Between These Lines (A Young Adult Novel) (3 page)

“You
hate poetry and this is a joint project, not tutoring.”

“This
poet of yours, she wrote
Roses Are Red
, right?”

“Sylvia
Plath was suicidal.”

“Well,
maybe she didn’t have a personal tutor,” his breath came in hot wisps next to
my ear.

“What
do you say this weekend is our first session? I can help you ace that paper.”

My
face turned an entire palette of crimson and I offered a promising smile,
hoping it would keep his request at bay a little longer. I knew full well that
Jake’s parents would be away again this weekend, I didn’t need a formal
invitation to keep track of it and nothing, not even a seductive study date,
would come between Shane and his partying. As soon as the alcohol flowed, I
would be forgotten.

“So
this project is so important he had to sit by you for lunch?”

“There
really isn’t any other time to discuss the paper.” I looked Shane carefully in
the eye and tried not to notice the vein that twitched at his temple. “Tara’s
doing it with us. Everyone else was in a group of four, except us.” I waited
for it; the relief that was supposed to come after my words told him I wasn’t
exclusively paired up with Chase. But if relief came at all it was too slight
for me to notice. Instead, I found myself even more nervous than before. For
whatever reason, Shane didn’t like Chase, and the feeling was mutual.

Shane’s
lips found the tender hollow beneath my ear, “Wear that black skirt for me
Friday.”

I
pulled away, frowning at his request. “Which black skirt?” Of course I knew
which one. It belonged in the charity pile, not on me.
 

He
silently pressed for an answer.

“It’s
way too small. I’m not wearing it.” My eyes darted away from the obvious
seduction that lingered in his.

“It
matches my car,” he insisted.

I
tried to swallow the infuriation building inside me. His request made me
queasy, especially in front of his friends. To my relief he dropped the issue
and we filed out of the dining hall, though with each step I could feel my
stomach tie into knots. I was secretly praying that Chase had already left his
locker and gone to class; that perhaps we could avoid another uncomfortable
encounter.

Shane
slowed us down and laced his fingers in mine. “You okay?”

“Sure.
I just don’t think lunch agreed with me.” I leaned up to kiss him, hoping my
affection would make up for the last few minutes. Even though he’d made
me
feel uncomfortable, I knew how Shane ticked. I slowed my pace and waited for
Tara to catch up with me as Shane walked back toward his friends. In the small
square window of the open Chemistry lab door, I caught the reflection of the
others clearly behind me, and my eyes lingered on their shapes as they walked
closer. Only their heads and shoulders could be seen in the mirror image, but
it was enough to freeze me to this spot and watch.

Tara
passed Shane and in the few seconds they had, she lifted herself on tippy-toe
and whispered in his ear. What killed me was the sly smile that crept across
his lips in return. There was something peculiar in the way he looked at her,
something almost familiar, that sent my stomach into a frenzy. Shane was a
flirt, that was a well-known fact, and as his girlfriend, I’ve learned to turn
a blind eye to the truth. But this was different.

The
interaction, no matter how brief, prompted my feet to move faster, leaving the
others behind. By the time I reached my locker, jealousy, betrayal, and rushed
conclusions had hit me over the head. I began getting my books ready for my
next class, feeling more confused than ever and I pinched the bridge of my nose
with my fingers, trying to stay calm.

Maybe
it was nothing.

I
needed a distraction to prevent my brain from going into overload, and
immediately, Chase sprung to mind. I had a secret crush on him, so why was the
tender moment between Shane and Tara killing me? I forced myself to think of
the two projects I had just set myself up for with him, playing them over in my
head. We were supposed to get to know one another to find our similarities and
differences. Lunch was the first step, and I nearly cried on the spot when I
realized we could both mark down how miserable Shane made us feel when he
walked into the room. I took a deep breath. We had a paper to start. It would
go smoothly. It just had to.

But
as soon as that decision began to root, I thought of Tara, who was supposed to
be working on the project with as much effort as I was. Tara had a tendency to
tag along for a grade, doing as little as possible. Against my will, I wondered
what else Tara could be tagging along for, and my thoughts returned to the reflection
in the window.

* * *

We’d
been in the bathroom a full nine minutes, and not a single word had been
exchanged. Out of the corner of my eye saw her in the large mirror, which
echoed back the puzzling reflection I witnessed earlier.

The
lip gloss wand trembled between my fingers, though I managed to swipe my lips,
leaving a surprisingly even trail of pink grapefruit across them. I stuffed it
back into the skinny container and shoved it in my purse. Over and over the
image in the window played through my head, eating at me. I couldn’t have
imagined it. I know what I saw. Shane and Tara were friends.

Friends
talk. Friends share secrets.

Secrets—
the
word itself
was like a plague creeping within me. I set my hands down on the cool counter
and forced myself to breathe. I had my own secrets, didn’t I? Though as
innocent as they were to me, they could easily set off a series of bombs if not
carefully hidden. I wondered about my ability to trust her, and felt guilty
with myself for even questioning the boundaries of our friendship. I felt
guilty for feeling something for someone other than Shane.

For
a moment, I wished everything would go back to the way they used to be. I
touched the inside of my arm and felt the tenderness of the skin. Shane never
used to be so rough with me.

Maybe
that’s why I let myself become so sidetracked by Chase; because I missed the
days when

Shane
and I flirted, when everything was new and perfect.

But
what happened in the hallway, and what was it I think I saw?

I
couldn’t stand it any longer. It was time to face the hurdle.

“Thanks
for leaving me hanging,” I let out, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

“Hanging?
When did I leave you hanging?”

“At
lunch. Couldn’t you find at least one nice thing to say to him?”

