Playing With Fire (Sweet Secrets #3) (3 page)

Chapter 4

The cafeteria was filled with laughter and conversation as I entered. School had been in session for weeks now, and yet I still wasn’t accustomed to how modern the cafeteria was. The cafeteria was renovated during the summer before I moved to Virginia, so I’d never gotten to see it until this year. There were regular lines for cafeteria food, as well as a salad bar, and areas that offered food from different fast-food restaurants in our area. My favorite was the burrito line where I could get a burrito bigger than my head. Today I was in the mood for pizza, so I went to stand in the long line to get a slice.

Once I bought my lunch, I headed over to my usual table near the window where my friend Trinity sat. We grew up together and stayed in touch while I was in Virginia last year. I had two other close friends I’d kept in touch with as well: Tia and Preshá. A week before summer ended, Tia and her family moved to Los Angeles, while Preshá had transferred to another school last year so she could play on their winning soccer team. Even though they weren’t here, it was still nice to be back with Trinity. Thanks to her, I actually had a friend group to hang out with.

When I got to our table I wasn’t surprised to see the salad she had sitting in front of her. She absolutely loved healthy food options, and I often joked that she had been a rabbit in a past life. Sitting next to her with my greasy pizza made me feel like I should have gotten a healthier option, but I got over that feeling quickly.

“Hey Trin,” I said, as I slipped into my regular seat. I waved at her friends Riley and Avery, who were sitting across from her, already deep in a conversation. They smiled and said hey before continuing their conversation.

Trinity, who was looking down at her phone when I sat down, looked up at me and turned the corners of her mouth upward in a close-lipped smile. Then she raised a finger to tell me to hold on a second while she finished chewing. Once she finished, she said, “Hey, El. How’s your day been so far?”

Sadly, we didn’t have any classes together. “It’s been annoying. I just want to curl up in my bed and sleep for a year.” I pouted to add emphasis to my words as I reached across the table to grab a napkin.

She laughed lightly, scrunching up her tan nose. “Sign me up. That would be the life.”

Across the table, Riley turned away from Avery and gave me a dumbfounded look as she knit her eyebrows together in confusion. Her brown hair was curled in loose ringlets that framed her pale face. “
You
want to sleep for a year?”

I nodded, not understanding what she was trying to get at. Lifting my pizza up, I took a huge bite and chewed slowly while staring directly at Riley, who looked at me like I had just grown a third eyeball. She didn’t even break eye contact when another one of their friends came and sat down next to her.

“What’s going on?” Amaya asked as she placed her tray on the table. She scanned the table slowly, her brown eyes squinting. She had obviously picked up on the awkward air that enveloped us.

Trinity stabbed her fork into her salad. “Ella wants to sleep for a year, and Riley doesn’t know why.” She gestured at Avery and then at her chest. “Avery and I are confused.”

“Why can’t Ella sleep for a year?” Amaya questioned, sliding into a chair.

“I just don’t understand why she
of
all people
would want to sleep for a year. It doesn’t make sense to me,” Riley clarified, shaking her head lightly. Her brown eyes remained fixed on me.

“Me
of all people? What does that mean?” If it was even possible, I became more confused than I already was. That didn’t stop me from taking another bite of my pizza while Amaya and Avery joined Riley in staring at me. The only thing Trinity was concerned with was her salad.

Riley slid her lunch tray to the side and leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “It means, why would
you
want to sleep for a year? You’re dating Shane Quinn.”

Trinity smirked at me and raised an eyebrow. She knew all about Shane and I and our lack of a relationship status.

None one else did, though.

Riley swiped a stray strand of hair off of her face. “If I was dating Shane, I would never want to sleep again.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “What makes you think I’m dating Shane?”

“Well, I’ve seen you guys ride in to school together sometimes,” Riley answered. “You also hang out with him and Carter, and you two seem to make googly eyes at each other a lot.”

“There have also been some rumors about you two dating,” Amaya added. Riley and Avery nodded in agreement.

I frowned, glancing between them, and then to Trinity. “Rumors?”

“You haven’t heard them?” Amaya asked. When I shook my head, she murmured, “
Awkward
.”

Riley furrowed her eyebrows and examined my face for a moment. Then she said, “Wait, are you not dating Shane?”

I bit my lip, not knowing how to answer that. “It’s complicated,” I said after a moment.

Riley, Avery, and Amaya all nodded slowly, taking in my words.

“How did you even become his
friend
? That’s the real question,” Riley said, her eyes wide as she regarded me. She looked like a little kid who’d just asked her parents why the sky was blue.

Trinity spoke up before I even had a chance to open my mouth. “Her older sister is dating Carter,” she answered as she continued to dig through her salad, seeming slightly bored with the conversation. I’d already talked her ear off about Shane enough.

