Page 46 of The Surprise Play

She probably would have strutted up to our booth and made sure Wily knew every humiliating thing that had happened to me in high school, all the while making sure she came off like the glowing humanitarian who befriended me despite all my faults.

So, I did the only thing I could—I bolted for the bathroom.

In retrospect, I should have gone out the front door. It’s not like I can fit through the bathroom windows and make my escape that way. Instead, I was forced to lockmyself in the end stall, bunching my fingers into little fists while my stomach pitched and surged. My skin itched, my pulse raced, and I chewed on my bottom lip until it hurt.

“Breathe,” I reminded myself. “Just breathe.”

Closing my eyes, I sucked in a few shallow breaths, then managed to deepen them until my heart had slowed to a less erratic beat.

All I had to do then was find the courage to walk back into the diner.

I started praying that Jade had popped in for a take-out order.

As I snuck out of the bathroom, I went into snail mode—head tucked down as I inched across the floor, making zero eye contact with anyone. My plan had been to rush to the booth, quickly tell Wily I wasn’t feeling well, then run out the door before Jade spotted me.

But then I noticed her talking to Wily.

Not talking… flirting.

And he was into it, smiling down at her with his beautiful blue eyes and broad grin.

Shit, he was probably mentally undressing her and thinking about where they were going to hook up.

It was a punch to the face, the stomach, the chest.

And it shouldn’t have been.

Of course Wily is going to flirt with gorgeous girls like Jade. He doesn’t care that she’s a heartless mean girl. She has a body to die for with perky breasts and a skinny waist. Her clothes are always so cool and chic, and she walks with a confidence I can only dream of.

They’re the perfect pair, really, and I didn’t want to go messing up their night.

Although, they really aren’t a perfect pair, because she’s a soulless bitch and he’s a nice guy. Well, mostly.

The point is, he could do so much better than her.

And I should really warn him, but who am I to tell him who he should or shouldn’t sleep with? If he’s after hot, mindless sex, then Jade is probably an excellent choice.

So even though it made bile surge up my throat, I slunk out of that diner unnoticed and texted Wily that I was heading home.

I never expected him to follow me, and now, as his truck pulls up beside me on the sidewalk, I’m not sure what to do.

Why isn’t he still flirting with Jade?

Why is he here?

Is it the essay? Maybe Coach won’t let him take the morning off training.

Even so, I’m still surprised he’s bailing on a hookup with the super-hot Jade Buchanan. He mustreallywant to graduate.

Huh. Go figure.

I force myself to stop walking as the passenger door swings open and he leans across the seat to talk to me.

“Are you okay?” His voice is all urgent concern, and it takes me a second of confusion before I remember that I’d texted him I wasn’t feeling well.

“Oh, yeah. I just…” I pat my stomach.

“Lady problems?” He winces.