Tara
leaned over the sink and smoothed the tiny hairs arching at her brow. “Is that
what this silent treatment is all about? That I didn’t take Chase by the hand
and lead him around the room, introducing him to everyone so they wouldn’t feel
tempted to stop and stare at the schmuck you brought to lunch?”

My
entire body tensed. “It was
your
idea.”

“Are
you kidding me? It’s been yours for weeks.”

I
stood and stared at her through the mirror and tried not to shake.

Tara
leaned over and adjusted her hair, keeping her eyes on mine. “That was called
transitioning the moment, and you’re welcome, because if I hadn’t thrown that
out there, he never would have agreed to go to lunch. But since you did, you
probably could have held out your hand and he would have eaten from it; now
that would have been something to watch.”

As
usual, Tara had a way of turning uncomfortable situations around and finding
the loophole to escape. Any sort of confrontation brought her claws out, even
if she was party to the blame. I, on the other hand, got tongue-tied, which was
exactly what was happening now.

“What
about when the guys came in? You just sat back and let me dig my way out.” I
felt the redness seep up from my neck to the tender flesh behind my ears. She
and I were supposed to be in this together. “This is a joint project,” I said
for the thousandth time. “You can’t let this slide and expect me to pick the
pieces up for you, again.”

“If
you’re talking about last semester’s Multi Media project, that’s old news.
Power Point and

I
simply do not agree.” Tara’s blowing this off didn’t surprise me. But it didn’t
help things either.

“Besides,”
she continued. “Keith Taylor was a pretty hot study partner, so you can’t blame
me for being distracted.”

“You
have to do
some
of the work, which doesn’t include sitting back while I
get the third degree.”

“Evie,
Shane’s your boyfriend to control.” Her voice then changed to a gentle,
convincing purr, “Besides, I’ve already started to help with the project.” She
turned to the mirror and proceeded to fuss with her already perfect hair. Her
smile played across her lips as her eyes flicked back and forth between her own
reflection and mine, as she waited for me to drag it out of her. It was a
typical Tara move. A classic.

“What
do you mean you’ve already started?”

“I
asked the guys to invite Chase to Jake’s this weekend.”

“Why
would you do that?” My voice echoed. “We’re supposed to study, not party
together.”

Tara
smirked and rolled her eyes, “So do both. Shane’s okay with it.”

I
leaned against the sink to steady myself. “I’ll bet he is,” I said beneath my
breath. My stomach dropped ten feet below the floor. He
knew
. He knew I
was purposely trying to include

Chase in
my life, even if it was Mr. Floyd’s idea, even if it was mandatory. It wasn’t
just the English paper. Shane knew I
lied.
Thanks to Tara.

“Eves,”
Tara turned to me, “stop worrying.”

But
the bathroom had already begun to spin slightly.

“See,
now you can flirt with Mr. Mysterious right under Shane’s nose,” she said as if
she was the clever one. “Don’t tell me this isn’t working out perfectly for
you. So, see? I couldn’t say anything at lunch otherwise Shane would suspect I
was helping cover things up for you.” She paused, her face smooth and serene
even as the venom oozed from her lips. “I couldn’t possibly bring myself to
step between you and Shane.”

The
idea of secrets took on new meaning, and so the question came without warning,
before I could even think of what I was asking, before I could process in
advance how it would affect things.

“So
this was your idea?”

“Mmm
hmm.” Tara leaned across the sink and carefully arranged her hair.

 
“Is that what you whispered to Shane in
the hall?” My eyes shot up to meet hers, to catch a glimpse of her reaction the
moment my words met the dead air between us.

Tara
was quiet.

Clearly,
it wasn’t a topic that could be brought up out of the blue while walking down
the hall. It wouldn’t garner a blasé reaction from Shane, and it most
definitely wouldn’t cause such an intimate look between the two of them.

Her
words rang in my ears; the reference to flirting with Chase beneath Shane’s
nose.

This
time I recognized the reflection in the mirror. I didn’t have to second-guess
myself. I watched, as quietly composed as I could be, as Tara’s pretty,
porcelain face went bone-white.

Chapter Five

Chase

Lunch left
me confused and wishing I hadn’t agreed to go with Evie. It would take some
masterminding, but I was seriously considering asking Mr. Floyd to team me up
with another group. I spun the dial and yanked the lever to the side, taking
the day’s downfalls out on my locker. It almost went undetected, that little
flash of white. Puzzled, I pulled it from the inside slat on the door.

At
first I thought it was from Shane, who always got the last word in, no matter
what. Then, I wondered if Evie had planted the note. Maybe she second-guessed
herself and would back both she and Tara out of working on the project with me,
which would leave me off the hook from doing it myself.

But
then I read it.

What
a joke. It was an invite to Jake Shellinger’s house party this weekend, which
would be a hit, at my expense, of course. Even if I ignored my first instinct,
which to crumple the stupid invite and chuck it in the trash, I could handle
Shane. I had managed to stay out of his way for years and I had no intention of
stealing his girlfriend, even though I liked her.

Then
a thought crossed my mind that it was Evie after all. A peace offering for what
happened at lunch. Somehow, I was okay with that, and if Evie still wanted me
around, then too bad for Shane Whitley.

The
only thing standing in my way between the bell and getting out of this academic
purgatory was Technical Media. I sucked it up, shuffled onward, and did my best
avoiding everyone around me. I was greeted by a strange descending quiet,
complete with watchful eyes, as soon as I walked in. Normally, I would slither
in, grateful for the invisibility. Now, since lunch, it was the opposite, and I
didn’t know what to do with the attention.