I stood for a minute, not sure how I felt about it. I mean, I didn’t want to see him again, but jeez, at least he was making an effort. Albeit a completely overboard, slightly scary effort. Still, I wished Aiden would try this hard to see me.
Before the tardy bell could ring, I jogged ahead to class and promised to get my attitude right-side up. I’d tell the Smitten Kittens tonight. SOS was over.
I waited at my locker before lunch, watching as the halls slowly emptied. No Aiden. I waited even after the bell rang, hoping he’d come trotting down the hall, all apologetic for not finding me earlier. Instead, he just didn’t show. I dropped my head and made my way to the lunchroom.
It was packed as I paused at the door, looking over the room. It smelled like sloppy joes, one of Aiden’s favorites. He was there at the table, adorable as always in track pants and a T-shirt. But a sharp pain twisted in my chest as I noticed Chloe. She was sitting in my spot, next to him, with her hair pulled up into a high ponytail. They were laughing.
I watched for a minute as she twisted dangling bits of hair around her finger, leaning into him as she spoke. Aiden wasn’t touching her, but did he need to? Did any of the cheaters that SOS tracked do their dirty work in public?
I took a few steadying breaths. Things were so unusual now that I started to wonder if they’d ever get back to normal. Slowly, I walked toward my table.
Kira clapped excitedly when she saw me; her face lost its worry. Chloe glanced over her shoulder but didn’t move. Her rear was firmly planted in my seat.
“Hey, baby,” Aiden said casually as I walked up. He didn’t stand or reach out for me.
I watched him as I rounded the table and took the only available seat, between Christian and Kira. Goose bumps lifted on my arms.
“Here’s your lunch,” Kira said, sliding a tray to me. “Aiden already ate your sloppy joe. Why are you so late?”
I looked across at Aiden, my face tingling with the start of a cry. “Where were you?” I asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chloe smile.
“Oh.” Aiden pulled his eyebrows together. “I’m sorry, Tess. Mr. Grimes sent me and Chloe to pick up some slides from the office. I texted you.”
I blinked rapidly. My phone was on my side table at home. I’d forgotten it. But the thought of them roaming the halls together made my blood boil. Aiden roamed with me. Only me.
I clenched my jaw. “So how’s lab been going?” I was sure my raging, uncharacteristic jealousy was obvious, but no one seemed to notice. In fact, Aiden just smiled at me.
“Good, baby. How’s cheer practice going?” There was a prickle up my arms, but I held his stare. He looked so calm, but there was something in his words. Something… odd.
Chloe giggled. “Things have been fantastic,” she said to me, not sounding at all like herself. That deep, raspy voice was gone. Instead, she sounded perky. Sort of like… me. “He’s really the best.” She beamed at Aiden and touched his arm.
She. Touched. His. Arm.
Aiden shifted in his seat, moving away from her politely, but he continued to watch me, almost curiously. I’d nearly forgotten that Christian was next to me until his leg brushed against mine. It was enough to make me lose my appetite. It reminded me that he’d touched me last night. Aiden’s eyes narrowed at me when I shifted uncomfortably.
“Check this out,” Chloe said to him, and he broke his gaze from me. They started glancing through a notebook as she giggled. They were next to each other. That was my seat. I didn’t want to be catty; I was a Kitten, but I was about five seconds away from scratching her eyes out.
“Tessa,” Leona said from down the table. “Are we having practice later? I really need to talk to you about a new cheer.” She widened her eyes behind her glasses. New cheer was code for a new assignment. Or sometimes it just meant a new cheer. The look on her face told me it was the first one.
“Sure,” I said, exhausted. I was going to tell them SOS was over anyway. They would be devastated, but I needed to get my life back.
Leona bit her lip, looking antsy. She never seemed nervous. She was naturally cool and collected, the opposite of Kira. But right now she was freaking out.
“Peachy,” she said, and I knew it was bad. Leona never, and I repeat never, ate foods with fuzz on them. Nope. This was a bad one. My stomach dropped.
“You okay, baby?” Aiden asked.
My eyes shot up to his, but before I could answer, Chloe snapped her fingers. “Shit,” she said, looking at Aiden. “We’d better go, A. The library’s holding those books for us.
A? She called him flipping A?
Aiden stood up and looked down at me, his face unreadable. “I’ve got to finish this project, Tess. Do you think you could get a ride home?”
I squeaked but didn’t actually answer. “I’ll take her,” Kira spoke up for me. She was always there when I needed her. Besides, I couldn’t move; I was too busy trying not to cry.
Aiden stared at me for a second, shifting his gaze between Christian and me. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he slowly backed away and then followed Chloe as they left the cafeteria.
“Christian, sweetie,” Leona said, leaning forward to look at him. He seemed startled. He hadn’t said a word the entire time.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Would you mind giving us girls a moment? We have some super-secret cheer stuff to discuss.” She winked at him.
Crocodile Dundee! Was Leona lying to him? I could tell she had a secret. And then I wondered if I was the only one not in on it.
“For sure,” Christian said toward Leona, standing up and grabbing his tray. “Tessa, I’ll—” He stopped and looked around at the table of Smitten Kittens, all staring at him anxiously. “Never mind,” he said. “I’ll catch up with you later.” I didn’t answer as he walked away, his Birkenstocks flopping on the cafeteria floor.
I turned to Kira as Leona jumped up and sat in Christian’s seat. Both she and Kira took one of my arms. I was flanked by cheerleaders. This could not be good.
“Show it to her, Izzie,” Leona said like she was offering up my last meal. Only it wasn’t lobster; it was McDonald’s.
Leona put her hand protectively on my low back, but I still wasn’t sure what they were protecting me from.
Izzie’s eyes were glassy as she stood up to lean her body across the lunch table and handed me the SOS phone. I jetted my eyes between all of them.