Riley’s mouth dropped open.

Avery leaned forward in her seat and widened her eyes.

Amaya shook her head slowly. “Some people get all the luck.”

Trinity and I laughed, meeting each other’s gaze. Then Trinity looked away from me and her smile grew wider. She tucked her dark, curly hair behind her ear and smirked. “Speak of the Devil,” she mumbled.

I followed her gaze to the entrance of the cafeteria, seeing Carter and Shane walk in with the group of girls who hung out with them. Paige, Chloe, and Christa weren’t so bad, but April Miller was the worst. She hated Lena, and therefore her hatred just extended to me. I didn’t mind, because I didn’t particularly like her either. Whenever she was around, I made sure to keep an eye on her for Lena. She flirted with Carter any chance she got, but to my satisfaction he paid her no mind. She was just a bothersome fly to him.

As the group headed toward a large booth near the windows on the opposite side of the cafeteria, nearly everyone in the cafeteria began to watch them. It was obvious who the popular kids were. They were the attractive people who made heads turn. I was sure that was no different from how it was at any high school. Sexuality always seemed to beat intelligence. It was an unfair rivalry. Guys stared at the girls in Shane’s group like they were pieces of meat, and girls stared at Shane and Carter like they were Greek gods. Despite my status as his rumored girlfriend, even
I
found myself staring at Shane in awe.

It was as if he felt my stare, because he turned his head to the side and caught my eye, giving me an adorable smile. He didn’t even say anything to his friends; he just turned and headed across the cafeteria in my direction.

Riley, Avery, and Amaya nearly passed out.

“He’s coming over here.”

“
Oh my God
, he’s coming to
our
table!”

“What do you think he’s going to say?”

Trinity rolled her eyes at her friends and then smiled at me. She was unfazed by Shane and Carter, or any other attractive person for that matter. She herself was stunning, and her boyfriend, Brandon, told her that multiple times a day.

“Hey,” I said as Shane approached the table, smiling down at me.

He pulled out the empty chair on the other side of me and slid into it. “Hey. How’s your day going?” he questioned.

“It’s been annoying,” I answered with a forced smile, earning a light laugh from Trinity. I answered the same way as I had when she asked me. “I’m surprised you came over here. You never come and say hi to me during lunch.” Normally he headed to his table and ate with his friends. The only time we ever really talked in school was in the hallways when we saw each other. Sometimes he walked me to class.

Shane placed his hand on my knee and squeezed it gently. “I know. That’s why I came to ask if you wanted to come eat lunch with us today.”

I glanced around the table, ignoring Trinity’s obscure nod. When I looked back at Shane, I scrunched my nose up as I said, “Maybe another day? We were having a nice conversation.” I ignored Trinity’s eye roll, and everyone else’s dumbfounded expressions. I would feel uncomfortable sitting with him and his friends since I’m only really close with him and Carter. I usually try to ignore the girls, even the ones who actually try to make me feel welcome.

Shane looked a little sad, but said, “Another time?” When I nodded, he asked, “Promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” I answered, causing him to smile again.

“Okay, good. I want you guys to be friends,” he reasoned before leaning in to kiss me lightly on the cheek. Then he stood and said he’d see me later as he headed back to his table. Once he was gone, I turned back to face the girls at my table.

Riley raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said he wasn’t your boyfriend.”

I nodded. “He’s not.”

Riley and Amaya shared a knowing look. Avery looked skeptical. Even Trinity shared their expression. Riley leaned back in her chair as she said, “Sure looks like he wants to be.”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Their expressions didn’t change, and I wondered if maybe they were seeing something I wasn’t.

Chapter 5

“What are you doing tonight?” Trinity asked as she pressed her back up against the locker next to mine.

Finally after putting in the combination three times, my locker popped open to reveal my assortment of textbooks. I reached for my math one and leaned down to shove it into my backpack. “Shane is taking me to the beach.”

“Aw,” she cooed. “The happy couple is doing happy couple things.”

I looked up at her and scowled. “Don’t tease me with that word.”

Trinity batted her long eyelashes as she said, “Couple, couple, couple.” With each word she stressed the syllables drastically.

“Why are we even friends?” I asked jokingly as I stood to full height and stuck the notebooks that I didn’t need into my locker.

Trinity shrugged and leaned away from the wall. Her dark hair hung down over her shoulders in tight, bouncy curls. “Because you love me,” she answered with a sweet smile.

“Sure I do,” I replied, the sarcasm evident in my tone.

“You do. Now tell me more about your beach date.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re so demanding.”

She shrugged.

“Well, he texted me during history and said that it’s a really nice day out, and the weather won’t be this nice for a while so he wants to take me to the beach.” I mimicked her shrug. “No biggie.” Inside I knew this beach trip was possibly Shane’s way of making up for what happened this weekend, but I didn’t tell her that.

