We'll Keep a Secret (If You Keep Me Guessing)
Four
After Spanish, I had a chemistry class next hour. We didn’t do much in there, just going over lab safety rules and other tedious things as such. Afterward, it was time for my lunch block. I caught up with Rian and Jack in the hallway, and we headed to the cafeteria together, where we saw Erin already sitting down and waiting for us. We all sat around her.
“So, how’s it going so far?” she asked me.
“Pretty good,” I responded. “Jack got in trouble for saying ‘boner’ in Spanish class.”
Erin snickered.
“I still don’t see what I did wrong,” Jack said. “‘Boner’ is a scientific term.”
“No, it isn’t,” I disagreed.
“Whatever. I’m gonna go get in the line. You want anything?”
“Um, just a cookie.”
“Chocolate chip?”
“Please and thank you,” I said with a smile.
“I’m going with. Do you want anything, Erin?” Rian asked.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she answered sheepishly.
He smiled at her before turning around and walking away with Jack.
“So…” I trailed off.
“So, what?” Erin asked.
“What’s up with you two?”
She blushed a deep red and tried to hold back a grin. “I don’t know, but I really like him.”
“Well, that’s obvious. How did things go at the party last night?”
“Things went great. We danced and talked and—”
“Talked about what?” I cut her off excitedly.
She shrugged. “Nothing much, just how our summer went and other small stuff like that.”
“You should ask him out,” I said casually.
She shook her head. “I can’t. What if he just wants to be friends?”
“Oh, please. Rian’s not that hard to read.”
She didn’t respond. She just sat there, looking down at her lap. The boys came back and sat down a bit later.
“Here’s your cookie,” Jack said, tossing it at me.
I caught it. “Thanks.”
We all started eating, but for some reason, something didn’t feel quite right to me. I looked around our table and noticed that everyone that was supposed to be there was, with the exception of Alex.
“Hey, where’s Alex?” I asked no one in particular.
“Haven’t seen him,” Erin said.
“He probably got lost,” Rian snickered. He and Jack burst into a fit of giggles.
Erin and I looked at each other, confused, but neither of us decided to ask what was so funny. When lunch was finished, we all parted ways, and I headed over to my next class, which was art. I took the first seat I saw and patiently waited for class to begin. As I was sitting there, my mind drifted to Alex. I wanted to know where he was at lunch, what Rian meant when he said Alex had probably gotten lost, and why he and Jack thought it was so hilarious. I was beginning to worry about it, but the tardy bell snapped me out of my thoughts. The teacher, Mr. Garner, stood in front of the class and introduced himself and started talking about some of the things we were going to learn in the class. About ten minutes through class, the door opened. I looked up to see Alex walking through it. He looked awful. His hair was a bit messy, his clothes were wrinkled, his face was pale and his eyes were bloodshot. He obviously had a hangover, which made me feel a bit less pity for him.
“You’re late, young man,” Mr. Garner said.
“I know,” Alex said groggily, handing him a pass and sitting down next to me.
“You look terrible,” I said, trying to hold back my giggles.
“Screw you, Sophie,” he groaned before folding his arms up on the table and laying his head down.
“What’s the matter? Had a little too much to drink last night?”
“Sh!” he hissed.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I hated being around him when he was like this. He could be such an ass. “Hey, where were you at lunch?”
“Bathroom,” he answered.
“For thirty minutes? That’s kind of long to be—”
“I got sick, okay?” he snapped, lifting his head. “Is that a good enough answer for you?”
I looked into his red eyes and frowned. He just sighed and looked away from me before putting his head back down. Though I was surprised and a little hurt that he snapped at me like that, I felt a little bad that he wasn’t feeling well. I carefully snaked my right hand through his hair and began rubbing his head. I found that always helped when he was cranky. He exhaled deeply and moved his left hand, resting it on my knee.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m just really tired and—”
“It’s alright,” I interrupted.
He squeezed my knee and turned his head so I could see his face. His eyes remained closed, though. “You’re too good to me.”
I half-smiled. “That’s what best friends are for.”
A moment later, Mr. Garner approached our table and cleared his throat. I quickly removed my hand from Alex’s head, and Alex sat up.
“First you’re tardy. Now you’re sleeping in class,” Mr. Garner said to Alex. “This just won’t do.”
“I’m sorry. I just—”
“I don’t need your excuses,” Mr. Garner cut Alex off. “Don’t let this become a habit.” With that said, he turned and walked away.
“I think he already hates me,” Alex said with a brow raised.
I giggled. “I can see why.”
His jaw dropped. “Are you saying that you don’t like me?”
I shrugged. “I’ve just felt bad for you all these years because your other friends are so crappy.”
He laughed and nudged me in the ribs with his elbow.
“So, what are you gonna do now?” Alex asked me as we were standing outside after school.
“I don’t know. I’ll probably just go hang out at home.”
He chuckled. “You have no life.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m such a bore.”
“Come over to my house.”
“I don’t think so.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“You still look tired. You should go get some rest.”
“I’ll rest later. Come on. Please,” he begged with puppy dog eyes.
I sighed. “Fine.”
“Yay!” he shouted as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward his Audi.
We got in the car and started making our way to Alex’s house. The ride was silent other than the music that was playing on the radio. It was odd because for once, I felt like I had nothing to say to him. It didn’t help that he wasn’t trying to talk to me either. Every few minutes, though, I could feel his eyes on me.
