The Mediator

Chapter 8

"What happened between you two?" Hailey begged.

We were at lunch now and she had been on my case about Rob and me all day. "Nothing." I said. Which was true on several counts.

"But he hasn't looked at you or even talked to you in days!" she reminded me.

She was right though. Rob hadn't looked at me or even talked to me all week and it was Thursday. He didn't sit next to me in English, he didn't talk to or look at me in chemistry. When he dropped me off on Saturday he told me not to take it personally. It became clear that it was Rob's recent behavior towards me that I was to not take personally.

I was actually okay with this. Whatever he needed to do to make whatever he still hadn't told me easier.

"You kissed him didn't you?" Ashley guessed. "You're a bad kisser and now he's trying to avoid you!"

Hailey gasped, "You kissed him?" She practically screamed.

"No!" I shouted. Kissing Rob wasn't on my to do list.

"Sure..." Ashley taunted.

I glared at her, "We didn't kiss."

Ashley flipped her curly blond hair as she spoke, "Oh yeah...that does make sense. You're probably not his type."

"Knock it off." Conner scolded her.

Ashley stuck her tongue out at him.

I got up from the table without a word and headed for the bathroom.

I stood in front of the mirror examining my reflection. I pulled my hair into a low ponytail over my right shoulder.

Just then someone came out from one of the stalls. It was Audrey Fox, Rob's sister. She walked over to the sink next to me and washed her hands. She smiled politely and I smiled back. I began to feel a little awkward; I didn't know what her brother had told her about me. I headed for the bathroom door.

"Wait," Audrey said.

I stopped. I was surprised she was talking to me. We had never spoken to one another before. I turned around to face her. She dried her hands on a paper towel as she spoke.

"Rob wants me to ask you something." She continued.

"Okay..." I said cautiously.

"He wants to know if you're going on the field trip tomorrow."

"I am" I told her.

"He asked me to ask you not to go."

"Why?"

Audrey looked at the floor for a second and then back at me. I knew what that

meant. I shouldn't be asking questions. I sighed.

"I'm not sure how to get out of it." I confessed.

She smiled, "Fake sick." She suggested.

My eyes widened I didn't know if I was capable of faking an illness. I thought about it for a moment. I really wanted to hear what Rob had to say. I wanted my questions answered. "I'll try." I frowned

"You can do it." She encouraged.

I had a feeling she knew whatever Rob was hiding from me so I couldn't help but ask, "Do you-"

Audrey cut me off before I could finish. She gave me a look of warning, "Yes, I know." She said dryly. And then she walked past me and out of the bathroom.