He really was taking a break. He wouldn’t take my calls. His mother had begun chatting with me on the phone, though, mostly about school stuff. She didn’t ask if Aiden and I were officially over; she probably didn’t need to. Obviously he didn’t want to talk to me.
Christian and Chloe kept quiet about SOS. I wasn’t even sure Chloe knew the whole story. But if she did, she was keeping her pouty mouth shut. Maybe she was embarrassed. Embarrassed that Aiden didn’t want her. Even without me in his life, he still didn’t want her scowling face.
One afternoon, I sat in the lunchroom, half dead from exhaustion. I’d been having all sorts of nightmares lately—ones where I was running around desperately, trying to finish impossible missions. The squad was with me, but my table was without pep. It was lonely.
I looked across the buzzing cafeteria at Aiden. At the same moment, he picked up his adorably blond head. His mouth opened as our eyes met, but then he dropped his gaze, staring down at his tray. Did he still love me? Did he miss me?
Right. He couldn’t even look at me. I felt seriously dejected. Alone.
Kira cleared her throat from across the table. “Tess?” she asked cautiously. “We’ve been getting texts. Ones for SOS. But … things haven’t been going well.”
Leona snorted. I glanced at her and she widened her eyes, letting me know that Kira’s words were an understatement.
“How not well?” I asked, pushing my tray away.
“Um …”
“Like Izzie almost got arrested not well,” Leona spoke up. “And I broke my glasses.” She pointed to her newly unobscured brown eyes. I was ashamed that I hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t wearing her glasses. My observation skills had completely deteriorated.
Leona leaned her elbows on the table. “Without you, Tess, we’re a detecting disaster. In fact”—she pointed down the table—“Kira ended up making out with the suspect! Again!”
I looked sharply at my friend, but she shrugged. My word. The Smitten Kittens were running wild. “Look, girls. It’s time. SOS saved a lot of heartache, but at what expense?” I sounded braver than I felt. But they needed a leader. They needed me.
“He still loves you,” Kira said to me, as if she knew what my real trauma was about. She smiled, her dimples deepening. “Aiden will be back.”
She was a doll for saying it, but I wasn’t so sure. A guy like Aiden didn’t just walk around life single. Someone would get their claws into him. And they probably wouldn’t make out with another boy in a car in front of his house. They’d trust him. I wished I had.
“Tess.” Leona tossed a wilted fry at me. “Heads-up, Christian is on his way.”
My eyes snapped up. Pork chops and applesauce! She was right. He was walking right for us—his long-sleeve T-shirt wrinkled and the bottom of his khakis shredded.
I turned quickly to look toward Aiden’s table, but he was nowhere in sight. His tray was gone too. He’d left, and I was glad for that. I wouldn’t want him to see Christian and me in the same room, let alone within three feet of each other.
Kira coughed as Christian reached our table. He stared down at me, his hands in the pockets of his tan pants. I couldn’t even stomach looking at him. Neither could half the junior class. The rumors in the halls were that Christian had been plotting to steal me from the start. Some even claimed that Christian was a plant by the Ducks to thwart the playoffs by messing with the Wildcats’ star player. I knew that wasn’t the case, but I didn’t bother correcting anyone. I was glad he was a social leper.
“Tessa?” he asked with his quiet voice. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“No. You can’t,” Kira answered for me. I loved when she got a little attitude. It was adorable. I smiled to myself and stared down at the table, feeling slightly better.
“Fine,” Christian said, sounding low. “It’s for all of you anyway. I just wanted you girls to know that I’m not going to say anything about SOS. I realize that what I did was wrong. I …” He paused, and I wondered if he’d admit to everything he’d done. I leaned toward him.
“Look, Tessa,” he said, leveling his apologetic gaze at me. “I sent that text from Cassie about Aiden, and I’m sorry.”
My face became hot with anger. Leona growled from the end of the table.
Christian glanced in her direction and then back at me. “And Chloe was the one that called Aiden’s mother about him drinking. She also asked the teacher to set her up as Aiden’s lab partner.”
“I knew it,” I whispered, clenching my fists in my lap. Total scam job.
“But we didn’t do it for any stupid playoffs,” Christian said, his mouth pulled back in annoyance. “And Chloe didn’t just do it for Aiden. She did it for me. Things have been tough for us lately and she was trying to help.”
“Help herself to Tessa’s boyfriend,” Leona called out.
“She’s not speaking to me either,” he shot at Leona. “I have nothing, okay? I screwed up and I’m sorry. I just … I just wanted you to know that.”
I didn’t know whether to believe him. When he looked back at me, I could tell by his weakened eyes that he was sorry. He definitely was. There was a small tug in my chest because it was hard to watch someone standing so awkwardly. I turned away from him.
“Okay, thanks. Bye,” Leona said. She wasn’t one to feel sorry for people, but that was okay. My girls had my back. I should have told them about what I was planning to do with Aiden. They would have set me straight.
Christian stood for a minute, but I didn’t look up until I heard his sandals shuffle away. He didn’t stay in the lunchroom; instead, he just walked out. I felt bad for him, really. But I wouldn’t talk to him again, not after everything he’d done.
“He’s still cute,” Kira said, twisting her gum around her finger. I looked over at her in disbelief. “What?” she asked, widening her eyes. “He is.”
Christian didn’t give up easily. He practically stalked me—again. Calling, waiting for me after class. It was all I could do to not speak to him. That was how I decided to handle it. I would never speak to him again. Mature? Not entirely. But effective? Most definitely.
Unfortunately, Aiden was using the same tactic on me. No phone calls, no texts, not even a note written on the back of a homework assignment. I couldn’t even figure out his schedule. He was never in the halls, and I never saw him at lunch. He was like a ghost. He didn’t so much as glance at me at the games. My cheer kicks were decidedly less high.