Between These Lines (A Young Adult Novel) Read online

  I felt Max’s stare from across the table.

  “What?” I quickly turned to Evie to find her face pink with embarrassment.

  Way to go, moron.

  “I was just saying how this isn’t as painful as I thought it would be.” Her voice grew small as she peered over her shoulder. “You always eat by yourself back there.”

  The thought of Aunt Claudie’s untouched Monkey Bread annoyed me, but Tara Reynolds annoyed me more. She scooted toward the opposite end of the table like I was live contagion, shooting daggers of exasperation with each scrape of her chair. No matter how low we kept our voices, heads turned toward our table. I was on display and couldn’t help feeling irritated.

  Evie tossed her head, set her chin, and began talking about the English Lit paper; devising a plan on how to set it up, how to outline, who would type what. I was averaging a hundred in that class and about to tell her my paper was all set, outlined weeks ago and now typed, bound and waiting in the plastic report cover all ready to go, when something stopped me. It was the way she tripped over her words, struggling to reel me in. Despite the assignment set in motion by Mr. Floyd, Evie had the power to switch study partners. It was one of the perks of being Shane’s girl. Yet, here she was, sitting with me, talking with me, strategizing. Like she wanted to.

  Whatever the reason was, whatever prompted her sudden interest in me, I didn’t have the heart to back out first. I didn’t want to. So I agreed to everything she said, which put a smile on her face.

  Voices whispered throughout the room. Sticking out like a sore thumb seemed to intensify my sense of hearing and I was able to catch conversations from the nearby tables; some negative, some merely intrigued by something new to watch while eating. Like dinner theater, only not. I made eye contact with some kids seated closest to us, then looked away. While some couldn’t mask their curiosity, others seemed downright against my sitting with Evie and her friends.

  Evie tensed beside me and I followed her line of vision across the room. Debate had ended early and Shane and his friends were striding toward us. There was no time to ask what she planned on telling him. My head filled with excuses. Why was I here? Even I didn’t know.

  “You didn’t save me a seat.” Shane stood behind Evie and placed his hands on her shoulders.

  All eyes were on us but I only felt his bearing down on me, as if my sitting here had tainted his table, and I knew, without a doubt, I would be sitting somewhere else tomorrow - preferably at another school. My chair scraped the floor beneath me as I made an attempt to stand and offer my seat. Showing Shane some respect might let me off easy. Besides, I was finished with putting up with the stares.

  I rose, but Shane’s hand reached out and pushed me back down with a tension he held back, so as not to cause a scene. He grabbed an empty chair from the neighboring table and settled himself between me and Evie. The others who had returned from Debate with Shane: Alex

  Fitzgerald, Jake Shellinger and two more whose names escape me now, joined us with curiosity.

  “And you’re sitting here because?”

  “I asked him to lunch,” Evie interrupted Shane. “We’re working on a project for English Lit.”

  If it were as simple as that, then why was Evie getting all worked up? I watched as her eyes dropped to her lap where she picked at her nails. Was there more to her inviting me to lunch than being study partners? I felt my heart begin to pound in my chest then quickly extinguished the idea. This wasn’t the time to analyze Evie’s feelings, or my odd place among them, no matter how much I wanted to.

  A surface friendly slap met my back. “A friend of Evie’s is a friend of mine.” Through all the gloss and charm, the real message was plain and clear. “Evie’s business is my business. Go behind my back and I’ll break your legs.”

  Shane gave my back another awkward slap that made me flinch, “Chase and I go way back, don’t we?” His eyes dug into mine.

  Evie stared at me while Shane grinned away, challenging me, testing the waters if I was up for it.

  “Yeah, good to see you too,” I lied as I stood, balancing the lunch tray in my hands. There was no way I was going to sit here any longer and pretend to kiss his ass. Saying it was good to see him was already pushing it.

  “Yeah, likewise,” he replied curtly.

