Between These Lines (A Young Adult Novel) (10 page)

BOOK: Between These Lines (A Young Adult Novel)
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“Where’s
Tara?” I asked.

“Orthodontist.
She’s coming back after lunch.”

“Great.
I’ll be sure to throw a party for her.”

Evie
giggled, ‘though it looked like moving her face was an effort.

I
pulled the timeline from my folder and slid it across the table to her.

“What’s
this?”

“It’s
a timeline.”

“I
can see that, but why did you do one? I was going to do it for us.” She
appeared reluctant to lift her head more than a few inches, and peered up at me
through her lashes. I wondered if her neck was beginning to hurt her with all
the concealment she seemed intent to follow through with.

“Do
you have one finished?” I wasn’t trying to prove anything by asking, I simply
wanted to confirm the fears brewing in the pit of my stomach since this
morning. “I had some extra time,”

I
quickly added. “We can combine them if you want.”

When
she didn’t answer right away, I sucked my breath in and looked across the room.

“Evie.”
Telling her I wasn’t going to be at Jake’s this Friday was on the tip of my
tongue.

Somehow
keeping it in my head seemed a whole lot easier than letting it out, but she
interrupted me before I even had the chance.

“I
didn’t have time to work on it last night, sorry.” Her pencil made hurried
marks on the notebook in front of her.

“Evie,”
I repeated her name.

This
time she looked up from the paper.

Before
I could stop myself, my hand reached out and gingerly found its way to the
softness of her cheek. She hesitated beneath my touch, but remained still, and
I felt the coolness of my palm begin to warm against her. The horrible lashing was
now safely cupped in my hand, and I held it there, as if trying to erase what
had been done. If others were watching, I didn’t notice. I didn’t care. The
only person who mattered was Evie.

“I’m
sorry,” I pulled my hand away. “It’s just that it looks like it hurts.”

Her
hazel eyes stared at me for a moment. “It does.” An uncomfortable pause
stretched, and then she asked, “Aren’t you going to ask me how it happened?”

I
wanted to. More than anything, I wanted to hear her say his name. I wanted her
to tell me he had done this to her, and not repeat the made up story he had
told me in the bathroom – that this was the result of a silly accident
that should be forgotten.

I
shook my head, “You wouldn’t need to ask that if you really wanted me to know.”
I was giving her space. I hope she knew that.

To
my surprise, she reached for my hand again and placed it over her cheek, just
where it had been a minute ago, and held it much longer than necessary.

Professor
Coleman began his usual walk around the classroom to observe, and I let her
slip my hand away from hers. I handed her the pencil she had been using and
watched as she bent her head. The lead scratched against the paper. Her hair
fell back into place, and I could see her cheek move and rise. She was smiling,
and suddenly, there was an inkling that I could actually be right about that
moment in the car.

 
 
 
 

Chapter Fourteen

Evie

 

Ignoring
Shane was easy. He seemed to go along with my avoiding him, but with his
silence came no attempt at an apology, and I got the feeling he was letting me
believe last night was all my fault.

For
once, Tara didn’t seem to have much to say. On a normal day, she had plenty,
but at the tail end of lunch, when she’d finally returned to school, our table
was quiet, and I couldn’t tell if I liked it that way or not. Shane and Co. had
Debate again, which was fine with me. What I really wanted was to sit at the
back table with Chase, with or without Tara, but that wasn’t going to happen
since Chase was nowhere to be found.

I
made Max and Sienna switch from their usual spots to the opposite side of the
table, giving me a better view of the far end of the dining hall in case Chase
would walk in late. I was sure what had happened in English had made him
uncomfortable, and I wanted to reassure him everything was okay.

“So
what are you going to do about him?” Tara whispered to me over her egg salad
sandwich. It was all she could choose from the Ala Carte line so late in the
period. I had absolutely no desire to eat, and only picked at the food I had
randomly chosen to place on my tray.

“Him?”
my thoughts were still
locked on Chase.

Tara
tapped her finger to her cheek, and then I got it.
Shane
.
   

“I
don’t know yet.”

My
answer stumped her. I could tell she wanted to talk about this more than I did,
and I kept shooting down her attempts. I wanted to keep our discussion to a
minimum, especially since

Max
and Sienna were eating with us. They were usually oblivious to anything going
on around them when they were together, but Max was one of Shane’s closest
friends, and I was a little on edge around him today.

“Does
it hurt?” she asked, gesturing to her own cheek. If she was bent on keeping the
conversation from sitting stagnant, she was doing a tremendous job. I sighed,
and realized this was going to be a long last few minutes of our lunch hour,
but Tara was being unusually sensitive about this, so I went along with it.

“A
little when I touch it.”

“Hmm,”
she murmured. “Are you going to break up with him?”

I
thought about that for a second. Shane made things difficult. Very difficult.
He wasn’t just a normal guy here at Whitley. He happened to be the most
popular, and related to the Headmaster. He was top in all his studies, all his
classes, and belonged to more groups and clubs than I could count. Upholding
his stellar image at Whitley was essential, if not crucial, and it both
confused and enraged me that he was capable of losing his control, especially
with me.

I
shook my head. “I’m not sure yet. I really don’t know what to do.”

My
breaking up with Shane seemed to be on her mind a lot today and a reminding
flash of the two of them in the chem lab window ate at me. I continued to pick
at my food; the smell of her sandwich churned my stomach. If I broke things off
with Shane, people would wonder why, especially his friends. Shane would make
up a different version of the truth for their sake—one that would point
to me as the wrongdoer and Shane rising like a shining trophy from the ashes.