“Stop staring, Gaskarth,” I warned as I looked out the window at the passing scenery.
He didn’t say anything. He just chuckled silently and reverted his attention to the road.
“So, how’s it going so far?” she asked me.
“Pretty good,” I responded. “Jack got in trouble for saying ‘boner’ in Spanish class.”
Erin snickered.
“I still don’t see what I did wrong,” Jack said. “‘Boner’ is a scientific term.”
“No, it isn’t,” I disagreed.
“Whatever. I’m gonna go get in the line. You want anything?”
“Um, just a cookie.”
“Chocolate chip?”
“Please and thank you,” I said with a smile.
“I’m going with. Do you want anything, Erin?” Rian asked.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she answered sheepishly.
He smiled at her before turning around and walking away with Jack.
“So…” I trailed off.
“So, what?” Erin asked.
“What’s up with you two?”
She blushed a deep red and tried to hold back a grin. “I don’t know, but I really like him.”
“Well, that’s obvious. How did things go at the party last night?”
“Things went great. We danced and talked and—”
“Talked about what?” I cut her off excitedly.
She shrugged. “Nothing much, just how our summer went and other small stuff like that.”
“You should ask him out,” I said casually.
She shook her head. “I can’t. What if he just wants to be friends?”
“Oh, please. Rian’s not that hard to read.”
She didn’t respond. She just sat there, looking down at her lap. The boys came back and sat down a bit later.
“Here’s your cookie,” Jack said, tossing it at me.
I caught it. “Thanks.”
We all started eating, but for some reason, something didn’t feel quite right to me. I looked around our table and noticed that everyone that was supposed to be there was, with the exception of Alex.
“Hey, where’s Alex?” I asked no one in particular.
“Haven’t seen him,” Erin said.
“He probably got lost,” Rian snickered. He and Jack burst into a fit of giggles.
Erin and I looked at each other, confused, but neither of us decided to ask what was so funny. When lunch was finished, we all parted ways, and I headed over to my next class, which was art. I took the first seat I saw and patiently waited for class to begin. As I was sitting there, my mind drifted to Alex. I wanted to know where he was at lunch, what Rian meant when he said Alex had probably gotten lost, and why he and Jack thought it was so hilarious. I was beginning to worry about it, but the tardy bell snapped me out of my thoughts. The teacher, Mr. Garner, stood in front of the class and introduced himself and started talking about some of the things we were going to learn in the class. About ten minutes through class, the door opened. I looked up to see Alex walking through it. He looked awful. His hair was a bit messy, his clothes were wrinkled, his face was pale and his eyes were bloodshot. He obviously had a hangover, which made me feel a bit less pity for him.
“You’re late, young man,” Mr. Garner said.
“I know,” Alex said groggily, handing him a pass and sitting down next to me.
“You look terrible,” I said, trying to hold back my giggles.
“Screw you, Sophie,” he groaned before folding his arms up on the table and laying his head down.
“What’s the matter? Had a little too much to drink last night?”
“Sh!” he hissed.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I hated being around him when he was like this. He could be such an ass. “Hey, where were you at lunch?”
“Bathroom,” he answered.
“For thirty minutes? That’s kind of long to be—”
“I got sick, okay?” he snapped, lifting his head. “Is that a good enough answer for you?”
I looked into his red eyes and frowned. He just sighed and looked away from me before putting his head back down. Though I was surprised and a little hurt that he snapped at me like that, I felt a little bad that he wasn’t feeling well. I carefully snaked my right hand through his hair and began rubbing his head. I found that always helped when he was cranky. He exhaled deeply and moved his left hand, resting it on my knee.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m just really tired and—”
“It’s alright,” I interrupted.
He squeezed my knee and turned his head so I could see his face. His eyes remained closed, though. “You’re too good to me.”
I half-smiled. “That’s what best friends are for.”
A moment later, Mr. Garner approached our table and cleared his throat. I quickly removed my hand from Alex’s head, and Alex sat up.
“First you’re tardy. Now you’re sleeping in class,” Mr. Garner said to Alex. “This just won’t do.”
“I’m sorry. I just—”
“I don’t need your excuses,” Mr. Garner cut Alex off. “Don’t let this become a habit.” With that said, he turned and walked away.
“I think he already hates me,” Alex said with a brow raised.
I giggled. “I can see why.”
His jaw dropped. “Are you saying that you don’t like me?”
I shrugged. “I’ve just felt bad for you all these years because your other friends are so crappy.”
He laughed and nudged me in the ribs with his elbow.
***
“So, what are you gonna do now?” Alex asked me as we were standing outside after school.
“I don’t know. I’ll probably just go hang out at home.”
He chuckled. “You have no life.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m such a bore.”
“Come over to my house.”
“I don’t think so.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“You still look tired. You should go get some rest.”
“I’ll rest later. Come on. Please,” he begged with puppy dog eyes.
I sighed. “Fine.”
“Yay!” he shouted as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward his Audi.
We got in the car and started making our way to Alex’s house. The ride was silent other than the music that was playing on the radio. It was odd because for once, I felt like I had nothing to say to him. It didn’t help that he wasn’t trying to talk to me either. Every few minutes, though, I could feel his eyes on me.
“Stop staring, Gaskarth,” I warned as I looked out the window at the passing scenery.
He didn’t say anything. He just chuckled silently and reverted his attention to the road.