Page 26 of The Wrong Costar

“Okay, okay, not jealous,” I grumbled, when she’d been laughing far longer than was necessary.

“Definitely not jealous.” Finally, she looked in my direction. “Is your head really so big that you just assume every girl wants you?”

“It was a natural question given your annoyance,” I defended.

“I didn’t realize annoyance equaled desire. If that’s the case, then given how much you annoy me, I must be head over heels in love with you.”

I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t think you’re in love with me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Well, lucky we figured that out. I was worried you’d stolen my heart there for a moment.”

I groaned again. “Please stop.”

A small smile curved the corner of her lip. “So, where do you live?” I guess she’d decided to take mercy on me and give me a reprieve from her mocking.

“Not far from here. Do you need a ride?” I didn’t want to utter my address aloud when there were still students hanging around.

“Evan’s going to drive me. What’s your address?”

I touched her arm, pulling her to a stop. “Don’t be silly, I can drive you and drop you home. You don’t need Evan to give you a lift.”

“The man has a point,” Evan said, coming up behind us.

I smiled gratefully at the guy. The two of us hadn’t really talked, but I’d heard him cracking jokes to some of the girls during drama, and he always seemed to be hanging around with Teagan. He slung an arm over Teagan’s shoulder in such a familiar way I began to wonder if perhaps there was more to their friendship than I’d first assumed.

“Are you guys together?” I asked.

The two of them scrunched up their faces in identical depictions of disgust before they burst out laughing. I felt like I was missing something, and as they continued, I began to feel stupid. It seemed like a fair enough question, and I didn’t get why they found it so hilarious.

“No, we’re not together,” Teagan finally said.

I wasn’t sure why, but her revelation seemed to relieve a little of the tension I felt in my chest.

“Yeah, Teags isn’t really my type,” Evan said with a grin. “Why, do you think she might be yours?”

I didn’t even know where to begin to answer that question. It was far too risky, and I was certain Teagan would end up offended whatever I said, so I decided to ignore it. “So, it’s fine if I drive you, Teagan?”

“Of course, it is,” Evan replied for her. “Isn’t it, Teags?”

She sent a scowl in his direction but finally let out a breath and nodded. “Yeah, I guess it’s fine.” She appeared unsure as she said goodbye to Evan and started to follow me to my car. Most girls at the school would have been jumping at the opportunity to come to my house, but it seemed like Teagan’s worst nightmare.

“Your car’s real subtle,” she said, when we reached my Escalade. One of her eyebrows lifted as she checked it out.

“The black-tinted windows are a necessary precaution,” I replied.

She glanced over her shoulder and twisted a long strand of her blonde hair around one finger as she scanned the rest of the parking lot. People were watching us and there were still a few phones pointed our way. The attention didn’t seem to bother her, but as she glanced in my direction, I wondered if she was worried about being seen with me.

“They’ll all be gossiping about this tomorrow,” she said.

“You scared of a little gossip?” I asked.

She shrugged. “It depends.”

“On…”

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