With little other option, I bolt around the house and down the street before pulling out my phone and dialing Scarlett.
At least now my alibi is sorta true.
“Well look at that. You still have my phone number after all. I was starting to worry,” she greets me on the second ring, and before I get a word out.
“I texted you yesterday.”
“You texted me to blow me off yet again. So, unless you’re calling me to say you want to head to the nail salon, I’m not sure I got time to chitchat.”
Always so dramatic.
I roll my eyes and check behind me, paranoid my brother caught me running away from the house. “Nails tomorrow, I promise. But right now, I kinda need a tiny favor.”
“What is it?”
“I need you to come pick me up and drop me off at lunch with Shane.”
“What?” She bursts out laughing on the other side of the line. “You ditch me and want me to help you go hang out with your secret boyfriend? And why aren’t you driving? Did that POS break again?”
“Well, first I ditched you because my mom is all up my butt. I haven’t seen Shane since we left camp. And second, Sunshine is perfect. I just didn’t want Jay to catch me sneaking out.”
“Those all seem like very lame excuses.”
I sigh. “If you pick me up, I’ll tell you a juicy secret about Jay.” Okay, so I shouldn’t be spilling the beans before he can tell our mom, but it’s not like Scar will rat him out. Plus, if she knows he’s taken, maybe she’ll stop making googly eyes at him.
“Secret you say? Is it that he’s madly in love with me? ‘Cause that’s not really a secret.”
“Are you gonna come or what?” I lean against the white picket fence on the corner and check over my shoulder again.
“Be there in five.”
She hangs up before saying goodbye and I pull up Shane’s name to tell him I’ll be a little late.
Today we need to solidify a plan about telling Jay because this is already too much, and it’s only the first time we are hanging out since being back. I’m not cut out for the level of sleuthing needed to pull off a secret relationship. No clue how Jay has done it for so long.
Less than five minutes later, Scar whips her red convertible around the corner and skids to a stop with billowing smoke and all as if she’s my getaway car.
I hop inside with eyebrows raised and she laughs.
“Well, I figured this needed some kind of dramatic flair since you’re sneaking out of your house to meet up with a guy.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“So, what’s this juicy gossip about Jay?” she asks the moment we’re on the road.
“He has a girlfriend he’s hidden from us since freshman year.”
Her head whips my way. “What?”
“Yeah.” My phone dings and I look down to see a message from Shane telling me what restaurant to meet him at. “We’re going to Wingz. No chance Mom would ever step foot in there.”
“Because it’s gross.” Scar switches into the left lane. “So, a secret girlfriend, huh? No wonder he never tried anything with me.”
“He never tried anything because you’re my best friend and I would castrate him.”
“Says the girl dating his ex-best friend.”
I open my mouth but close it. I guess I don’t have a leg to stand on here. All of a sudden, I’m not hungry. I guess when we were up in the middle of nowhere, I didn’t think about everything that would go into dating Shane. Sure, I figured Jay might be pissed off, but I never saw myself sneaking around.
“Stop eating your hand. There won’t be anything for the nail tech to work with tomorrow.” Scarlett smacks my hand away from my face and I stare at my gnawed-off nail, wondering when I even started doing it.
I haven’t chewed my nails since I was in middle school.
“This was a mistake, huh?”
“What?”
“Shane.”
Her mouth twists to the side, and for a second, I think she might avoid the question. But then she clears her throat and throws me a pained look. “Maybe? I mean, you know your brother better than anyone. Even if you explain everything, is he going to be okay with it? There’s a reason they aren’t friends anymore. Do you know why?”
“No.” Okay. So, he mentioned it was because of me but I’m not telling her that right now. It will send her on a tangent and I don’t have the energy.
“So, start there? I don’t have all the answers here. But I don’t want to see you get hurt. Even though I’ve said it plenty of times and you haven’t listened so far I’m gonna say it again—this will end badly.”
I tuck my hands under my butt so I won’t be tempted to chew on them more. “I guess that’s what we need to discuss at lunch. If we can’t figure out a way to make it work, then there’s no point dragging it out. I just…” Trailing off, I suck my lower lip between my teeth.
“He’s the first guy you’ve really liked. I get it.” She reaches over and squeezes my arm. “I’ll be here no matter what. If you need a getaway car, I’m your girl. If you want to cry and not talk, I’ll sit right by you and hold your hand.”
“Thanks, Scar.”
“What are best friends for?” She rolls to a stop in front of the restaurant. “Looks like your guy is here.” Nodding toward Shane’s truck, she puts the car in Park. “Do you want me to wait for you?”
“No. I can have him drop me off a few blocks from home.”
“And if the conversation doesn’t go well?”
“He won’t leave me stranded.”
“Okay.” She holds up her hands in defeat. “Call me after.”
“‘Kay.” I lean in and smack a kiss to her cheek that leaves her squealing and wiping herself off as I climb out of her car.
I wish I could say I had panties of steel and was ready for whatever comes from this conversation, but that would be a lie. As I step inside the restaurant, a wave of nausea rolls over me and I have to stop and pray that I don’t do something embarrassing.
Shane and I might have only been sorta dating for a couple of weeks, but deep down I think I’ve always had a thing for him. Now that I’ve gotten a taste of what I’ve been missing all these years I’m not ready to let it go.
Hopefully, it won’t come to that.
Lyla looks adorably awkward as she runs a hand down the front of her black tank top and scans the restaurant.
As much as I want to sit here and admire her, I’m also starving since the last time I ate was dinner last night, so I stand up and wave, getting her attention.
“Hey,” she says when she’s standing in front of the table.
“Hey.” I smile as my gaze drops down her body and I notice the grass stains and dirt all over her jeans. “Get in a fight with your front lawn?”
“Something like that.” She takes the seat across from me and picks up a menu.
Something is up. She isn’t smiling and the way she’s fidgeting has me fighting the urge to reach over and press a palm to her knee to stop her leg from jumping.
“What’s up?” I ask.