Dirty Little Secret

Chapter Two

She looks up from her computer and raises her eyebrows. "What did you do, Lani?"

“I was pus-I fell on it, more than once today.”

"Oh, dear. Let me have a look then, excuse me, Owen," she nudges him out the way and smiles at him. "How nice of you to bring her in."

“She is my best friend.” He smiles.

"Really?" She looks at us standing next to each other and mutters something under her breath. I purse my lips and look up at Owen, who shrugs his shoulders.

“Well sweetie, it is broken. I suggest that when you get home have your parents take you to the doctors. But for now I can tape it up.”

"Thanks," I sigh. "Great, because of her I have a broken wrist," I grumble, causing Owen to look at me.

"Because of who?"

“No one, never mind. I just have to watch where I'm walking.” I say. “I'm a klutz is all…”

"Okay.." he doesn't look convinced but drops it. "Come on, lunch time." "I'm... er, going to eat outside."

“Why? We always sit inside together.”

"Just us?" I ask him, playing with the bandage around my wrist.

“Yeah.” He says. “As always.” he smiles and bumps my shoulders lightly though I'm much shorter than him

"Okay," I smile and follow behind him. Will Erica be there though? I sigh but quickly plaster the smile back on when he looks at me.

“Coming in?” he asks holding the door open.

I nod and duck under his arm. As the door slowly shuts behind us, I see heads turning towards us, I slyly back behind Owen, letting everyone see him instead. It's like he's oblivious to everyone staring at him as he scans the lunch crowd. He looks to his side and realizes I'm not there. He grabs my hand and pulls me to our usual table. I feel like I am being inspected, their gazes follow us the whole way to our table. Even when I look one of them in the eye, they don't look away.

Nudging Owen under the table, I hiss, "Everyone is looking!"

“So?"

"What do you mean 'so'?" I raise my eyebrow. "Isn't this bothering you?"

“Kind of, but I'm ignoring them. They should mind their own business.” I nod my head and don't say anything else. We sit in silence for a few minutes before I see someone walking our way.

My phone falls out of my pocket and lean over to get it, then ask, “Who's walking towards us?”

Owen stares at me like I'm mad. "What are you doing? Get up! People are looking."

I give him a flat look. "People are already looking, idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot, you're the one on the floor!"

“My phone…” I pick it up and show him. “It fell out of my pocket.”

He rolls his eyes and jerks me back upright. I watch as Erica's little friends walk pass, giving me dirty looks. I breathe out a sigh of relief, at least it wasn't Erica herself.

“What?” I ask looking at him.

"Nothing?" He smiles, takes a packet of crisp out his bag and offers me one.

"No, thank you?" I raise my eyebrow. I watch people around us for a few minutes before I finally ask him the question that has been bugging me.

“Owen, it doesn’t bother you that everyone thinks that...?”