Chapter Twenty-Three
Sky
I sit on the side of the table that faces the food hall doors, hoping I’ll catch the sight of Cade just once. But so far, there’s been no luck.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Callie says, pushing her food around.
“Of course it’s not a good idea,” Lana tells her. “But that’s the point.”
They’re talking about the party. Even being on the wrong side of things, it’s all I’ve been hearing about. The Halloween Bonfire in the woods that is supposed to be a rite of passage for seniors.
“We could get expelled,” Callie pushes her plate away.
I don’t disagree. How can the faculty not see smoke coming from the woods? But on the other hand, if everyone is going, they can’t expel the whole senior class, can they?
“That’s a plus, not a con,” Ruby tells her, and I roll my eyes.
Yeah, maybe for her, but I don’t want to have to go home.
“It’s just going to be the lacrosse team and their minions,” Callie chews on the edge of her nail, trying desperately to get out of it.
But I know well enough now that if Lana wants to do something, Callie is forced along. I give her a sympathetic look, but don’t speak up. I know no one should be forced into doing something they don’t want to do, but I fear if it wasn’t for Lana, Callie would never leave her dorm. The girl has some serious anxiety that worries me. She quite literally was afraid to sit outside because of allergies, stating that the histamine our bodies produce makes our immune systems weak and damage our DNA.
She could use a party to relax a bit.
And if I’m being honest, it sounds a little fun. I never got to go to parties. I had a strict seven p.m. curfew, and I didn’t dare try to sneak out. In theory, what happened with Chase should have never happened to someone like me, but that just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how safe you are, bad things can still happen, you might as well live a little.
And with that thought, I tell Lana that I’ll go.
“See?” Lana turns to Callie. “We’re all going. You want to be the only one sitting in your dorm all by yourself?”,
“No, but—”
“Then it’s settled. You’re going.”
Callie rips off a piece of skin at her words, and I spot a bead of blood form.
“Stop that.” I quickly lean over the table and swat at her hand.
“Yeah, knock that off.” Lana grabs her wrist. “It’s a party, not a death sentence.”
“It will be fun,” I tack on. “We’ll dress up as something cute, and we won’t leave your side.”
“I don’t do cute,” Ruby interjects, and I raise a brow at her.
“You couldn’t not be cute if you tried,” I say. She already knows I think she looks like a little cherub, and I get the response I was expecting.
She sticks a finger in her mouth and gags. “You’re trying to convert me into your Barbie cult.”
“I don’t have to—” my words die on my tongue when I see the lunch lady handing over a brown paper bag to that kid. The kid with the moppy hair and insecure shuffle that followed Cade.
I immediately stand, pushing away from the table. This is my chance. I haven’t seen this kid since that one day, and the lunch bag looks awfully similar to the one I saw Cade pick up. He has to be meeting him. He just has to. I know the girls are looking at me like a chicken that just flew the coop, but I speed walk towards the door anyway, planning on body blocking the poor kid before he gets away.
“Hi!” I chirp, sliding in front of him right before he crosses the threshold.
He stumbles backward, brows coming together, and I plaster on my best cheery smile to put him at ease.
“Uh, sorry,” he mumbles, and tries to quickly step around me.
What the hell is he sorry for? I purse my lips and shake my head.
“No, wait!” I put a hand up, and he freezes, gaping at my hand as if I have extra fingers. “Where are you going?” I try to ask it nonchalantly, but it comes out high pitched and a bit creepy.
The kid looks over his shoulder and then back at me, but not at my face, instead keeping his focus on my shoes.
“Uh…” he stutters. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” I giggle, but that too sounds creepy.
God, I’m screwing this up.
“Out…side?” he says, but looks over his shoulder again.
What the hell is he looking at? I need him to focus.
“With Cade?” I push, tilting my head to see under his shaggy hair.
Now he really tenses, and I notice his grip on the bag tightens.
“I don’t want any trouble,” he says and tries to side step me.
“I’m not—I don’t—” I try to block him, but he sucks himself in and slips past me without so much as a graze. “I wasn’t…” I trail off as he jogs away, my shoulders sagging as I watch him disappear around a corner.
Well, that didn’t work.