“Trying to figure out if you wear underwear on dates,” Sarah said. “My advice is, don’t.”
I headed to the bathroom. “Don’t you ever think about anything else?”
Sarah made a face. “Not when the words Jared and date are used in the same sentence.” She glanced at the poster. “Or just the word Jared, come to think of it.”
I wanted to say he was even better in person, but I held my tongue. Instead, I checked the time. “Guys, I’ve got to get ready for class. Not trying to blow you off, but I can’t be late.”
“You have to know word about this is all over campus,” Serena warned. “You’re not going to be able to pretend nothing happened.”
My face fell. “How…?”
“Everyone saw a frigging helicopter pick you up, Lacey. Get real,” Sarah said.
I pushed the bathroom door open and slammed it behind me, borderline hyperventilating. Of course the news would have spread like wildfire. The movie was the biggest thing to hit the school in decades, and now one of its stars was dating an academy first year…
Only we aren’t dating. Not really. Maybe there had been one aborted date, but that was it.
I twisted the shower on and stood beneath needles of tepid water, thinking furiously. Jared hadn’t actually answered why he’d singled me out. He’d done a charming deflection, but now that I thought about it, he’d never told me why; just turned it around on me and asked, “Why not?”
Which left me with no more information than I’d started with.
So why had Jared decided that I, out of all the girls on campus, much less in the US, was the one who would get the helicopter ride?
The question nagged at me as I finished the shower and toweled off, because without knowing the answer, I couldn’t predict what, if anything, would happen next. And that bugged the control-freak part of me that went to great pains to avoid unpleasant surprises. What was he after?
By the time I was dressed, hair in place, and feeling reasonably collected, I barely had time to dash to the cafeteria for coffee and get to class. When I walked into the lecture hall, I felt as though everyone was staring at me, which might not have been my imagination, given the hushed whispers that greeted my passing. Kate showed up right after I sat down, and I waved to her in relief, a familiar face more than welcome in a sea of gawkers.
Robert was seated at the front of the room, as usual. He threw Kate and me a smile and returned to his notes in anticipation of the professor’s arrival. Kate leaned over and spoke in a low voice.
“You’re on everyone’s radar now, girl. No way to play this one low key,” she advised.
“I figure if I ignore it, they’ll lose interest.”
Kate winked. “Let me know how that works.”
The lecture was interesting, and I was able to get lost in the professor’s words and forget about my mini-drama until the class let out. I darted to the door, leaving Robert to Kate, and hurried to my next class, books held tight to my chest, avoiding any eye contact that might invite conversation.
Alex was waiting at the classroom door, and I groaned inwardly. His face was composed, but his eyes looked hurt.
“Hey, Lacey,” he said.
“Morning, Alex,” I said, pretending to be texting on my phone.
“Big night last night, huh?” he said, an edge to his voice.
“Wild,” I agreed, hoping the single-syllable response would clue him in on my lack of interest in discussing it.
Subtlety apparently wasn’t Alex’s strong suit, though. “I heard about your adventure from at least a half dozen people,” he said.
“Sounds like they need lives,” I said with a shrug, ending the discussion and marching to the back of the room.
I spent half the next period daydreaming about Jared – the way the torchlight danced in his eyes, the flash of his impish crooked grin, the way his flawless skin pulled tight over his strong jaw and pronounced cheekbones when he looked out over the water’s rush.
The next hours were the longest of my life. I fought to pay attention as my mind insisted on replaying my time with the most intriguing guy I’d ever met. By the end of my last class, I was no closer to a coherent answer to why he’d picked me than when I’d awakened, which frustrated me no end. I ignored the students talking among themselves as I passed, resigned to being the center of attention for at least a little while, and was grateful that I would be able to disappear into the dorm and leave the gossips empty-handed.
Of course, that still left my roommates, who insisted on making the remainder of my day all about Jared – especially when I received a text message from an unknown number just before dinner, and it turned out to be Jared apologizing for not having any time tonight because of his shooting schedule, but asking if I’d like to go for a drive with him the following evening at eight p.m., on his night off.
Great. Here comes another sleepless night…
Chapter 16
The next day I knew I was spacing out in my classes, my mind a million miles away, but I couldn’t help it. My roommates were no help in keeping me grounded; their excitement over Jared’s interest was almost greater than my own. Easy for them – all of the excitement, but none of the risk. When I agreed to have lunch with them in the cafeteria, they were a tag team of hyper-speculation over what would happen tonight and advice over how to react if he did this, or that, or something else.
I tried to take a nap after school, but that proved useless; all I managed to do was keep Cyrus awake as I tossed and turned. The cat had taken up residence on my bed and had staked his claim
