Dangerous Play

8 » double trouble

Kieran and I continued to cement our fake relationship throughout the week. We took turns carpooling to school and making sure that people saw us show up together, giving each other publicly flirty greetings and goodbyes. I thought it was ridiculous and over-the-top, but it seemed to satisfy the rumor mill. And according to one of Felicity's friends at St. Lawrence Academy, the whispers had made their way to both Marissa and Maddox, exactly as we'd intended.

My friends had also migrated to the table where Kieran, Finn, and their friends usually sat for lunch. Rose and I practically had to drag Felicity over, due to her adamant refusal to sit anywhere near Ashton Oak, her on-again off-again boyfriend. Theyhad just broken up again for the millionth time, but I suspected whateverdisagreement they'd gotten into would blow over shortly.

On Thursday morning, I came downstairs to find Finn frowning at his oatmeal. I couldn't stand the stuff, so that would've been a normal expression for me, but for Finn, who occasionally ate soggy oats for all three meals and as snacks, this was unusual.

"Who pissed in your oatmeal?" I asked, pouring some cereal—a much more acceptable breakfast food—into a bowl.

He didn't respond, still gazing vacantly into the mush as if it held the answers to the universe.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" I sat at the kitchen island, across from him, and began munching on my Raisin Bran. Then I remembered what had gone down last night. We'd both gotten back from practice late and hadn't had a chance to catch up. "Oh shit, is this about dinner? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," he said, getting up and discarding the rest of his food. "I mean, they liked the food."

"How much was the tip?"

He paused, and I knew I'd hit the spot of contention. "...The bill."

"What do you mean, 'the bill'? As in, they didn't give you anything?"

"No, as in, Qadir left me a $2000 tip."

My jaw dropped. "What the fuck? What are you so pouty about, then?"

"I don't want anyone's pity money," he snapped. "I'm not taking handouts." With that, he stormed out of the kitchen. A few moments later, I heard the engine of his car roar to life as he sped toward school.

I climbed into my own Jeep minutes afterward. I was driving myself to school, as I had to meet with a teacher after school about a potential tutoring opportunity and I didn't want to make Kieran wait.

The school day passed in a blur—we read chapter three of Don Quixote, which nearly put me to sleep; Ashton tried to hit on a random girl at lunch and received the verbal lashing of a lifetime, which was the greatest thing I'd witnessed all week—until finally, the last bell rang. I walked out of class to my locker, where Kieran was waiting for our dramatic farewell of the day.

He pushed off the wall with a grin, and I could have sworn I heard literal sighs coming from a group of girls behind me as I approached him. When I was close enough, he wrapped his arms around me and I pressed myself against him, resting my head on his shoulder. His hands settled on the small of my back, their warmth seeping through the thin cotton of my polo. The scent of his cologne wafted into my nose and I let myself relax into the intimate embrace.

No wonder Marissa wanted him back. If Kieran could make a simple hug feel this good, I wasn't sure I could even imagine what it would be like to take things further.

After a few moments, I exhaled and pulled away. "Think that was enough of a show?"

"Judging by the daggers those girls are glaring into your back, I'd say so." He gave me a crooked smile. "Have fun at your meeting. I'll see you later."