Comfortable Liar

self-conscious; conscious of one's self as an object of the observation of others

"Why is everyone staring?" I whispered to Matt. Today was the first day of school, which meant that Christmas vacation was officially over. We were walking down the hall, and everyone was staring at us. It was kind of creepy.

"Because Matt here hasn't been seen with any girl," Raynee said from beside me.

"Really?" I asked and looked up at Matt. He glared over at Raynee, who was probably grinning, and then looked down at me.

"I usually just...um...hook up," Matt said and looked away.

"I thought Brian was the man-whore?" I asked.

"And don't you forget it!" Brian yelled as he walked by. I rolled my eyes and looked back up at Matt.

"I've just never wanted to be in a relationship, until now," Matt said. I felt myself smile at his words, and my heart gave a slight twist.

"Don't worry, Rik. Everyone will stop staring soon," Johnny said.

"Hey, Raynee! Maybe we should give everyone a show so they'll stop checking out Matt and Erika," Zacky said and slung one arm around Raynee's shoulder.

"I don't think so, Baker," Raynee said and pushed him off her.

"You losers are boring, I'm out," Jimmy said and walked past us. Matt stopped in front of mine, Raynee, and Zacky's homeroom. Raynee disappeared inside, with Zacky right behind her, and I looked up at Matt as I leaned against the doorway.

"So..." I said and trailed off. Yes, Matt and I had been hanging out a lot lately, but I wasn't sure how to act at school.

"I'll see you at lunch," Matt said. He leaned down to give me a quick kiss, and then he walked off to his own homeroom. I walked inside mine and sat down beside Raynee. She was glaring a hole in the back of Zacky's head, who was sitting with some jocks. Surprisingly, they got along with everyone, and Zacky played baseball.

"I really can't stand him sometimes," Raynee mumbled.

"I can't stand any of them. Except for Matt, of course," I said.

"Of course," Raynee said with a smile. I shrugged and listened to the teacher call everyone's name, and then the bell rung. It was just another day, but still completely different...

Lunch Time

Matt had walked me to all of my classes, and he was waiting by the door when I emerged to go to lunch. Raynee was right behind me, and I heard her groan as Zacky grabbed her arm and started pulling her in the direction of the lunchroom.

"She's going to kill him one day," I said as Matt and I started walking.

"And he's going to love every second of it," Matt replied. We quickly went through the lunch line, and then we were sitting on a bench under a tree. Raynee and Zacky were already there, and arguing. I saw Brian at the cheerleader table, but that wasn't surprising. Jimmy was sitting across from us, but he was facing the tree and talking to something that looked like a squirrel, and Johnny had to stay in for something he had done before school got out.

I bit hungrily into my pizza and then chased it down with a sip of my coke. I took a few more bites, and I noticed Matt staring at me from the corner of my eye. I swallowed the food in my mouth, took another sip of my drink to wash it down, and then looked over at Matt.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Don't you think you should slow down, just a bit?" Matt asked. His eyes raked over my body, and for the first time I felt a little self-conscious. I had never bothered with having a boyfriend before; there had never been much reason to. I had one now though, so I should keep myself looking good for him.

"Yeah," I said and pushed my food away from me. Matt wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side.

"I'm not telling you not to eat; I just don't want anything to happen to that gorgeous body of yours," Matt said and smiled at me. I smiled back up at him before answering.

"I know, but I ate too quickly and now I'm feeling a little full," I said.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." I nodded my head to make a point, and Matt seemed content with my answer. Lunch was over a lot faster than usual, and the rest of the day sped by. Before long I was in Math, the last class of the day. Ms. Kellan smiled at me as I walked in, and I smiled back before moving to the back table.

I was almost asleep when I felt someone sit down next to me. That couldn't be right though, because I was the only one who was allowed to sit at the back table. That was the deal. I rolled my head to the side and saw a black tee shirt. My eyes traveled up and I saw a dimpled smile, followed by hazel eyes and messy black hair.

"Hi, Matt," I said and sleepily smiled back.

"Hey," he said and leaned down to give me a quick kiss.

"Is Ms. Kellan going to let you stay here?" I asked. He looked towards the front of the room, and I followed his gaze. Ms. Kellan was looking at me with a raised eyebrow, and I nodded my head. She gave a quick nod back and began talking. I laid my head back down and listened to Ms. Kellan talk, and Matt was taking a few notes.

Halfway through the lesson I felt something brush my leg, and I instantly knew what it was. I might not have had a boyfriend before this, but that didn't mean I had never hooked up with anyone before. I was a virgin, but I wasn't stupid. Matt's hand stayed on my thigh, right above my knee, and didn't move. Most guys would have done a lot more, but Matt wasn't most guys. I smiled to myself and moved my hand under the table to entwine my fingers with his.