“I’m sorry, Wrenn. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said quietly.
“You didn’t do anything I didn’t want,” I replied.
He sat, his hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel, not speaking.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” I asked.
He glanced at me, confused.
“The movie,” I reminded him.
He exhaled loudly. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Maybe not, but I think we need to talk about this . . . ” My voice trailed off as he nodded.
“I’ll call you.” His voice had softened, as had his expression. His eyes were no longer hard.
I nodded and got out of the car, closing the door. He drove off, and I stood there on the curb, staring until I could no longer see his taillights. Once he was gone, I stepped into my car.
I sat there, trying to digest what had just happened. Kissing him had evoked everything in me. It felt like a hurricane of feelings and emotions had ripped through my body, leaving me a muddled mess inside.
I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. It had been on silent since I’d arrived at the theater. There were six missed calls from Kassia, and countless texts, all conveying the same message; call me.
I dialed her number. She answered on the first ring.
“Where the hell have you been?” she shrieked loudly.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed at her tone.
“What’s wrong? Fuck, Wrenn. If you’re going to tell your aunt you’re going out with me, at least clue me in on it.” She sounded frustrated and annoyed.
Shit.
I hadn’t even considered the fact that Layna was friends with Kass’s parents.
“Shit, it didn’t even occur to me,” I groaned, slapping my forehead.
“It’s okay. This time. I covered for you. I’m sitting in a diner just out of town, freezing my ass off for you. You so owe me,” she grumbled. “Get your ass over here now.”
***
I slid into the booth opposite Kass, handing her my spare jacket. She took it gratefully and slipped it on.
“You so owe me a dessert,” she grumbled, still pissed.
I smiled. “Sure. Get whatever you want.” I sat back, running over the night in my head. That kiss . . . I shivered as chills danced down my spine.
“Oh, I plan on it.” She reached for the menu to survey her options. “So, spill.”
“Huh?”
“Where were you, and who didn’t you want your aunt to know you were with? And don’t even try to lie to me,” she warned, her brown eyes narrowing.
I glanced around the empty diner, fighting myself on how much to tell her. I could trust Kass, and I needed to tell someone. I was desperate for someone else’s opinion, and there was nobody who would give it to me straighter than Kass.
“Promise this doesn’t go further than you and me,” I said, leaning across the booth.
She did the same. “I promise,” she said, her eyes wide.
“Okay. I was with Dalton.”
She looked confused, so I added “Reid.”
Her eyes grew even wider. “As in . . . ”
“Mr. Reid,” I agreed.
“Tell me everything! Leave nothing out!” she hissed as I giggled, relieved by her reaction.
“It’s hard to explain. We’ve had this kind of flirting thing going on for weeks now. I called him and asked him to a movie, and he said yes.”
Kass’s mouth dropped open.
“Kass, I feel so . . . I don’t even know how to explain it. And when we kissed—”
“You kissed him?” she squealed.
I blushed and shot her a look. She immediately clamped her mouth shut.
“It just kind of happened. Now I have no idea where I stand.”
“Forget dessert. Stay at my house tonight. We need to hash this out.” She grabbed my arm and steered me over to the counter. “But first, you need to pay for the five coffees I had while waiting for you.”
***
Kass’s bedroom was bigger than our living room at home. It was fucking huge. She had her own bathroom and balcony. Her king-sized bed barely took up any of the room. A large TV hung on the ivory-colored wall above a fireplace.
“Okay, so tell me everything,” she said, wriggling out of her jeans and into a pair of gray sweatpants.
I lay down on her bed and told her everything—from the movies, to him coming over, to how I felt when I was around him. It was like a weight had been lifted off me. I’d needed to get all this out, and if not Kass, then who was I going to tell? My aunt? I snorted at the thought. I could talk to Layna about many things, but a crush on my teacher was not one of them, especially when I had just kissed said teacher.
Kass collapsed dramatically on the bed beside me.
“Wow,” she muttered, sighing loudly. “Can you promise me one thing?”
I turned to her expectantly.
“If, for whatever reason, this has to get out, can I be there when you tell Paige? Or better yet, can I tell her?” She grinned.
I burst out laughing. God, the look on Paige’s face would almost be worth it.
“I told him about the betting pool,” I said with a giggle.
“Ha! That’s awesome. What did he say?”