Page 44 of One Little Kiss
“No, of course not.”
Her gaze goes past me and I know…I justknow…he’s there.
“Good, because I’ve heard Jordan’s really into him. And you know they hooked up at his last party, right?”
His last party. Last weekend? After the playoffs?
My stomach sinks. My heart…
My heart freakin’ hurts.
But it shouldn’t. And I refuse to show it.
“So? Your point?” I say. My tone is bored, my expression blank.
I have no reason to be hurt. Elijah can hook up with whoever he wants.
Even if he did try to kiss me earlier that night.
My stomach feels like it’s filled with oily eels. They’re slithering around as I slam my locker shut.
Elijah’s voice behind me isn’t unexpected, but it still makes me stiffen. “Was there something else you wanted, Pamela? Or were you just here to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong? Again.”
Pamela rolls her eyes. “You two are so bizarre.”
I keep my back to Elijah for just a moment longer.
“What do you think, babe?” He slings an arm around my shoulders and I finally turn to face him. “Are we…so bizarre?”
He nails his impersonation so well that I can’t help a smile. The eels in my stomach aren’t gone, though, and I’m desperate for some space.
Which sucks.
I really hate that I’m finding reasons to avoid my best friend these days. He’s the one person I always want to spend time with. And now, I still do…
But I don’t.
It’s too confusing, and I honestly have places to be so this angst is gonna have to wait.
I slide out from under his arms. “I’ve gotta get to biology before the bell.”
He falls into step beside me.
“I’m heading to the library,” he says, when I cast him a questioning look. “I’ve got study hall and Leah’s supposed to help me with my English essay.”
I nod. And then…nothing.
I can’t think of a single thing to say. Our normal banter feels like a foreign language and all I really want to do is grill him on what Pamela just said.
Had he really hooked up with Jordan that night?
And—way more importantly—had he actually tried to kiss me or was I just imagining things?
The silence between us felt all the louder because of the incessant chatter and laughter going on in the crowded hallway around us.
“So,” he finally says, drawing out the word in a way that basically throws a spotlight on our awkward silence.
“So,” I agree.