Trinity raised an eyebrow. “No biggie? He made spontaneous plans with you. That’s a relationship thing. Normally you would be freaking out about this. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” I closed my locker and spun the combination. “I just don’t want to look too far into things anymore and then be disappointed when he doesn’t ask me to be his girlfriend.”

Her eyes searched my expression. I knew her well enough to know she was trying to see if I was leaving anything out. “That’s all?”

I nodded. I didn’t want to fill her in on what happened at the Halloween party on Saturday, and I definitely didn’t want to tell her about my feelings toward Shane’s man-whore ways. She would just say that I knew before I even met him that he was popular amongst girls, and that if his past was going to be an issue then I shouldn’t have even pursued him. She’s kind of like Lena in the way that she tells it like it is, despite how her words may make me feel. It was a quality that I both loved and hated.

“What about you?” I asked. “Any plans for tonight?”

Trinity nodded. “My mom invited Brandon and his parents over for dinner.” She didn’t look too pleased to be having her boyfriend and his family over.

“What’s so bad about that?”

“The bad part is that my mom is cooking. She’s making fish sticks and Velveeta shells and cheese.” She poked out her bottom lip. “I hope that she was kidding, and my dad is the one who’s doing the cooking tonight.”

I patted her shoulder sympathetically. “There, there. It’ll be all right.”

She shook her head, and then pulled out her phone. “Oh shoot. I have to talk to Mr. Hanover before three. I’ll see you later,” she said, turning and heading down the hallway. “Have fun!” she called back over her shoulder.

“You too!” I yelled back as she speed walked down the hall.

I leaned over and lifted my backpack up onto my shoulders, adjusting it on my back as I headed toward the student parking lot to meet Shane. There weren’t many people in the hallway. Most had already exited the building, but there were a few milling around and talking, or going through their lockers.

One girl in particular caught my eye. She was leaning down drinking from the water fountain, and she looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen her before from this angle. The girl stood up straight and turned, her gaze meeting mine. Her eyes narrowed some when she saw me, but surprisingly enough she headed toward me, standing in front of me and causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

She had wavy brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders, and a small Monroe freckle dotting her upper lip. She stared at me with her doe-like brown eyes as she said, “I was hoping I would bump into you.”

I glanced over my shoulder before I realized that she was talking to me. “Me? Why?” I questioned as she took a step closer until we were face to face. Up close I could see the foundation that she had spread across her face, and all of the makeup she’d caked onto her eyes. Her eyelashes were thick with clumpy mascara, and up close she didn’t look nearly as pretty as she had at first. She turned her head to the side slightly, and suddenly it hit me where I had seen her before. She was one of the many girls at the party who had dressed like a cat. The only reason that she stood out in my mind was because she was the one who’d sat on Shane’s lap and kissed him—Karlie. My eyes naturally narrowed into small slits after my realization.

Karlie pushed some of her hair off of her face and took a deep breath. Her need for a deep breath only made me nervous. “I just wanted to warn you about Shane.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Warn me?”

She nodded fervently. “Yeah. I don’t want you to get your hopes up about him. I promise you it won’t last long.
Nothing
lasts long with Shane,” she said, rolling her eyes. I didn’t miss the subtle dig.

“What makes you say that? You don’t know for sure that things won’t be different with me.” I was scowling now. Who was she to tell me that things with Shane wouldn’t work out?

Karlie shifted from one foot to the other and crossed her arms over her busty chest. “At the beginning of the summer
I
was Shane’s girl. He was so into me, until he just wasn’t anymore.”

“That’s you, not me.”

She shook her head. “No, it happens to every girl who gets wrapped up in his spell. He uses girls for sex until he finds something better or he gets bored and moves on. You’re playing with fire, and you know it. It won’t take long before you get burned or end up with smoke in your eyes. It’s inevitable.”

I clenched my fists, but smoothed my expression into one void of any angry emotions. I wasn’t going to let her get to me.
What does she know, anyway?
“You’re wrong. Besides, we aren’t having sex anyway. I have more self-respect than to hook up with a guy who isn’t committed to me.”

“Well, in that case, you better watch out. He’ll get bored sooner than usual and move on when his next conquest comes along.”

“You’re wrong.”

She lowered her eyes and gave me a once over before returning her gaze to mine. “You’re his shiny new toy, but you won’t stay new and exciting forever.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Just because
you
couldn’t keep his interest doesn’t mean that someone else won’t be able to.” I was done listening to her, and I was getting really annoyed, so after one final glare, I walked away from the conversation.

As I stormed away, she called out, “I’m just trying to warn you before you get hurt.”

Yeah, like she was really worried about keeping my best interests in mind before.