Page 41 of Keep Me Still
“Go home, soccer boys,” Ginger says, winking at Skylar and shooting an annoyed look at me.
“She has to tell her,” I say to the air once they’ve gone.
“Tell her what, dude? You sure know how to kill the mood, by the way,” my roommate informs me. No kidding. “What’s your fucking deal?”
I force my body to relax, even though I’m still in fight mode. “Yeah, you weren’t getting any tonight anyways.”
“Not with you cock-blocking all over the place with your little freak out. They might’ve invited us in if you hadn’t lost your mind back there. What’s your problem?”
I should tell him. So he can tell Ginger. Shit, Corin. Her name is Corin. I have to stop messing with her because I need her on my side when it comes to Layla. But it’s not my secret to tell. I can’t betray her like that. Even if it is for her own good, which it is. “Um, Layla has a condition. Not one I’m at liberty to discuss. But her roommate should know.”
“Ah.” He sags against the wall. “You want me to say something to her?”
“I don’t know.” I kick a rock off the path as I start walking across campus to our dorm. Of course Layla’s dorm would be as far from mine as possible. She’s always made me work for it.
Skylar follows me. “Okay, well, whatdoyou know?”
“That I probably just pissed her off.”
“Yeah, I think that’s a definite possibility. Think they’ll come Tuesday?” Skylar snorts at his own comment. “I mean, Corin’s definitely going tocomeTuesday.”
“Oh yeah? Because yourhugsinduce mind-blowing orgasms or what?”
Skylar shoulder-butts me. Hard. “Hey, man. Don’t underestimate a guy who doesn’t make a move right away. Girls like for you to play hard to get, hold out on them until they’re begging for it.”
Yeah right. Or you screw it up and miss your chance altogether. Been there, done that.
Ishould be pissed. The right thing to do here is bitch Corin out for setting me up in a precarious situation with a boy I’m supposed to be staying away from.
And yet…
I’m still high from the memory of his mouth on mine. My body still tingles from the heat of his hands. Everything’s changed. But in a way, it hasn’t. Because I’m terrified he’s going to tell Corin—and God knows how many guys on the soccer team—about my seizures. And when he does, I might as well be right back in Hope Springs.
“So what was his deal back there?” Corin avoids my stare as we walk into our room. She sits on the futon and starts pulling off her boots, earrings, and assorted bracelets. “What do you need to tell me?”
Red lights flash behind my eyes. Immediate subject change needed.
“Corin, who cares about his deal? What the hell was that about tonight?”
“Don’t pretend to be mad,” she says while rolling her eyes and pulling her hair into a messy knot on top of her head. “I saw you two in that alley. That was hot. Seriously. And I’m not sure he’s playing with a full deck, but it was about damn time someone made a move.”
Busted.Contort face into mask of frustration—quick. “You promised me before we left there’d be no talking about Landen O’Brien tonight.”
“Yes, I did. And I kept that promise. I didn’t hear anyonetalkingabout him tonight. Until now.”
I stay in the common area of our room contemplating this while she steps into the bedroom to put on pajamas. She’s right. Damn. “Okay, so you found a loophole. But I call B.S. because you know what I mean.”
Sighing so loudly I hear it from the other room, she slams a drawer shut. “Fine, I’m sorry about the sneak attack. But we were already planning to go out, and Skylar texted and asked if we wanted to meet up. I didn’t even say that we did. I just casually mentioned where we were going. It’s a free campus, Layla. They can go out wherever they please.”
“I realize this. I just didn’t know you were going to be slipping intel to the enemy.”
I can hear her laughing as I brush my teeth in our tiny bathroom. “If that’s how you treat an enemy, God help any boy you consider an ally. In fact, you still look a little dazed and turned on. Please don’t try to make out with me tonight. I’ve already had my share of sexually confused partners—I’m sticking with straight boys only from here on out.”
“Okay,” I say, pointing my foamy toothbrush at her. “We are definitely coming back to that.”
She cackles loudly, and I can’t help but feel like the least experienced person on the planet. “Seriously, Layla, he’s got some issues, like probably some major ones that are going to make anything with him difficult…but can you imagine turning away now and just forgetting about that kiss? ‘Cause I gotta say, I’m having trouble forgetting about it and I was just a casual observer.”
“See, nowyouwanna make out withme, don’t you?” I rinse and spit and go into the bedroom to change. When I’m done I plop down next to her on the futon.
