join the fucking track team. But if you don't, then don't. Don't do it because someone else wants you to.”
“I know. And I don't.” I closed my eyes. I was tired. “Want to do it, I mean.”
He sighed. “That's actually kind of a bummer.”
“Why?”
“ I would have loved to see your ass in those black spandex pants they wear.”
“ Puh-leeze,” I said, doing my best to sound nonchalant despite the fact that my eyes had flown open and my heart was beginning a jiggety-jog of its own.
“ Actually, I prefer to see you wearing nothing at all.” His voice dropped lower, to almost a whisper. “I'm falling for you, Meg. Hard.”
*
Lunch on Tuesday was a disaster. Logan and Carter shot ominous looks at me as I ate while Jada babbled on about how great track was going to be, insisting I should stop by after school to see if I could still try out. Even if I hadn't already made plans, I wouldn't have gone. Aidan was right. I needed to do what I wanted.
Case was the only one who acted as though nothing was wrong.
“You ready for the quiz today?” he asked. He'd already finished his sandwich.
“ No.” I smiled. “You?”
He shook his head. “I hate Spanish.”
I nodded in agreement.
He unzipped his backpack and took out his textbook. “Wanna quiz each other?”
We spent the remaining fifteen minutes of lunch taking turns asking and answering questions and sharing my package of chocolate chip cookies. If Carter and Logan continued their murderous glares, I didn't see them.
I told Aidan about it that afternoon. We were in his room. “I don't know why Logan and Carter are so mad at me.”
“Maybe they're jealous.” He trailed his fingers down my bare back.
“ Of what?”
He stared at me. “Of this,” he said, his eyes roving over me and the bed.
“No. It's definitely not that.”
“ How do you know?”
“ For Logan, it's always been Jada. At least that's what he says. And Carter...” I tried to imagine him being interested in me and smiled. Carter wasn't interested in anyone except himself. “No, he's not jealous, either.”
“ What about the other guy?”
There was a knock on the door then and my hands flew to the sheet, pulling it tight around me. I looked at the torn foil wrapper on his nightstand —a condom he'd produced of his own accord—and the ashtray next to it, the shriveled stump of a joint squashed in the center. A pile of discarded clothes—mine and his—littered the floor next to his bed. Glaring evidence of how we'd spent the last hour surrounded us.
“ Aidan, honey?” His mom's voice. “I'm running out. You guys need anything?”
He grinned, his eyebrows raised and I shook my head. “Nope, we're set.”
“Alright.” There was a pause. “You two be good.”
I swallowed a horrified laugh. His mom was either totally clueless or in complete denial. Today was the first time she'd been home when I was there. I saw immediately where Aidan had gotten his coloring, that white blond hair and those cool blue eyes. Like me, she was tiny and thin. Dressed in white pants and a silvery, cloud-like blouse, she'd looked like an angel. Aidan had breezed past her earlier, planting a quick kiss on the top of her head as he led me back to his room.
“Is this OK?” I'd whispered as he led me down the hall. “Is she going to freak out?”
He'd smiled at me. “About what?”
“About me? Us? In your room?”
He'd nudged me into his bedroom and locked the door behind us. “Nah. She's cool.”
And she'd left us alone.
“ So the other guy,” Aidan prompted, bringing me back to our conversation. “Brown hair...”
“ Case?” I shook my head. “He's the only one
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