Backstreet Boy

|Chapter 11: Caught Out|

Isabella

Jason: Are you up for another round of racing tonight? I might even let you drive

That's what the text said. And it was evident who it was from: Jason. Although, the enigma of how he actually managed to retrieve my number was plaguing me incessantly – but it clicked he might use the excuse I have friends in high places. He seemed like he fitted that type of a sardonic teenage boy role.

It was in school time when I received the text. Staring at it for at least a full minute without having to scroll down or anything, Lizzie sensed the peculiarity of it. She didn't waver to query it, either. "Why are you staring at a text so much?"

How I was even competent enough to conceal this from Lizzie was astonishing in itself. It wasn't as if I could keep a secret with acute capability so perhaps that was quite hypercritical of me, however. But even so, I shook my head and quickly replied.

Isabella: Sure, can't wait

I stuffed my phone back into my bag.

And for the rest of the day, I even managed to avoid Miles, until it came to the end of the day in homeroom. On the other hand, his eyes did flicker over to me consistently but it wasn't like he was continuously gawping at me again like the morning. Dejectedly, this didn't go unnoticed with Lizzie because nothing ever did, did it? Presumably I could fit the role of the sarcastic, posh, rich teenage girl.

"He's still staring at you. Are you back with him or are you seeing him behind my back?"

I shook my head vigorously. "No, no, I'm not." My eyes drifted back to her. "You believe me, right? There were those rumours when I ended it that he was finding himself spending more and more time with Helena but now I never see them together."

Helena Grime was a fellow senior. She used to be in my Textiles class until she relocated to English which, not only was the peculiarity down to the diversity between the two subjects, she was a great stylist when it came to Textiles. But new revelations were uncovered and it seemed she had a knack for English and analysing extracts. In fact, she went straight to the top of the class. And she was tall with never-ending legs, a thin body and structured cheekbones. Her hair was down her waist. It was a hickory brown. Mother would have adored such beauty on her own children. Shame, really.

"Of course I do believe you, Isabella. But it is a bit strange. And he came up to you at lunch. Now that's definitely odd."

I nodded, deterred. "I don't know what's going on." Then a thought struck me. "But before I forget, will you cover for me tonight if Mother happens to call you or something to validate that I'm with you? Will you tell her I am, please? It'll be in the evening and I'll try to not be long," I pleaded.

Lizzie, dubious, nodded. "Alright, but do you want to tell me where you're going?"

Sighing, I said, "I'm going out. But no, I'm not going to meet Miles, alright? It's just I'm under Mother's radar at the moment for the previous week and I don't think she's going to let me off the hook any time soon."

"What did you do?"

"I took my car to be serviced in Downtown District because a boy around our age gave me his card because we nearly crashed. She gave me a scolding because I didn't take it to Mr. Donagon's and then got very hesitant to let me out last night. I told her I went to yours."

Lizzie scoffed but a smile found its release on her lips. "At least I was the first to rely on. But why on earth did you take it to Downtown District? It's dangerous."