Page 26 of I Don't Need Your Protection

“Yes.”

“Then you’re going down!”

I’m about to get up, but Caleb walks into the room and marches over to the pinball machine. I guess he figured it was useless for him to guard outside when he could hang out in here. His eyes meet mine for a second before he yanks them away and starts the game.

“Are you chicken, Addie? Bawk, bawk, bawk.” Carly proceeds to bend her arms and cluck like a chicken.

“Okay, okay,” I say as I join her at the dance machine. “Best of three. If I win, I get your chocolate stash. If youwin…uh, what do you want?”

“Bragging rights is enough for me. Let’s go!”

I used to play this game all the time with my old friends, so I’m pretty good at it. But I’m no match for Carly. Not only is she really quick on her feet, but she’s an amazing dancer. And she doesn’t even break a sweat.

“Awesome job, Carly,” I tell her. “You’re amazing.”

With a beam, she bows. “Thank you, thank you. Next round.”

Now that I’m more familiar with Carly’s dance moves, we’re more evenly matched. She’s pretty competitive, and so am I. I doubt I could be a talented dancer like her, but I’ll be darned if she demolishes me. So I try my hardest to put up a good fight.

As I’m doing the moves, I feel someone watching me. I ignore it because I figure it’s Raven. But then the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I shift my gaze to Caleb and find him still standing at the pinball machine. But his attention isn’t pinned on the game. It’s fastened on me. His eyes are so intense that I stumble over my feet and totally mess up my dance move.

“You okay?” Carly asks as she keeps focus on her moves.

“Yeah, I’m cool. Thanks.”

I continue dancing, my gaze once again traveling to Caleb. I assumed he would focus back on his game, but no. His eyes are still attached to me. It’s almost like he can’t seem to remove them from me. Almost like he’s in a trance or something.

Would it be weird to admit that him watching me causesbutterflies to flap around in my stomach?

“Yes!” Carly cheers. “I win.” She offers me a huge smile, holding out her hand. “Good game, Nelson. You’re a really good dancer.”

I throw my arms around her. “You’re so amazing, Carly. It would be a crime for you not to have a career in dance.”

“Tell that to my dad.”

I step away and lift a brow. “He doesn’t want you to pursue dance?”

“No, he does. He knows it’s been my dream since I was a little kid. But he wants me to keep my options open. You know, because I’m at this prestigious school and have the world in the palm of my hand. But my heart is married to dance.”

“You guys were both incredible!” Raven says. “Addie, you definitely posed a great challenge for Carly.”

“Thanks.”

Carly and I sit next to her on the sofa. Without my permission, my eyes move in the direction of the pinball machine. Caleb isn’t there anymore. Actually, he’s not in the room at all. I know he didn’t abandon me because he needs to be close at all times. He probably stepped outside or something. Maybe my dancing was so horrendous that he had to bolt?

Ugh, why does that even matter?

“Anyone want to co-copMariowith me?” Raven asks.

I’m about to tell her that I want to, but I’m distracted by the group of kids who just walked in. It’s Warner with Clarissaand a few other popular kids.

When he notices me, he smiles and walks over, flashing a charming smile. “Hey, Addie. You’re here.”

“Hi, Warner. Yeah, I am,” I say with a nervous laugh.

“Cool. Do you want to play pool?” He nods to the large pool table to our right.

“I’ve never played pool before, but sure.”