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“What?” He brushed it aside. “Nope. Back to you. What was that?”
“What was what?”
He looked at me like I was as stupid as I was acting. “Back there, with my cousin?”
“You’re going off the deep end again. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He shifted his body forward a little, eyes carefully roving over my face.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Just taking this in. You. Lying. Right to my face.”
I scoffed. “I lie all the time, I’m just too good at it for anyone to tell.”
“You do not. Not to me, anyway.”
“Oh, yeah? How about last Thursday? I wasn’t sick; I just didn’t want to come in to work.”
His jaw dropped, humor lighting his eyes. “You didn’t.”
“I did.” I smirked.
“You are so lucky we’re friends. But you pull that shit again, and I’m writing you up.”
I shrugged. “Fair.” I helped him stack candy boxes back onto the shelves in the snack shack. (Our name for the small, caged room that held all the candy we sold up front.)
He locked up behind us when we were finished. “Seriously, though. I didn’t realize I haven’t seen you crush on someone until now.”
“What? Of course I have.” I laughed it off.
“No, that was different. You were totally out of your element.”
“Was I?” Yeah, that’s exactly what I was when it came to Neil, wasn’t I? It still made no sense to me whatsoever. “He makes me nervous,” I blurted out intentionally. I needed to get it off my chest, and Jax was as good as anyone to tell. He wouldn’t out me, even if Neil was his step-cousin by marriage, through something, skipped a generation, or whatever.
“Oh, wow... okay.” He was taken aback, but he was also trying not to laugh, and I was about to punch him for it. “Interesting. You know, most people would say Neil couldn’t spook a kitten, though.”
“Yeah, well… it doesn’t make any sense to me either.” But there it was. Something about Neil made my insides uneasy, but excited, or anxious, at the same time, I think.
“Mmhmmm.” He studied me with amusement. “I don’t even know what to say right now.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I shoved him off. “Hailey’s still waiting for you to close out her drawer.”
“Oh, shit. I completely forgot.” He backed out of the doorway, pointing at me. “This conversation isn’t over.”
“Yes, it is!” I sung and turned to the sink full of dishes waiting for me. Ugh. Still beat the popcorn machine, though.Thank you, Kyle!
Sometimes being a heartless bitch really paid off.
Chapter 4
Pin Me
“You got the tape?” Neil asked as we were heading out of class the next week.
I held up my arm to show him the seven rolls now decorating my sleeve. We were in charge of hanging up posters, both ours and the ones from earlier ASB periods, too. He had them slung over a small cart and started pulling it.
“Where to?” he asked.