Pulling the keys from the ignition, I slammed my way out of the car and across the lot. I’d have to face her at some point today. But what would I say to her?
Hi, Dani or Riley or whoever the hell you are, care to tell me what you were doing at Lowell High last year? Or maybe you’d like to go into details of why you dated such a jerk or why you disappeared so suddenly? Who was the man you saw? What freaked you out so badly? What made you run?
I stopped in my tracks, a sudden thought ripping through my insides. She ran. She ran because she was afraid. If I pushed too hard, would she run from me too?
Maybe I wanted her to. Maybe I didn’t want to have to put up with this shit.
With a slow sigh, I realized that was bull. I wanted to be thrown right into it. I wanted to drag her out of whatever trouble she was in and haul her to safety.
Pushing through the flurry of students, I made my way to my locker, my eyes down. I practically tripped over her. She was leaning against the cold metal, her hair still wet from her morning swim.
“Hey.” She grinned, pushing off the locker with her shoulder. “Where were you this morning? You feeling okay?”
Her blue eyes scrunched with sympathy as she took in my no doubt pale expression.
“Headache,” I mumbled.
She winced. “I hate those things.”
“Yeah.” I forced a chuckle, wrestling between wanting to pull her into my arms or telling her to piss off. I couldn’t think objectively with her standing there in front of me. She smelled like cherries and vanilla with a hint of chlorine swirling in the background. Her wet hair and fresh face made me want to grab her against me and kiss her, feel every inch of her body pressed against mine, but how could I do that when I didn’t even know her?
It hurt. It hurt that I was falling for a girl with two identities. What did that say about her? Did she have more than just those two? Was lying a living for her?
I so desperately wanted to understand her, but was afraid to at the same time. What if she ended up being a fraud? What if this sexy girl beside me was putting on a show, reeling me in only to disappear and break my heart later.
Clearing my throat, I opened my locker and arranged my books for the day.
“So, um, I hope you feel better soon.”
I slapped my locker shut and looked across at her. She looked disappointed, probably because I was being a quiet jerk. I reached for her hand and squeezed it.
“I have a really huge day, but I’ll see you tonight, okay.”
“Sure.” She pushed a smile over her lips. “Yeah, you take it easy.” With a flick of her hand, she walked away, knowing she’d been blown off.
I felt bad, I really did, but I couldn’t talk to her right now. I needed time to think. More time.
*****
The rest of the day sucked.
I tried to put on a show to my friends, act like nothing was wrong. Elliot saw through it in a heartbeat and got pissed with me for being hedgy. I tuned out through all my classes, got told off by one teacher for not listening and then had the totally humiliating situation of being asked a question and then having no idea what the question even was. That was in AP English. I couldn’t help stealing a glance at Dani, who looked concerned. I met her gaze briefly as a flicker of doubt rushed over her face. It was more than doubt, it was a flash of fear. My aloofness was freaking her out and that only made the questions start pushing at my brain again.
The bell rang and she left without waiting for me. I deserved that. She probably thought I was trying to break up with her. But we weren’t a couple! Were we?
The fact that I so desperately wanted to be was outright annoying.
I gripped a fistful of hair and shot out of my seat. I had one class to go, which didn’t leave much time for me to get myself together before Elliot’s place. Would Dani even show?
Clutching my bag strap, I wound my way to class. I had to pull myself together. This was stupid. So Dani had two identities. Big deal. There was bound to be a good reason for that, right?
I slumped into a seat at the back of class, the decision I didn’t want to make finally coming to the forefront. I had to find out.
I couldn’t play the bullshit intrigue card anymore. I liked Dani, I cared about her and I wanted to take things further. Yet I couldn’t do that unless I knew. Asking her about it would be a waste of time. She’d close up like a clam and I’d lose her for good. No, I needed to figure this out on my own and there was only one person I wanted to help me do it.
“Excuse me, Mr. Bleekman.” I raised my hand.
“Yes, Zach.” He glanced up from his desk.
“Can I grab a hall pass, please?”
Mr Bleekman never asked why. He just assumed the bathroom. He scribbled my name down beside his signature and I grabbed it off him as I walked past. Sneaking to the end of the corridor, I went out a side door and hunkered against the wall that looked over the teacher’s parking lot.
Pulling out my phone, I took a breath. Once I made this call there was no going back.
I clenched my jaw, unlocked my screen and found the number I was looking for.