“It’s fine,” I responded, my shoulders stiffening.
A minute of uncomfortable silence passed as Heather danced on the edge of her seat. The girl looked like she was about to explode, and finally she couldn’t contain her questions any longer.
“So how do you know Cole? Are you related or something?” The words burst from her mouth, the last part sounding hopeful.
“No, we just met a few days ago.”
“And he just invited you to sit with him?” Heather’s forehead crinkled in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“Ugh, I’m so jealous.”
“Why would you be jealous?”
“Because,” Heather said, rolling her eyes, “Cole doesn’t let just any girl sit with him at lunch. Only girls he’s interested in.”
Cole was the furthest thing from being interested in me. In the parking lot this morning, he’d snatched Olivia by the waist and swirled her around before dipping down into a kiss. Nothing says “I want you” like being romantic with another girl, right? But then Nathan’s words came back to me in a rush, about how Cole liked to bounce from girl to girl. I laughed nervously. “You’re wrong. He’s just being nice.”
“Oh my lord, you are so toast,” Riley said, sounding sympathetic as she shook her head. “Cole Walter doesn’t do nice unless he’s getting something out of it. That’s boy’s gonna eat you alive, and you won’t see it coming.”
“I wouldn’t mind if he ate me alive,” Heather said, her eyebrows waggling.
“Would you keep your dirty thoughts to yourself?” Riley wrinkled her nose in disgust. She turned back to me. “Jackie, you should sit with us at lunch today. We’ll fill you in on everything you need to know ’bout that boy.”
I nodded eagerly. Riley was sweet, and I could use as much education as possible about Cole Water if I was going to figure him out. On top of that, it was the perfect excuse to avoid Erin and her hateful glares. “That sounds great.”
Heather squealed and clapped her hands. As brazen as she was, I decided I liked her. She reminded me a bit of Sammy and somehow that made me relax, even though I wasn’t completely comfortable.
“Perfect,” Riley said, leaning forward on the table. “I can’t wait.”
***
Just like the day before, Cole walked me to the cafeteria after math class. This time when we reached the front of the lunch line, I grabbed my own tray. After paying for my food, I stood on my tiptoes, scanning the tables for Riley, and finally spotted a flash of bright red hair.
I started off in her direction, but Cole reached out and grabbed my shoulder. “Hey, where you going, Jackie? The table is this way.” He pointed to where we sat yesterday, and I noticed Erin watching me.
“Sorry, Cole. I promised my new friend Riley that I would sit with her.”
Cole hesitated, almost as if he was surprised. “Okay then, Miss Popular, but you have to promise you’ll join me tomorrow.”
“Maybe I can pencil you in,” I joked.
“Fine,” he said, laughing. “At least let me walk you to your table.”
“Sure.”
I led the way through the crowded room, Cole following me. The rows between the tables were so congested that sometimes Cole’s elbow bumped into mine as people shoved by us, sending goose bumps up my arm.
“Hey, girls,” I said and set down my tray. Riley and Heather both stared up at Cole without responding.
“See you after school, New York,” Cole told me. He nodded in Riley and Heather’s direction. “Ladies.” He flashed them a grin before walking away.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Riley began to babble. “Oh, my word! That boy just walked you to lunch. I can’t believe it.”
“Can’t believe what?” I asked.
The two girls looked at me like I was clueless, which I probably was, but it was only my second day. They needed to give me a break.
“The god of all guys is flirting with you,” interjected a boy who appeared out of nowhere and dropped his tray on the table. “And not just casual flirting. More like I want you in my pants flirting.”
The new boy was wearing a crisp blue shirt with a red bow tie. His flawless blond hair was combed to the side, and by flawless I mean like Fabio, Baywatch, or Ford models. “You must be Jackie,” he said. “I’m Skylar, Valley View High’s fashion expert. I run the style blog for the school newspaper. If you’re interested in an editing position, I’d love to work with you. Your East Coast look is so chic.”
“What? No business card?” Riley said, laughing.
Skylar rolled his eyes and turned to me. “She loves making fun of me, but at least I don’t look like a hick,” he mocked in a terrible Southern accent.
“Would you two stop?” Heather said as she flipped the page of the People magazine in front of her. “I wanna hear juicy details about Cole.”
Everyone turned to me.
“What?” I asked, looking back at them. I hadn’t realized they were expecting something from me. I barely knew the guy.
“So?” asked Skylar. “What happened?”