Mattie left his bike in the bushes and half walked, half crawled back up to the house and made it to his room. He closed the curtains, blocking out the sun.
He lay back down in bed and pulled his covers up to his chin. The cat climbed on top of his stomach and closed its eyes.
But Mattie kept his eyes open and listened to his heartbeat. It sounded like a thunderstorm in his ears.
If he confessed, everything would fall on him. But then he wouldn’t have to worry about it any longer.
Kinley
Saturday, June 27
“Nice pad,” Kinley said approvingly as she walked through Tyler’s house. It was surprisingly normal. Kind of like her own, only a little bigger and a little less plagued by politicians.
“Thanks.” Tyler grinned. “What did you expect? Posters of creepy hard-rock bands and a temple where I worship at the altar of delinquents past?”
She laughed. “Something like that.” She was happy Tyler was talking to her again. After almost completely ignoring her for a couple of days, he’d finally texted her. He’d wanted her to come over to his house. She didn’t know why, but was willing to find out.
“We’re so pleased you’re here!” Mrs. Green had said when she answered the door. “I’m Ariana Green, and this is my husband, Jared. We’ve been begging Tyler to bring home a good girl since, I don’t know, he was born!” She’d laughed, but in that weird way where Kinley could tell she was actually completely serious.
Then his father had actually hugged her, and suggested that Tyler and Kinley become study buddies. As if he didn’t know that being study buddies was something students only pretended to do as a pretense for making out.
“I think your parents are planning our wedding,” Kinley told Tyler when they were finally in his room with the door firmly closed (and locked). “They love me.” She looked around the room, which was surprisingly neat and clean. The bed was made carefully with a neat blue bedspread tucked in on the sides; a desk, clean of papers, squatted beneath the window. There were no posters on the wall, and only a single picture of Tyler and a boy who looked like his brother taped on the bedroom mirror.
“Don’t be too flattered. They love anyone without tattoos.” Tyler smirked. “Speaking of which . . . I haven’t been able to thoroughly check you for those.” His eyes roamed over her body, and she felt warm and nice for a half second. But she was here for a reason, and she couldn’t get distracted. No matter how cute he looked right now in his ripped jeans and Metallica T-shirt.
“So,” she said, running her fingers over his chest. “I sort of came over to get that flash drive we talked about. It has some college prep materials that I need.”
Tyler put his hands on her hips, and one of his thumbs dipped below the waistband of her jeans, sending delicious little chills through her body. He cleared his throat. “I kind of . . . well, I lost it. I know it’s around here somewhere. I put it aside to do some cleaning and now I can’t find it. But I’m sure it’ll turn up. Eventually.”
Kinley sucked in her lips. She couldn’t let him see her panic. She breathed very, very slowly, willing her jackrabbit heart to follow her lead. He could not know what was on that flash drive. He could not.
“Well, I need it to record the psych classes now, so could you please look for it?” She kissed him once, very lightly, and then looked up at him through her eyelashes. “It’s very important. I’d . . . reward you.” She purposely cast a look toward the bed.
This was so weird. And so not Kinley. She didn’t seduce or flirt her way into things. She outsmarted people. And when she couldn’t do that . . . well, she cheated.
Was Tyler even buying it? Would he really believe that a virgin like Kinley would be bribing him like that? Maybe she should draw it back a notch. She didn’t really know what she was doing, anyway.
Tyler kissed her then. He kissed her hard, and his arms tightened around her. “Anything for you,” he whispered in her ear. “Anything.” He put a hand on her chest. “Why are you so scared, baby? It feels like your heart is going to explode. Is there something you want to tell me? Maybe something you forgot?”
Kinley flinched. He knew. Didn’t he? Why would he steal the flash drive, anyway, if he wasn’t going to immediately listen to it?
Pressure built inside of her chest. Kinley wanted to push him away. She wanted to scream. But instead, she covered his hand with her own. “It’s just being around you that does this to me.”
“Mmmmm,” he said.
She was a liar.
Maybe he was too.