The Challenge

"You love my cheesiness."

"I am not wearing a wire!" I whisper-yelled shoving the device back into Brad's hands. I looked around the room, making sure no attention was drawn to us.

"Well how are we going to know if she really said it?" he asked handing the wire to Mike who promptly shoved it in the bottom of his abyss he calls a bookbag.

"You've trusted me before; why not now?"

"Because the stakes are higher on this one," he explained, waving his arms around his face for emphasis.

I rolled my eyes, throwing a glance behind my shoulder at Lilly. She sat, hunched over her leather-bound book, with headphones plugged into her ears. My lips curved into a half smile as I watched her tap her feet against the tile floor. Her foot hit the floor in a constant smooth rythym; a rythym that sounded too much like my heartbeat.

"Okay!" the debate teacher's voice boomed, drawing everyone's attention. "Hand in your assignments and you can leave at the bell."

The scuffling of shoes and chairs scraping against the floor could be heard throughout the room. I looked down at my unfinshed paragraph and groaned. I quickly scribbled a few sentences that resembled the topic and piled it onto his desk with the others. Lilly grinned at me, her headphones now tucked safely in her pocket.

"Zoning out in class again?" she smiled, pointing at the chicken-scratch that covered my paper.

I chuckled. "Well maybe if you stopped being so beautiful, there wouldn't be anything to distract me."

"That was cheesy," she stated, although I made sure not to miss the faint pink that tainted her cheeks.

"You love my cheesiness," I said proudly.

She didn't answer, only rolled her eyes as she walked back to her seat. I watched her pull the headphones out and plug it back into her ears. Her foot resumed that steady beat and I smiled again, imagining the songs she must be listening to.

"Dustin? Are you going to return to your seat?" Mr. Adams asked me.

I looked around, quickly realizing that I was standing in the middle of the room. I mumbled out an apology before shuffling back to my seat. I tossed a look over my shoulder again at Lilly and I was surprised to find her gaze already locked on me. Her grin widened and her smile never faltered. I chuckled, taking mental notes of the light brown swirls mixed into her eyes; a light color that matched perfectly to the tips of her hair. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she continued to watch me, a look of contempation and confusion stretching across her features.

I turned back foward, reluctant to pull my gaze away from hers. Brad was whispering words to Mike as he listened carefully, his face looking hesitant and demurring.

The bell rung and, like a stampede, the students rushed out the door, eager to get away as fast as possible. I stood up too, pushing my books into my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. I walked towards the door when I felt a small hand wrap around my arm. I turned around, a smile instantly reaching my lips as I saw her.

"You're coming with me," she stated firmly, already leading me towards the parking lot.

"So demanding," I teased but still letting her drag me away.

"Get used to it," she called over her shoulder.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from the window to look at her in the driver's seat.

"You'll see."

"This conversation sounds oddly familiar. Are you going to take me to another top secret hide-out?" I joked.