  I watched Evie flash me a smile, not missing how her eyes darted uneasily between us. With blinders on, I made my way across the claustrophobic room toward the doors, tossing my lunch bag into the garbage on the way out.

  Chapter Four

  Evie

  Shane looked at my half-eaten lunch. “You look nervous. Any reason why?”

  “I’m not nervous.” But my smile felt completely unconvincing. It was a mask. An absolute lie.

  The look on his face was a familiar one; one that tried to catch me in some way, and I looked back, hoping my calmness would prove his suspicions wrong. He never used to be like this, especially when we first started going out. He was sweet and trusting and now . . . well, things were different now.

  The attention focused on our table was gone now that Chase had left, but there were still plenty of eyes to take notice of a strained look shared between Shane and I, or the slight distance I was trying to place between us.

  “So, English Lit, huh?” he said, placing a finger to his chin and striking a pose reminiscent of a great thinker. This, of course, garnered waves of laughter from the others, Tara included, who I noticed was watching us closely from the sidelines.

  Max seemed to take Shane’s clowning around as a golden opportunity to poke fun, and stood on his chair, hand over his heart and recited to a red-cheeked Sienna, “Oh, lettuce green, you ache my spleen. Why art thou so mean?”

  The others howled hysterically. Then Max toppled off his chair, which ultimately earned even more of an uproar.

  Shane put his arm around my shoulders and leaned in close. “You know, I’m somewhat of a poet myself. If you need a tutor, all you have to do is ask.”

  “You hate poetry and this is a joint project, not tutoring.”

  “This poet of yours, she wrote Roses Are Red, right?”

  “Sylvia Plath was suicidal.”

  “Well, maybe she didn’t have a personal tutor,” his breath came in hot wisps next to my ear.

  “What do you say this weekend is our first session? I can help you ace that paper.”

  My face turned an entire palette of crimson and I offered a promising smile, hoping it would keep his request at bay a little longer. I knew full well that Jake’s parents would be away again this weekend, I didn’t need a formal invitation to keep track of it and nothing, not even a seductive study date, would come between Shane and his partying. As soon as the alcohol flowed, I would be forgotten.

  “So this project is so important he had to sit by you for lunch?”

  “There really isn’t any other time to discuss the paper.” I looked Shane carefully in the eye and tried not to notice the vein that twitched at his temple. “Tara’s doing it with us. Everyone else was in a group of four, except us.” I waited for it; the relief that was supposed to come after my words told him I wasn’t exclusively paired up with Chase. But if relief came at all it was too slight for me to notice. Instead, I found myself even more nervous than before. For whatever reason, Shane didn’t like Chase, and the feeling was mutual.

  Shane’s lips found the tender hollow beneath my ear, “Wear that black skirt for me Friday.”

  I pulled away, frowning at his request. “Which black skirt?” Of course I knew which one. It belonged in the charity pile, not on me.

  He silently pressed for an answer.

  “It’s way too small. I’m not wearing it.” My eyes darted away from the obvious seduction that lingered in his.

  “It matches my car,” he insisted.

  I tried to swallow the infuriation building inside me. His request made me queasy, especially in front of his friends. To my relief he dropped the issue and we filed out of the dining ha
ll, though with each step I could feel my stomach tie into knots. I was secretly praying that Chase had already left his locker and gone to class; that perhaps we could avoid another uncomfortable encounter.

  Shane slowed us down and laced his fingers in mine. “You okay?”

  “Sure. I just don’t think lunch agreed with me.” I leaned up to kiss him, hoping my affection would make up for the last few minutes. Even though he’d made me feel uncomfortable, I knew how Shane ticked. I slowed my pace and waited for Tara to catch up with me as Shane walked back toward his friends. In the small square window of the open Chemistry lab door, I caught the reflection of the others clearly behind me, and my eyes lingered on their shapes as they walked closer. Only their heads and shoulders could be seen in the mirror image, but it was enough to freeze me to this spot and watch.

