Incognito

Ch. 10 "Itsy-Bitsy-Teenie-Weenie-Yellow-Polka-Dot Bikini"

Chapter 10

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

It's Monday. Lunch time. My friends have just taken their regular seats, frowns set on their faces. It's a cringe worthy moment, knowing I'm going to be yelled at for not answering any texts Saturday or Sunday.

Saturday was the fun day spent with Luke and Kyle. Clearly I didn't have time to text that day. Sunday was the only day I had to spend quality time with Frankie, so of course I didn't have my phone with me. We played board games and watched movies the whole day, similar to how I spent my Saturday now that I'm realizing it.

"I don't see what I need to explain," I mumble and eat some of my turkey sandwich.

They look at each other, their jaws hanging open. Braden shuts his eyes as Emerson slams her head against the table - quite dramatic if you ask me.

"I'll start off by asking," Braden pauses dramatically, "where the hell did you go on Friday after the police showed up?"

I sip my water in order to give me some time to think of an answer. "Uh, I just ran off."

"You just ran off?" Emerson asks and I nod as an answer. "On your own?"

"Mhm," I respond. If I told them I went with Kyle, many questions would be asked afterwards. I kind of want this interrogation to be over with.

"Funny, someone said they saw you running off with Clark Jordan," she informs.

"Oh yeah," I say with a tight smile, scared of the reaction my friends will give.

Braden drops his pizza slice and stares at me with wide eyes. "Holy shit."

"It really didn't mean anything. We both had some drinks and we were talking when the police showed up, so he kind of told me to follow him," I say and hope they'll accept it and move on.

They don't.

"No wonder he was staring at you the entire chem class!" Braden nearly screams. "Legit, I've never seen a boy stare at a girl's hair that long."

I blush automatically, not having any self-control. He was staring at me. It gets heart beating faster and faster the more I imagine it.

Could this mean he likes me?

I mean, Luke did say that he doesn't even open up to him. He opened up to me Friday night. And he did tell me about his sister in the car on Saturday, which was at least something.

I don't know whether or not I like him, however. He was a big fat dick to me the first day I met him. Then the next day he wasn't exactly the most cheerful person I've ever met. But I do know that he's hiding behind that rude personality of his. I've seen what I presume to be the real Kyle Blackburn.

I see it every time he laughs or jokes around. I can tell that that's who Kyle Blackburn is. I see it when he tells me something about his past, the way he becomes serious and fragile.

Times like those make my heart clench in a way that a school girls does when her crush walks by.

So am I crushing on Kyle?

"Cass, he's literally looking at you right now," Emerson whispers as though saying a secret.

I turn look, but Braden frantically grabs both of my hands to stop me.

"Don't just look! He can't know we're talking about him. Now, tell us what you two talked about after you chased after him during six degrees of Kevin Bacon."

"Um," I hesitate and try to remember something to tell them, "my dream to reenact Mamma Mia."

"That's all?" Emerson asks, an unsatisfied look on her face.