I nearly choke on my Cheerios and decide breakfast is officially over. Grabbing my backpack, I mumble something about needing to print an assignment before class.
“But you haven’t finished—“ Theo starts, but I’m already power-walking toward thefront door.
I fumble with the doorknob, my sweaty palms betraying me at this crucial moment. Just as I wrench it open, I hear Theo’s footsteps behind me.
“Wait up!” he calls as I'm sprinting away from him like an Olympic medalist.
It’s annoying how his long legs catch up to me before I reach the sidewalk. He falls into step beside me, not even slightly winded. Traitor legs—why can’t mine move that fast?
“Chrissy,” he says, grinning at my obvious escape attempt. “We should walk to school together.”
Chapter 8
Every time I pick up pace to get ahead of Theo, he catches up with me in just a few easy strides. I can see other students walking on the opposite side of the street, and a surge of panic pierces through me like an icicle to the chest.
“We can’t be seen together,” I say, keeping my tone low, as if the maple trees lining the sidewalks might somehow alert Paige.
Theo turns his head toward me, the morning sunlight catching in his stupidly gorgeous hair. Judging by his expression, he’s rather enjoying all of this. “Why not?”
I stop walking, and so does he. “Do I have to spell it out?” I sigh, the weight of it all pressing down like the heavy backpack cutting into my shoulders. “You’re Mr. Popular, and I’m . . . Dorkella.” I can’t believe I’m calling myself that, but I need to make a point.
Theo raises an eyebrow, his smirk breaking into a full grin that probably makes cheerleaders forget their own names. “We live in the same house, Chrissy. It’s only natural we’d walk to school together.” He shrugs and starts walking again, his bootscrunching on the occasional fallen leaf, like this isn’t a big deal at all.
“No, no, no.” I grab his arm, feeling the warmth of his skin through his light jacket. “That’s the problem. No one can know we live together.”
He glances at me, confusion creasing his brow. “What’s the big deal?”
I purse my lips, trying to find the right words to make him understand. The brisk mountain air fills my lungs but does nothing to cool my rising panic. “Let’s consider it for a moment—Paige would flip out,” I say, waving my hands around to emphasize the gravity of this matter. “She’d probably assume we’re . . . I don’t know, together or something. And then I’ll find my backpack filled with glue, or worse—they could make a dartboard with my face on it for cheerleading practice!”
Theo leans in so close, I can feel him on my cheeks. He smells of the Axe Apollo body wash I see in the shower next to my Dove soap. “Now there’s a thought,” he says, his voice barely a whisper.
If there is one thing I can’t deny it’s the effect he has on me. My heart longs for his embrace, but my mind refuses to give in. The memory of his towel from this morning—or the lack thereof—flashes in my head and I swallow, trying to keep my face neutral. My body feels like a round of Tug-of-War between common sense and whatever hormonal madness he triggers.
Get a grip, Chrissy, and do it fast. I can’t show any signs of weakness.
I manage a tight smile to match his teasing smirk. “Save your charm for the cheerleaders.”
Spinning away from him, I march toward school, my boots stomping on the pavement like I’m trying to leave permanent footprints. The mountains rise in the distance, their peaks already dusted with early snow, reminding me that I’m trapped in this small town where news travels faster than an avalanche. In a place this size, being seen with Theo means everyone would know before first period even started.
His longer strides easily keep pace with my determined march. “You know,” he says, sounding like he’s about to endow a piece of wisdom, “most girls would be thrilled to have people think they’re dating me.”
“Well, I’m not most girls,” I shoot back, adjusting my backpack as I speed up to get ahead of him with no success. “I’m trying to survive high school with minimal emotional scarring, thank you very much.”
A car honks on Main Street ahead of us, and I nearly jump out of my skin. Any second now, someone from school could spot us. My eyes flit around like a squirrel with an espresso addiction. What if someone sees us and takes a picture of us? I’d be walking into an ambush. Paige would probably be waiting by my locker with a glue stick and a bag of feathers.
“You’re kind of cute when you’re paranoid,” Theo says, his smile widening.
I hate it when he toys with me like that. “I’m not paranoid. I’m realistic. Paige has been making my life miserable sincefreshman year when I corrected her spelling in front of everyone.”
“That long? What did she spell wrong?”
“Her own name.”
His laugh is so obnoxious I worry it’ll alert everyone in the vicinity, but I can’t help but crack a small smile, too. The morning sun glints off the windows of the bakery across the street, momentarily blinding me—then my heart stops.
Standing across the road are Meg and Zoey—Paige’s right and left hands. My entire body freezes. Under no circumstances can they see me walking with Theo.
“Get down!” I hiss, grabbing Theo’s arm and yanking him behind the nearest parked car—a rusted blue pickup truck that smells faintly of fish and pine needles.
