Undercover As Geek

The Exaltation

Finally.... I've updated! Sorry, my peeps, I've been super busy as of late! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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"Hey, Kennedy!"

Oh, no, I think. I know that voice. It's Aubrey's. My book slips from my fingers and crashes into the floor in a heap. I scoop it up as I stand and search for an escape. It's before school Tuesday morning, and I am in the library distracting myself in the only room that students aren't gossiping in. From the direction of her exclamation on my left, I sense that Aubrey is heading towards me, her mouth smiling and ready to talk.

She can't talk to me. I can't let her. I remember what Noah ordered in my front yard: You won't talk to us, you won't smile at us, you won't be in the same room as us. I had been avoiding the geeks successfully for an entire day. To talk to them now-- the morning after the awful article-- would not only break his instructions, it would break the meager strength that I've been using to breathe almost normally when I see other people picking apart Asher's article.

My eyes search the large room. I'm at the right side, tucked in a corner in the back, so my getaway will have to be quick. From the corner of my eye, I see Aubrey approaching from the route to the door that leads to the hallway. So that won't work. I glance at the front doors. They are clear, thank goodness, and I fumble towards them in something that is bordering between a jog and speed walk. Swallowing, I train my eyes solely on the exit that would save me from confronting Aubrey and my fears.

"Hey, Kennedy, wait up!"

She's only speaking a little bit louder than normal, but her voice reverberates around the interior of my body with a jolting force. I begin to hum and stick my hands in my pockets to appear casual and deaf to Aubrey's shouts. That cold, invisible sweat slides down my back faster and faster the closer I get to the doors.

"Kennedy!"

Fifteen yards. Just fifteen yards. I have a chance. Biting my lip, I increase my pace into an awkward jog.

And then I'm trapped. Of all people, Asher strolls through the doors from the hallways. He is strutting cockily, taking his sweet time to travel across the threshold. His large frame blocks any hope of squirming past, not that I could have managed enough courage for that, anyway.

Instinctively, I shy away from him and dart backwards. He doesn't notice me, and I stumble behind a pillar to hide. My legs tremble uncontrollably. I can't leave. There's no way to get out of this. I'm so sorry, Noah, I think lifelessly and slump against the stone to wait for Aubrey to arrive with her accusations.

She bounds up, giddy. Her face is bright without a hint of betrayal, which startles me. I expected it to be the most evident thing there, combined with humiliation and hurt feelings. She doesn't notice my weak limbs and panicked breathing and starts to jabber excitedly.

"Are you in a hurry?" she asks, her hair bouncing. "You look like you're in a hurry. You almost ran from the room! Did you hear me calling you?" Her face tilts innocently to the side, waiting.

I blink when I realize that I'm actually supposed to answer this time. "Oh... um... no," I say. The lie sticks to my throat like glue and I cough.

"It's good I caught you, then." She smiles at me, and the remorse gnaws at my stomach. I can't force myself to mirror her gesture, my face set in a wary mold. She continues, "Hey, I haven't talked to you since the picnic. That was fun, wasn't it? I had a lot of fun. And SETI! Can you believe it? We're actually a part of them now! It's so great! With our own telescope, too! Whoever gave it to us is super awesome. I didn't know anyone cared that much! But aren't you excited? We get to research with SETI!"