  Tara passed Shane and in the few seconds they had, she lifted herself on tippy-toe and whispered in his ear. What killed me was the sly smile that crept across his lips in return. There was something peculiar in the way he looked at her, something almost familiar, that sent my stomach into a frenzy. Shane was a flirt, that was a well-known fact, and as his girlfriend, I’ve learned to turn a blind eye to the truth. But this was different.

  The interaction, no matter how brief, prompted my feet to move faster, leaving the others behind. By the time I reached my locker, jealousy, betrayal, and rushed conclusions had hit me over the head. I began getting my books ready for my next class, feeling more confused than ever and I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers, trying to stay calm.

  Maybe it was nothing.

  I needed a distraction to prevent my brain from going into overload, and immediately, Chase sprung to mind. I had a secret crush on him, so why was the tender moment between Shane and Tara killing me? I forced myself to think of the two projects I had just set myself up for with him, playing them over in my head. We were supposed to get to know one another to find our similarities and differences. Lunch was the first step, and I nearly cried on the spot when I realized we could both mark down how miserable Shane made us feel when he walked into the room. I took a deep breath. We had a paper to start. It would go smoothly. It just had to.

  But as soon as that decision began to root, I thought of Tara, who was supposed to be working on the project with as much effort as I was. Tara had a tendency to tag along for a grade, doing as little as possible. Against my will, I wondered what else Tara could be tagging along for, and my thoughts returned to the reflection in the window.

  * * *

  We’d been in the bathroom a full nine minutes, and not a single word had been exchanged. Out of the corner of my eye saw her in the large mirror, which echoed back the puzzling reflection I witnessed earlier.

  The lip gloss wand trembled between my fingers, though I managed to swipe my lips, leaving a surprisingly even trail of pink grapefruit across them. I stuffed it back into the skinny container and shoved it in my purse. Over and over the image in the window played through my head, eating at me. I couldn’t have imagined it. I know what I saw. Shane and Tara were friends.

  Friends talk. Friends share secrets.

  Secrets—the word itself was like a plague creeping within me. I set my hands down on the cool counter and forced myself to breathe. I had my own secrets, didn’t I? Though as innocent as they were to me, they could easily set off a series of bombs if not carefully hidden. I wondered about my ability to trust her, and felt guilty with myself for even questioning the boundaries of our friendship. I felt guilty for feeling something for someone other than Shane.

  For a moment, I wished everything would go back to the way they used to be. I touched the inside of my arm and felt the tenderness of the skin. Shane never used to be so rough with me.

  Maybe that’s why I let myself become so sidetracked by Chase; because I missed the days when

  Shane and I flirted, when everything was new and perfect.

  But what happened in the hallway, and what was it I think I saw?

  I couldn’t stand it any longer. It was time to face the hurdle.

  “Thanks for leaving me hanging,” I let out, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

  “Hanging? When did I leave you hanging?”

  “At lunch. Couldn’t you find at least one nice thing to say to him?”

  Tara leaned over the sink and smoothed the tiny hairs arching at her brow. “Is that what this silent treatment is all about? That I didn’t take Chase by the hand and lead him around the room, introducing him to everyone so they wouldn’t feel tempted to stop and stare at the schmuck you brought to lunch?”

  My entire body tensed. “It was your idea.”

  “Are you kidding me? It’s been yours for weeks.”

  I stood and stared at her through the mirror and tried not to shake.

  Tara leaned over and adjusted her hair, keeping her eyes on mine. “That was called transitioning the moment, and you’re welcome, because if I hadn’t thrown that out there, he never would have agreed to go to lunch. But since you did, you probably could have held out your hand and he would have eaten from it; now that would have been something to watch.”

  As usual, Tara had a way of turning uncomfortable situations around and finding the loophole to escape. Any sort of confrontation brought her claws out, even if she was party to the blame. I, on the other hand, got tongue-tied, which was exactly what was happening now.

  “What about when the guys came in? You just sat back and let me dig my way out.” I felt the redness seep up from my neck to the tender flesh behind my ears. She and I were supposed to be in this together. “This is a joint project,” I said for the thousandth time. “You can’t let this slide and expect me to pick the pieces up for you, again.”

