Alone In A Crowded Room

Chapter 4

"Hang on." Caroline held up her hand as we walked home from school. "Damon Black and Alexia Branson? Seriously? Lexi. And Damon."

"Yup." I smirked. I had struggled to wrap my head around it during my walk home yesterday, too. My firsthand experience with either of them was limited, but Lexi Branson was nothing if not a shrinking violet, and Damon was a boisterous shithead.

"Isn't she younger than you?" Matt frowned at Caroline. Damon tormented Matt for years, but when he started dating Caroline the torment took a turn for the specific. Matt still occasionally complained about being called a cradle robber.

"She's the youngest girl in our class." Caroline said, raising her eyebrows at Matt.

"Huh." He nodded, rolling his jaw. "Good to know." I rolled my eyes, hoping at the very least I wasn't putting myself in the middle of some battle between the two of them. When we reached home Matt stopped, giving Caroline a kiss as Jenna and I climbed the stairs to the front porch. "I'll stop by to walk you home later?"

"Yeah." Caroline smiled, squeezing his hand before letting go. It's code, and I don't know why they keep pretending walking is all that happens on those trips back to town. The three of us went inside to find a note on the table from my mother saying that she'd be out in town for most of the evening, though I didn't think she was seeing Jacob again for another day or two. We lounged around the living room, pretending to work on homework but doing more talking than anything else. Caroline sat on the floor, letting Jenna sit behind her and work an elaborate braid into her hair. She dropped her head back into Jenna's lap, looking up at her. "So what do you think of him?"

"Jacob?" Jenna pushed Caroline's head back upright, frowning as she pulled out part of the braid and started over. "He's nice, I guess."

"Is he?" Caroline smirked at me. "He's kind of cute, you know." I just shook my head, watching the blush creep into Jenna's cheeks.

"Maybe." She shrugged. Caroline raised her eyebrows at me, silently asking if she was getting to Jenna. I pressed my lips together, nodding and looking down at the book in my lap to hide the smile I couldn't hold back.

"I bet Elenq thinks he is." Caroline said, and I looked up at her, deadening my expression as much as possible.

"Caroline" I said, cocking my head to the side.

"Well." She laughed. "She would if she'd seen him in that little wrestling uniform, anyway." I gave her a look, and she raised her hands. "Just saying. That might have been most of the reason I bothered going."

"To check out Jacon's ass?" I smirked.

"Maybe his brother's, too." She grinned, shrugging. "And Asa Maynard has nothing to be ashamed of either, for the record. Don't tellatt."

"You're awful." I laughed.

"You should pay more attention to these things." Caroline said, smoothing her hand over her braid as Jenna tied off the end. "You're missing out on a critical portion of your teenage experience."

"I don't think the wrestling team's asses are all that critical to my experience." I said as I shifted in my seat, rolling my eyes before turning my attention back to my book.

"Your loss." Caroline shrugged before turning to Jenna. "Switch. Your turn." The two of them swapped places, and I half listened to them talk idly as I read, most of my attention focused on the book. I couldn't help but wonder how serious Caroline was about thinking Jacob was attractive, though, and how much was just to get Jenna flushed and embarrassed.

Matt stopped by before dark, planting himself beside Caroline on the couch and dropping his arm around her shoulders. She curled up against him, laying her knees across his lap and slipping her arm around his waist without so much as skipping a beat in our conversation.