Cheaters Anonymous

chapter 26 | school spirit

Calington was louder than usual, which meant one thing - charity week was finally here. The cheerleading squad was gathered by the main doors, dressed in their sparkly gold and blue uniforms. They passed out flyers as we entered the school. Open booths decorated the winding hallways with sign ups available for various events.

"I think I'm going to do the kissing booth," Jasmine said, pointing at the pink-painted pair of glossy lips hanging above the booth to our right. Amy Walford and Madi Daves were passing out candy sweethearts that had cute messages like 'first kiss for a cause' and 'pucker up!'

"The senior boys can finally get lucky," She said, scribbling her name onto the card before dropping it into the empty slot of the cardboard box. "You guys do it too!"

"I'll just sign up for the carnival or something," Christian said, shaking his head. "My lips are sacred. They can only be touched by selective people."

"We should do the same thing," Jas whined, turning to me. "C'mon D, tell him. This is one of our last things to do together as seniors. Don't we want to leave with a bang?"

I laughed. "I don't know, Jas. I might have to stick with Chris on this one." Thoughts of locking lips with boys like Dan Peters made me shudder. Before Jasmine could argue with me, I walked away from her, scanning the other booths. I was about to put my name down for the dinner cruise when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer.

I looked up to see Ellis's blue eyes, the hint of icy mint from his breath cool against my ear. "I really hope we weren't doing this thing in private, because you have some eyes on you," He said, leaning into the spot right below my ear.

Sure enough, there was a random spattering of girls glaring at me and staring at Ellis wistfully, as if they wished they could've been in my place. I shook my head slightly, leaning up to leave a soft kiss on his jaw. Before I could pull away, he was tugging me back in gently, his lips hovering above the corner of mine.

The thrill of having him actually touch me in public made everything feel more real, even though part of me was still scared that everything would be ruined with one wrong move.

Just one.

"I think you blew my cover, Hyland," I teased.

He smiled, his eyes following the slip of paper in my hand. I could see the questioning in his eyes.

"Jasmine wanted me to do the kissing booth, but I think I'm going to stick to this," I explained.

He laughed, running a hand through his already tousled hair. "I'm glad. I don't know how I feel about any other guy getting close with my girl."

The sound of being called his girl made butterflies run through the pit of my stomach. "I thought Ellis Hyland doesn't do relationships," I said carefully.

"I don't," He said hurriedly, and for a second my heart fell. Of course this would be a hook up at most. I had been stupid, jumping into something when I had placed barriers around my heart for so long.

I fought the urge to move away until his next words, slightly gravelly. "But I think it's time I tried, right?"

His eyes searched mine for a reaction, and I didn't say anything. The truth was, I wanted this but there was still a warning tone in my head. Thoughts of whether I should tell him what I had found at Sutton's home trickled into my mind, and yet I couldn't bring myself to do it. The entire time I thought I was protecting myself from him, but maybe it was the other way around.

Maybe I was the one he needed to stay away from.

Ellis reached across me, and before I could ask what he was doing he was putting his own name down for the cruise too before turning back to me.

"It could be you and me, Reeves," He said, his fingers softly hooking under my chin, tilting it so that I was looking into his eyes. "I don't know what's holding you back but when you're ready, I'm there."

As the bell rang, he was the first one to walk away, disappearing around the corner.

But his words stayed in my head, repeating until I didn't know what to feel anymore.

✤

I was truly convinced that no force was a match for our raging editor in chief.

Anna's eyes narrowed as soon as I pushed the revolving doors open, and she raised an accusatory finger. "Look who decided to show up after skipping the last few meetings. Where the hell have you been?"

"I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you," I joked, earning an empty smirk from her. "I'm sorry, I've just had a lot going on."

She must've sensed the urgency in my tone because she crossed her arms across her dark blue blazer, cocking her head. "What happened?"

I took a deep breath, glancing at the computer behind her. "Things between Aiden and I are weird," I said finally. It was an understatement, but it was true.

She made an apologetic sound. "Is that why he's been skipping too? Yikes."

I laughed drily. "But I came here today because I had to ask you something. Was there anything that ever came out about the dance team? Any notable gossip or drama? Before Addie."

A thoughtful expression flickered across her face as she considered it. Anna was a human database - she took the school paper more seriously than anyone, and if anyone would have the 411 on Calington scandals, it was her. Just when I thought she'd shake her head, she turned to me.

"The Alvarez scandal," Anna blurted out, recognition coming to her features as she pulled the sparkly clip out of her hair. "It was before you joined the club. Have you ever heard about that?"

I shook my head. The name didn't sound familiar to me.

"Catalina Alvarez," She said. "She used to be in the dance team- class of '20, I think?"

"So one year older than us," I said. "What happened to her?"

"She transferred schools after someone leaked her nudes," Anna said, her lips folding into a sympathetic frown. I looked up, shocked that someone could do something like that.

"It was crazy though - after that, no one ever heard from Cat again," Anna continued. "It's like she just disappeared."

"That's so messed up," I breathed, shaking my head. "Did they ever find out who did it?"

She shook her head. "Honestly, all they cared about was the drama it stirred. Before the incident, the only time Cat was ever talked about was about how she was a shoo-in to the Ivy Leagues. And then just like that the dynamic changed... people would slut-shame her, call her these demeaning names."

I shifted in my seat, unable to believe that that had happened to Cat. "People are so-"

"Terrible?" Anna finished. "I know. I just don't get why Cat left, you know? Fuck everyone who wants to talk. You shouldn't let them get to you, and you shouldn't run away because of what others are saying."

"Maybe that's not why she left," I said, my mind still buzzing from what Anna had told me. Anna looked up in surprise and I turned to her.

"Maybe she didn't leave because she was scared or ashamed. Maybe she saw it was her story to tell. And if she couldn't control what the others were saying, at least she could decide the ending," I said.

Anna nodded slowly. "I never thought about it like that. Either way, it's a tragedy," She said. "But that's all I can tell you about her. I wish I knew more, but I wasn't the one that was supposed to cover the story. It's a shame it never got approved by the board. Calington thought it was too risqué to post."

"Who was the person who was supposed to cover it?" I asked, swallowing past the sudden dryness in my throat as I waited for her answer.

"Aiden."