Jealousy Best Served Devious (Clash Of Cliches Book 1)

Chapter 15- Danger Zone

Chapter Fifteen.

Danger Zone.

A few days after the successful dinner, Tyler caught up with me before class, asking me to have lunch with him, and some of the boys.

I was standing at Brandon's locker, waiting for him to find a scarf (bad hair day) while listening to his weekend exploits. And by listening, I mean I was completely zoned out, and when he asked me, "What do you think I should have done?" I snapped back to reality as my mind drew a total blank.

"I have no idea what you just said, to be honest," I admitted, leaning against the cool metal locker. My mind had been on Arielle, and how she had taken to hiding her hair ties after figuring out that my grabby fingers had been in them. How does a four-year-old hide hair ties? My eyes narrowed with suspicion. Was dad helping her? Hmmm, they're probably in his new fingerprint secured safe…

Shrugging carelessly, Brandon stuck his head back into his locker. "That's alright. At least I know what I'm talking about."

"Hmm," I murmured, my one-track mind already back to Arielle and the mystery of the hidden hair ties. Why did mom buy her industrial strength hair ties when I was the one with the thicker hair?

I was so lost in my musings that when Tyler whispered, "You want half of my protein bar?" in my ear, I'm ashamed to say that I yelped, jumping about a foot in the air with my hand over my rapidly thumping heart.

"Don't fricking do that!" I spat, spinning around to face a laughing Tyler with wide, frightened eyes.

Chuckling, like the whole thing was absolutely hilarious (maybe it was to him but I was not feeling it), Tyler put a soothing hand on my shoulder. "You look like a fucking scared deer, Kaylee," he snickered. "I was just offering you some breakfast. On the go."

"I don't appreciate people coming up behind me and talking," I grumbled through gritted teeth, glaring at him, and not failing to notice how cute he looked in his basketball uniform. He was all toned muscles and silky, tanned skin. If I had a fan… I scowled to myself, banishing those thoughts to the deepest, darkest recesses of my mind. It's way too early for all this.

He shot me a smirk that would make a saint twitch, and, despite my phony indignation, I found myself smiling back. "Sorry if I scared you, Kay-Bear," he murmured, reaching down to brush away a coil of my errant curls from my cheek.

The touch sent my heart racing, and when he leaned down to kiss me, a jolt of electricity swept through me as our lips touched, fitting together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Why does it feel so good? I really didn't want to know.

As if from a distance, I faintly heard a suspicious Brandon ask, "What is this?"

Oh, fudgesickles.

I hadn't hung out with Brandon much lately because he had been doing his Math Olympics training thing, so he didn't know about Tyler and me. You try getting in touch with someone who isn't connected to the rest of the world by a cell phone or social media accounts. When Brandon was off the grid, it was virtually impossible to find him.

Silently cursing at the disappointment that gripped me when I pulled back from the kiss, I turned to Brandon, who was tying a scarf over his head skillfully, while looking at me in complete bewilderment.

"I'll explain later," I whispered to him.

Last thing I needed was for him to start talking and derail my master plan.