Page 12 of It Was Always You

I startled when Harrison spoke to me. "You and Noah left the movie early on Friday. Did you not like it?"

Wait, he'd noticed that we'd left?

That was all it took for my heart to start racing. Stupid heart. Harrison had a girlfriend.

I cleared my throat and tried to appear calm. "We didn't really like it."

He pressed his lips together as he set the music folder on the stand. "Sarah and Ava said you two were sneaking out for some alone time."

Ok, so he hadn't noticed us leave. He'd just been told about it.

Which meant Sarah and Ava were talking about us.

Oh crap!

What was I supposed to do now? Was it time for meto come clean and tell him that I'd followed him to the movie theater like some sort of delusional lovesick puppy?

I cleared my throat again. "We figured we could entertain ourselves better than the movie could."

The words were out before I realized how bad they sounded.

"Not that we were doing that much," I hurried to say.

Harrison furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"At the overlook. We didn't..." Why had I opened my big mouth? I should just run out the door right now and hide somewhere until I learned to talk without making myself look like an idiot.

Harrison, still frowning, shook his head slowly. "It's none of my business what you and Noah do when you're alone."

Oh no! He totally thought we were hooking up. Did he not see the huge purity ring on my left hand? I mean, it wasn't that big really, but it felt huge with all the meaning behind it. College tuition was a big incentive for keeping that ring on my finger.

Plus, Noah would probably never talk to me again if people thought we were hooking up.

My mind scrambled for something to say that could make everything all right. "What I'm trying to say is that Noah has always been a complete gentleman with me."

Harrison's face flushed. "I don't think I need to know about that."

My whole body felt like I was sitting in a sauna. I pulled my shirt away from my now sweaty skin and started to fan myself with it.

This was getting out of control.

"There really isn't anything to tell. We're, uh…" I looked around the room. Where was Mrs. Willis? I needed her to start class now, so I could stop digging my grave even deeper.

But of course she was late on the one day that I needed her to distract someone from my socially inept mouth. Harrison was staring at me like I was a freak, so I hurried and held up my left hand. "I'm still wearing my purity ring. I'm not hooking up with Noah. I'm not hooking up with any guy anytime soon. I wouldn't even hook up with you." I clamped a hand over my mouth, and when I glanced at the row in front of me, I realized just how loud I’d said that last sentence. The whole saxophone section was looking at me with wide eyes.

Was it possible to die from humiliation? Because the Grim Reaper had to be around here somewhere. Please, just put me out of my misery already.

Harrison held up his hands, turning to the onlookers. "I wasn't planning to hook up with you, Lexi. I have a girlfriend, remember?"

"Of course I know you have a girlfriend." But itcertainly would have come in handy to know that information last week. I rubbed my fingers over my eyes and then down my cheeks. "I was just saying that Noah and I aren't doing anything bad together."

"So it's true that you and Noah Taylor are secretly dating?" Chrissa Fatone asked from the chair beside me.

Was everyone listening to us?

"That's what Ava told me this morning," Nate Baker said.

I felt dizzy. This was not happening. How many people did she tell? "She wasn't supposed to say anything!"

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