me.
Great help, buddy. Great help.
I cleared my throat. “We passed out.”
The whole table must have been leaning in, waiting for the epiphany, because they all flopped back with a simultaneous groan.
One of Cooper’s football buddies laughed, his voice so deep it rumbled. “ Hah, hah, hah . Yeah, and he expects us to believe that too.” He was a muscular guy, shorter than Cooper but broader with a buzz cut. He looked like he spent the majority of his days in the tanning bed and the gym.
I felt the flames igniting, dashing away the nervousness. I was sure Aidan only repeated the same story we told the police. “What do you believe?” I challenged.
Without missing a beat, he said, “I think that you two are full of shit.” His eyes were cocky, intending to intimidate.
Ethan, the guy from my class, grinned, and I realized the mob was siding with Muscles.
Claire snickered first and flipped her shiny auburn hair. Hazel eyes sparkled as she looked me over with the same condescension as her friend.
I shared a glance with Aidan, who looked calm compared to the mosh pit in my stomach.
“It’s too easy of a story, if you ask me,” Muscles sneered.
“It’s a good thing I didn’t ask,” I grumbled. “We have to go.”
Aidan nodded and started to push his chair back, but someone behind us hip checked it back in.
I looked back at the low-browed guy with tattoos up his neck. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me as if to dare me.
“Do you agree with Joel, Cooper?” Claire asked and bounced in her seat to catch Cooper’s attention behind me. Miss Claire wasn’t wearing a bra.
I glared at Muscles, or rather Joel, and his pretentious smirk. “I think that you should all fu …”
Aidan grabbed my arm, and before the guy could shove his chair again, he rolled out of it and was on his feet. The quick movement would have been lithe if it weren’t for the slight stumble from his bum leg.
The conversation went cold the moment Aidan stood.
Despite being twice his size, Neck-Tattoo stepped back when meeting one of Aidan’s glacial stares.
“You wanted to know what happened,” Aidan said, his voice carrying despite being low. “I told you what I know. You think this is easy for us? You think we don’t wonder every day what happened to our friends? To us?” He motioned to his leg and hobbled to shift his weight.
It wasn’t as bad as he was playing it out to be, but the added theatrics worked. Claire wouldn’t make eye contact with us. Neither would Ethan nor many others.
Joel glowered, muscles twitching in his shoulders. “I still don’t believe you.”
“That’s your problem, not mine,” Aidan said. To me, he whispered, “Come on.”
“That’s right,” Joel chided. “Run away. But people will find out about you two. Everyone will find out what kind of people you really are.”
As Aidan and I walked out of the cafeteria together, those words echoed in my mind.
Everyone will find out what kind of people you really are.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on the answer to that question myself.
“I need to talk to you,” I whispered when we were out in the hallway.
“Not here,” Aidan replied.
I glanced behind us and saw a few students following us, but none were from the table. “Why?”
“I don’t trust anyone here. Listen.” Aidan held the door open for me. “Go home and look for the book. Then we’ll meet tomorrow. Call me in the morning. I have a family thing tonight. I have to keep them thinking everything’s okay, but keep your phone on you all night.”
“Why?”
Aidan shielded his face as we stepped into the sunlight. “Just in case.”
I didn’t like how he said it. “You know something I don’t?” I asked.
He started to give me a reassuring smile when a body stepped so close that it startled us both. It was Claire Weatherbe. She smiled, full lips as glossy as her hair in the sunlight. Then she was stepping, practically skipping, into the parking
Great help, buddy. Great help.
I cleared my throat. “We passed out.”
The whole table must have been leaning in, waiting for the epiphany, because they all flopped back with a simultaneous groan.
One of Cooper’s football buddies laughed, his voice so deep it rumbled. “ Hah, hah, hah . Yeah, and he expects us to believe that too.” He was a muscular guy, shorter than Cooper but broader with a buzz cut. He looked like he spent the majority of his days in the tanning bed and the gym.
I felt the flames igniting, dashing away the nervousness. I was sure Aidan only repeated the same story we told the police. “What do you believe?” I challenged.
Without missing a beat, he said, “I think that you two are full of shit.” His eyes were cocky, intending to intimidate.
Ethan, the guy from my class, grinned, and I realized the mob was siding with Muscles.
Claire snickered first and flipped her shiny auburn hair. Hazel eyes sparkled as she looked me over with the same condescension as her friend.
I shared a glance with Aidan, who looked calm compared to the mosh pit in my stomach.
“It’s too easy of a story, if you ask me,” Muscles sneered.
“It’s a good thing I didn’t ask,” I grumbled. “We have to go.”
Aidan nodded and started to push his chair back, but someone behind us hip checked it back in.
I looked back at the low-browed guy with tattoos up his neck. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me as if to dare me.
“Do you agree with Joel, Cooper?” Claire asked and bounced in her seat to catch Cooper’s attention behind me. Miss Claire wasn’t wearing a bra.
I glared at Muscles, or rather Joel, and his pretentious smirk. “I think that you should all fu …”
Aidan grabbed my arm, and before the guy could shove his chair again, he rolled out of it and was on his feet. The quick movement would have been lithe if it weren’t for the slight stumble from his bum leg.
The conversation went cold the moment Aidan stood.
Despite being twice his size, Neck-Tattoo stepped back when meeting one of Aidan’s glacial stares.
“You wanted to know what happened,” Aidan said, his voice carrying despite being low. “I told you what I know. You think this is easy for us? You think we don’t wonder every day what happened to our friends? To us?” He motioned to his leg and hobbled to shift his weight.
It wasn’t as bad as he was playing it out to be, but the added theatrics worked. Claire wouldn’t make eye contact with us. Neither would Ethan nor many others.
Joel glowered, muscles twitching in his shoulders. “I still don’t believe you.”
“That’s your problem, not mine,” Aidan said. To me, he whispered, “Come on.”
“That’s right,” Joel chided. “Run away. But people will find out about you two. Everyone will find out what kind of people you really are.”
As Aidan and I walked out of the cafeteria together, those words echoed in my mind.
Everyone will find out what kind of people you really are.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on the answer to that question myself.
“I need to talk to you,” I whispered when we were out in the hallway.
“Not here,” Aidan replied.
I glanced behind us and saw a few students following us, but none were from the table. “Why?”
“I don’t trust anyone here. Listen.” Aidan held the door open for me. “Go home and look for the book. Then we’ll meet tomorrow. Call me in the morning. I have a family thing tonight. I have to keep them thinking everything’s okay, but keep your phone on you all night.”
“Why?”
Aidan shielded his face as we stepped into the sunlight. “Just in case.”
I didn’t like how he said it. “You know something I don’t?” I asked.
He started to give me a reassuring smile when a body stepped so close that it startled us both. It was Claire Weatherbe. She smiled, full lips as glossy as her hair in the sunlight. Then she was stepping, practically skipping, into the parking
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