The Coward Meets Mr. Perfect (Meeting the Misters Book 1)

(8) I Feel The Guilt

Chapter 8

"Desiree Walters!" I turned from where I still stood in front of the classroom door where Daniel left me. Three girls were making their way towards me.

One was a dirty blond, and behind her were two brunettes. I could tell that the blond was the leader of this clique. She was the one who called out to me, and the one who spoke now, "Are you really going out with Daniel Slater?"

"Uh..." I said, my eyes wide.

"It's all over the school! You can't hide it!" Brunette number one said. Her hair fell in wavy cascades down her back.

"Well, yeah, I am." I said trying to slink away.

Brunette number two had her hair up in a ponytail. "Unbelievable!" She yelled.

"Did you blackmail him?” The blonde deliberately clicked her stilettos as she sauntered over to me.

“E-excuse me?” I said as I looked up at the blonde. In my head, I was raging. Me? Blackmail him!? I was the one being blackmailed!

“You have to be! It’s the only way someone like you would ever dream of being able to go out with Daniel Slater!”

“Desiree!” I heard my name called behind me, and I turned to find Caleb walking up to me. “Did you borrow the clarine...”His eyes traveled from me to the blondie. “Whitney? What are you doing in the band room?”

Blondie, who I just found out was Whitney, widened her eyes for a split second, before she smiled widely. I hated to admit it, but she looked like a siren with her good looks and seductive smile. “Nothing. I thought I’d come to see you, lovely.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Uh, Mr. H doesn’t like others from outside of the band members to be in here.”

Whitney lost her smile. “Of course. I was just leaving.” She said blandly. She glared at me before tossing her hair dramatically over her shoulder. “Candy, Rose, let’s go.”

The two brunettes followed Whitney as they pranced out of the band room.

“Geez. They’re fake as barbies! How did you get mixed with them?” Caleb was a trombone player, and also helped our music teacher Mr. H out with keeping things in order. But he wasn’t any simple band geek. He was also popular outside of band. He had this amazingly rich dark skin, and pastel green eyes to soften it. And he had a head of dark curly hair, just about as curly as Daniel’s, but more tamed. He stood at a solid six feet, and had a well-proportioned body. Not to mention he had a sexy deep voice. With his body, of course he had a lot of girl admirers, so it was a complete mystery why he was still single.

“I, ah...” I started.

“Were they pestering you about your new boyfriend?” He questioned.

I gasped. “You know about it too?”

He chuckled. “Everyone knows about it, Dez. You can’t go out with the school’s most popular guy and not expect it to be known.”

"Well..." I said, wiping my damp hands on my jean miniskirt. I was suddenly plagued with immense guilt. Reality sure could bring me down. I mean, I wasn't really Daniel's girlfriend. Everyone just thought I was. I was lying to my friends and classmates.

I even lied to my best friend...

"Ah, Desiree, did you borrow one of the school clarinets?" Caleb asked, bringing me out of my guilty thoughts.

I shook my head and looked up at him. "I've been using my own since the beginning of the year."

"Really?" Caleb looked like he was thinking of something hard. "Hm." He muttered.

"Is...something wrong?" I asked timidly, hoping I wasn't being too nosy.

"One of the clarinets are missing a piece, but it was there when I checked last week. Thing is, no one asked me to borrow one." He looked highly troubled. "Mr. H isn't going to like this," He looked at me and his expression cleared as he smiled down at me. "I'm just making rounds and asking all the clarinet players, so don't take this personal, okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "M'kay."

His smiled grew wider as he passed me, ruffling my hair.

I giggled. He was the only one I didn't get agitated with when he tousled my hair.

"Dezzy!" Sharon's voice reached me just as she launched at me, circling her long arms around me. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Eh?" I said, a little confused. "Why?" I asked as she backed up to look at me.

"Because of your new bf, of course!" She smiled, but for some reason, it felt like it wasn't real. It was probably my imagination.

"Oh, that." I said, feeling as though I was too stiff. I was lying to my best friend.

"How did it happen?" She asked.

"Well..." We sat down in our chairs, hers directly in front of me since she was a flute player. "He takes the same bus as I do, so when we saw each other, we...uh, decided to talk, and he took me to a coffee shop."

Sharon nodded her head enthusiastically. "And then?"

"Well, he, um, well..." I didn't want to lie, but I also didn't want her to know about my crush on Robin. "he just asked me out and I said yes."

Sharon's smiled dropped a fraction.

"What?" I asked when I saw the disappointment in her face.

"I thought there was going to be more...romance. You know, you confess again, and he says something like, he always liked you too or something." She said, using her hands to emphasize her words.

I tittered a laugh. "Sorry." I apologized.

Little did she know that I was apologizing for more than disappointing her.