But just then the door of the theater opens, and someone walks in.
“Jamie!” Nicole squeals out. “Hey! Hi! How are you?”
I’m stunned, not understanding what’s going on.
“Good,” Jamie answers in his signature cheerful voice. “What are you all doing here?”
The girls look at one another, but Mason answers, “Just hanging around. Looking for someone.”
Jamie nods. I’m dizzy, trying to make sense of his tone and reconciling it with how he defended me from Mason last time. Dread trickles down my spine. What if I was being played?
“Jihad, right?” he asks.
“Right,” Mason says. “Don’t you have an issue with that?”
I can see Jamie’s grin as clear as day from where I’m hiding.
“Nah,” he says lazily. “Just having some fun with her.”
Steel Gray
What’s up withthe two of you anyway?” Mason asks. “You’re always together.”
Adrian has stopped searching and is making his way back to where the others are.
Jamie leans against the wall. “Be more specific.”
“Okay, I’ll be specific,” Mason says. “Did you date?”
Nicole stills for a beat while Jamie lets his answer hang heavy in the air.
“No,” he finally says, and I think I see Nicole breathe out in relief.
“So I can ask the real question.” Mason grins. “Did you do her?”
Jamie fixes his gaze on him and smiles. Mason takes it as an affirmative and lets out a “You dog!” Nicole shrinks back into her friends, and I see Hayley hold her hand.
I don’t understand what’s going on.
“Okay, my turn,” Jamie says. “What did you do to her yesterday?”
Mason tells him and then takes out his phone to show him the picture.
Jamie has gone incredibly still, his hand still holding onto the phone. “Who else has the picture?”
“Me. Adrian. That’s it. Been thinking on what do with it, you know? Print it out and give it to everyone in school. Maybe even put it on a billboard? There’ssomuch that could be done.”
“Is it on iCloud?” Jamie asks with a smirk.
“No,” Mason scoffs. “You think I’d have anything incriminating like that out there? If I print it out and put it in a classroom, no one would know where it came from. That’s the whole fun of it.”
Jamie hums. “Send it to me?”
“Why?” Mason asks. “No offense, but you’re way too close to her, even if you’re just having fun.”
Jamie laughs. “Oh, come on. You think Jihad is like any other person you’ve ever met before? She’d smell the fake off you if you were pretending. It’s all about the ‘real moments.’ At least it is for her.”
I close my eyes, nausea building up in my stomach.
