If I Fall by Anna Cruise Page A

strands with heat and light. He wore board shorts, black with white and blue flowers. He'd probably gone surfing that morning before school.
    “You got a minute?”
    I nodded. Jada's head swiveled back and forth between us, watching the exchange as if she were at a tennis match. As soon as I stood, he reached for me, throwing his arm around my shoulder and drawing me close. Part of me wanted to push him away just as the other part wanted to draw him closer.
    “Think this will freak out your friends?” he whispered. He lifted my hair and rained kisses on my neck as we walked across the weed patch.
    He steered us toward the school bulletin board and backed me up against the plexiglass, my body now hiding the fliers advertising the Spring Dance and the Chess Club's Bake Sale. He put his arms on either side of me, pressing his hands against the glass, trapping me.
    He bent close. “Guess what I found out last night?”
    I raised my eyebrows. “What?”
    His mouth was inches from mine. “That phone sex with you is almost as good as the real thing.” He leaned into me, rubbing his crotch lightly against mine before pulling away. “Feel that?”
    I felt it.
    “I've been walking around like this since talking to you last night.” He kissed my mouth and the taste of peppermint mixed with tobacco settled on my tongue. “Think you could help me out? Help end my suffering? After school?”
    The look in his eyes made me weak in the knees. He kissed me again, his hands moving from the glass to my hips. He pulled me against him and I forgot where we were.
    “Not appropriate, Mr. Westwood.” It was a teacher's voice, a soft Southern drawl filled with reprimand. Ms. Malcolm, my English teacher.
    “ Sorry,” he said and I wondered if she could hear the insincerity in his voice.
    He let me go. “Come with me after school?”
    “ And do what?” I asked stupidly. I couldn't think.
    His smile was slow, knowing. “What do you think? Do you want me to say it?” He looked around and, raising his voice, half-yelled, “I want to fu – “
    I clamped my hand over his mouth and felt his lips stretch into a smile against my palm.
    He lifted my hand. “Meet me at my car. Senior lot.” He gave me a swift kiss and left.
    I leaned against the glass and watched him go. He walked across the grass, past the bench where my friends sat, toward the cafeteria. I glanced at them and realized they were all still staring at me. Logan and Carter looked angry and Case's expression was a strange mix of irritation and amusement. I didn't care about what they thought because all I could think about was the hurt and astonished look on Jada's face. She was my best friend and she'd just watched me make out with a guy I'd told her virtually nothing about. I looked away, ashamed and wracked with guilt. The bell rang then, saving me from a confrontation and I breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up her backpack and left the bench without another backward glance.
    She asked me about it in English, our last class of the day. We'd just settled into our seats and pulled out our anthologies. Ms. Malcolm hadn't appeared yet. Neither had Trevor, and I was grateful. I didn't know how I was going to react to seeing him as an authority figure, especially with images of him throwing back Jello shots still fresh in my mind.
    “When were you going to tell me?” she demanded. “About him? Or were you?”
    “ I was,” I said. “It's just...with the house...”
    “ The sign went up Sunday. You went out with him on Friday. Last time I checked, there was a day in between. A day you could have called me. Filled me in.”
    “ I know. I'm sorry.” I didn't know what else to say.
    She pressed. “So, are you guys going out? Like, a couple or something?”
    “I don't know,” I said. At least that was the truth. I didn't know what Aidan was.
    “ Well, it sure looks like you are.” She hesitated. “So...how serious are you guys?”
    I knew what she was asking. How