If
I told the truth about how last night . . . well, chances are it would do
nothing to tarnish
his
credibility around here.

But
that’s how it worked. Shane Whitley was social perfection.

The
truth was, I wasn’t concerned about staying with him because of the status he
held. I was concerned about the consequences of walking away.

“Did
you decide if you’re going to Jake’s?” Tara asked. “I mean, if you’re so
undecided on where you and Shane are right now, maybe you shouldn’t go.”

I
hadn’t given the party any thought since that positively euphoric moment
yesterday when I convinced Chase to go. Now, I was having second thoughts about
it. Not for me, but for Chase – for the very reasons why I was concerned
for him in the first place. Since Shane and I were on undetermined terms right
now, where did that place Chase in the scheme of things? Would it give Shane
the nudge to leave Chase alone, or go after him?

Tara
followed my line of vision. My thoughts had betrayed me again as I stared a
hole into the chair Chase usually sat in across the room.

“You
really like him, don’t you?” she asked hesitantly. There was no undertone of
mockery in her voice, just sincerity.

I
nodded, “Yeah, I do.” I stood up and pushed my chair back under the table. “I
have to go.”

Grabbing
my purse and the half-eaten tray of food, I left the table, leaving Tara alone
with a very confused Max and Sienna.

By
the time I left the dining hall, I could feel my heart beat with the assurance
of my mission.

I
wasn’t sure where to find Chase, but I certainly wasn’t going to waste time
staring at his empty seat. He was going to think I was crazy for saying it, but
I had to convince him not to go to Jake’s. It wouldn’t be all that hard. I knew
he never wanted to go in the first place, and I could only imagine how
skeptical he must have been to find that note in his locker inviting him.

What
I was worried about was how to
un-invite
him without him thinking it was
me who didn’t want him there.

My
original idea of working on the poetry paper flashed into my mind. It was
perfect. We could meet at the library again and finish it, saving my sanity
from worry about what Shane and his friends could come up with to ruin Chase.

With
my head full of bright ideas, it was soon obvious there was little room for any
navigational skills. I rounded the steps, intent on hurrying to the English
wing and found myself slamming smack into Mr. Floyd. My carelessness caused the
papers and books he’d been carrying to topple from his arms, and they now lay
strewn across several steps at our feet.

“Whoa
there, young lady, in a hurry, are we?”

“I’m
so sorry Mr. Floyd. I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

He
pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose and surveyed the minimal
damage.

“Yes,
I see that.”

I
retrieved the pages from the bottom steps and made my way back up to grab the
others before he did.

“I
meant to ask you, Evie, how are things going with the project I assigned to
you? I know you and Tara Reynolds are already friends, but, how has it been
adding Chase Mitman to your group?”

“Group?”
Shane and his friends defined our group. How was I supposed to answer that?

“Yes,”
he looked at me quizzically, “Your study group?”

I
felt my cheeks blush. “Oh, it’s been fine. No trouble at all,” I replied as my
head filled with pleasant images of Chase. “I mean, Tara still has her part to
focus on, but otherwise its fine.”

“That’s
good to hear.”

In
the flurry of collecting Mr. Floyd’s papers and answering him, I had forgotten
to keep the side of my face hidden.

“Evie!
What on earth happened? Are you alright?” His forehead creased deeply with
concern, and the blush I had moments ago bloomed into a nice shade of beet red.

“Oh,
my cheek, you mean?” I tried to laugh it off and handed his papers back,
focusing my attention on flattening the ones that were a bit crumpled to begin
with. “I’m…a klutz. It happened last night when I walked into the bathroom
without seeing that the door was closed. “Pretty stupid of me, right?”

I
plastered a big fat grin to my face and hoped he would see the humor in it,
maybe even laugh right along with me. Only Mr. Floyd wasn’t laughing, and all I
could hear was another piece of my dad’s wisdom ringing in my head—
Never
make up excuses for a boy who doesn’t deserve them.

“Yes,
well, be more careful next time,” he said slowly, and with that I nodded and
flew up the steps.

I
had a small window of time to find Chase before the teachers left the faculty
lounge downstairs and returned to their classrooms. Even though I was most
likely alone on this floor, it didn’t stop me from being extra careful,
especially after what had just happened with Mr.

Floyd.
Students weren’t permitted to have free reign on the upper floors where there
were no lockers, and I had no choice but to be alert.

I
peered into room 224, our English Lit classroom, but there was no sign of
Chase.

Automatically,
I headed toward the library. A door down the passage to my left opened
suddenly, stopping me in my tracks, and I ducked into the doorframe of the
south stairwell. I let my head edge around the corner, hoping it was only the
janitor, but to my surprise I saw Shane and Jake slowly making their way in my
direction. I leaned against the frame and stared at the steps just past the
glass partition, knowing if I was fast enough, I could slip down them unseen.

The
Debate auditorium was on the lowest level of the school. Why on earth would
they be up here?
I thought. My heart pounded as I heard them approach closer, bringing with them
bits and pieces of their conversation—and I found I couldn’t move. Their
words held me frozen.

“So
you’re actually planning on throwing them together? I don’t understand.” There
was uncertainty in Jake’s deep voice, and I waited for Shane to answer him,
wondering what and whom they were talking about, although deep down I believed
I already knew.

Shane
let out a little snicker, which sounded nothing short of malicious. “It’s what
they’d least be expecting. Even
you
think I should step in and stop
their friendship.”

“Well,
doesn’t that make sense, you stopping it?”

BOOK: Between These Lines (A Young Adult Novel)
3.26Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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