  “If you’re talking about last semester’s Multi Media project, that’s old news. Power Point and

  I simply do not agree.” Tara’s blowing this off didn’t surprise me. But it didn’t help things either.

  “Besides,” she continued. “Keith Taylor was a pretty hot study partner, so you can’t blame me for being distracted.”

  “You have to do some of the work, which doesn’t include sitting back while I get the third degree.”

  “Evie, Shane’s your boyfriend to control.” Her voice then changed to a gentle, convincing purr, “Besides, I’ve already started to help with the project.” She turned to the mirror and proceeded to fuss with her already perfect hair. Her smile played across her lips as her eyes flicked back and forth between her own reflection and mine, as she waited for me to drag it out of her. It was a typical Tara move. A classic.

  “What do you mean you’ve already started?”

  “I asked the guys to invite Chase to Jake’s this weekend.”

  “Why would you do that?” My voice echoed. “We’re supposed to study, not party together.”

  Tara smirked and rolled her eyes, “So do both. Shane’s okay with it.”

  I leaned against the sink to steady myself. “I’ll bet he is,” I said beneath my breath. My stomach dropped ten feet below the floor. He knew. He knew I was purposely trying to include

  Chase in my life, even if it was Mr. Floyd’s idea, even if it was mandatory. It wasn’t just the English paper. Shane knew I lied. Thanks to Tara.

  “Eves,” Tara turned to me, “stop worrying.”

  But the bathroom had already begun to spin slightly.

  “See, now you can flirt with Mr. Mysterious right under Shane’s nose,” she said as if she was the clever one. “Don’t tell me this isn’t working out perfectly for you. So, see? I couldn’t say anything at lunch otherwise Shane would suspect I was helping cover things up for you.” She paused, her face smooth and serene even as the venom oozed from her lips. “I couldn’t possibly bring myself to step between you and Shane.”

  The idea of secrets took on new meaning, and so the question came without warning, before I could even think of what I was asking, before I could process in advance how it would affect things.


  “So this was your idea?”

  “Mmm hmm.” Tara leaned across the sink and carefully arranged her hair.

  “Is that what you whispered to Shane in the hall?” My eyes shot up to meet hers, to catch a glimpse of her reaction the moment my words met the dead air between us.

  Tara was quiet.

  Clearly, it wasn’t a topic that could be brought up out of the blue while walking down the hall. It wouldn’t garner a blasé reaction from Shane, and it most definitely wouldn’t cause such an intimate look between the two of them.

  Her words rang in my ears; the reference to flirting with Chase beneath Shane’s nose.

  This time I recognized the reflection in the mirror. I didn’t have to second-guess myself. I watched, as quietly composed as I could be, as Tara’s pretty, porcelain face went bone-white.

  Chapter Five

  Chase

  Lunch left me confused and wishing I hadn’t agreed to go with Evie. It would take some masterminding, but I was seriously considering asking Mr. Floyd to team me up with another group. I spun the dial and yanked the lever to the side, taking the day’s downfalls out on my locker. It almost went undetected, that little flash of white. Puzzled, I pulled it from the inside slat on the door.

  At first I thought it was from Shane, who always got the last word in, no matter what. Then, I wondered if Evie had planted the note. Maybe she second-guessed herself and would back both she and Tara out of working on the project with me, which would leave me off the hook from doing it myself.

  But then I read it.

  What a joke. It was an invite to Jake Shellinger’s house party this weekend, which would be a hit, at my expense, of course. Even if I ignored my first instinct, which to crumple the stupid invite and chuck it in the trash, I could handle Shane. I had managed to stay out of his way for years and I had no intention of stealing his girlfriend, even though I liked her.

  Then a thought crossed my mind that it was Evie after all. A peace offering for what happened at lunch. Somehow, I was okay with that, and if Evie still wanted me around, then too bad for Shane Whitley.