Conspicuous Secrets

Chapter Ten

         

I posted chapters 10 and 11. Make sure you read them in order!

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Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I walked into the kitchen where my brother was eating a bowl of cereal. The bruise around his eye hadn't faded, and his cheekbone and jaw looked a darker shade of purple. "Are you okay?" I asked, watching him scroll through his phone with one hand and use his spoon with the other.

He nodded without glancing up at me. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and put it in my bag. "Are you really, or are you just saying that?"

He looked up from his phone and offered me a grin. "Really, Delilah, I'm okay." Standing up from the table, he placed his empty bowl in the sink then pulled me into a hug. A knock on the door sounded as he kissed me on the top of my head. "Come in!"

The front door opened and Kason walked in with a slight grin on his face. "The mechanic should be getting to your car in fifteen minutes," he told us. "He's going to look at it and if he can't fix it there, he will get it towed to his shop."

I wanted to groan in frustration. "Kason, I told you—we don't have the money to do that," I spoke harsher than intended.

His eyes met mine as he nodded, already knowing. "That's why I'm paying for it."

My brother shook his head as he picked his backpack up off the floor. "No, we can't ask you to do that."

The boy nodded again. "I knew you wouldn't, that's why I acted without telling you."

I sighed. "Kason..."

"Just don't mention it, okay? Let me help."

Looking at my brother, I found him already staring in my direction. I watched his chest rise and fall before he nodded, saying we could let him help us. Just this once. My eyes drifted back over at Kason. "Fine, but just this once."

He nodded. "Just this once."

#

"Call me if you have any trouble," I told my brother as he got out of the car to meet with the mechanic. We were parked on the side of the road, in front of our broke down car, where someone was supposed to be waiting for the mechanic to show up.

Kason rolled his eyes. "No, call me if there is any trouble. I'm the one making this all happen."

My brother nodded before closing the back door and walking back to the old blue car. With that, Kason pulled back onto the main road where we started taking our route to school. I watched the world pass by through the passenger window as Kason drove me to school. "How long do you think it will be until my car will be up and running?"

The boy beside me shrugged and turned down another road. "It's hard to tell. It just depends on what is wrong with it—which could be anything considering how old the car is."

"It's the only car we could afford," I sighed, looking out the window.

For a few minutes, he didn't speak a word. "Everything will be okay," he said after a while. His voice was soft and serious. It was a tone I hadn't heard from him before. He sounded promising.

My eyes left the window and drifted to him as he watched the road in front of him. "Thank you," I said. "For everything you're doing."

He grinned softly. "You're welcome."

When we pulled into the school parking lot, Kason parked in what I assumed was his usual spot. After grabbing our bags we got out of the car and that was when I noticed all the stares. I stopped and looked at all of the people with their eyes on us as I readjusted the bag on my shoulder. "Why is everyone staring?" I asked, looking at Kason. It was like we were the two gladiators in their arena.

He locked his car and carried on walking, not even noticing a hundred eyes on him. I quickly followed behind him, not wanting to be the center of the audience's attention. He shrugged as I continued to glance uneasily around us. I hated being the center of attention. "They are always staring at me. This is a daily occurrence," he responded.

"Okay, then why are they staring at me?"

"Maybe because you just got out of my car? I've never brought a girl to school before."

My eyes widened. "They probably think we had a one night stand."

At that, he laughed, but I had the opposite reaction. "Actually, they probably do."

I tightened my grip on the strap on my shoulder. "This can't be happening."

"Chill. They don't know you, so they won't know that you wouldn't do something like that," he said.

"Yeah, but I refuse to be known as the new girl who slept with Kason Wesley after only a week of being in town."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. No one thinks that. They're just curious as to why I brought you to school," he told me. "Just ignore them." Just as the words left his mouth, we spotted Miles at the same time, staring in our direction. "Especially him." With that, he walked away to what I assumed was his first class and left me alone in the hallway, still left in the gaze of a few bystanders. I hoped he was right.

#

"Then, I was thinking that we could go skiing and snowboarding after that," Aria exclaimed excitedly. "Then we could all go eat dinner in the lodge that's at the bottom of the hill."

"You've really planned all of this out haven't you?" Holden spoke, amusement tugging at his lips.

"I've only planned out two days. We will be gone four."

Marla shook her head. "I don't think we should be skipping two days of school."

"Come on, we never have any work the week before Christmas break," Aria persuaded. "We can leave the evening after our first final."

I glanced around the table, watching everyone's expressions. They were all thinking about it. "I guess that will be okay then," Marla said, glancing at her twin. "But we will have to find a way to pursued mom." He nodded in agreement.

"What about you, Jaxon and Lydia?"

I glanced at my brother and found him already answering. "I think it sounds fun. We are definitely up for it."

I inhaled, holding back a groan. I didn't even know how to ski or snowboard, much less want to even go on this trip. My brother gave me a look, warning me to watch myself. The last thing I wanted to do was give all these people an accidental reaction that made them think I didn't like them. I did like them, but I just had bigger things to worry about than a friendship with all of them.

My eyes ended up glancing at Kason before I could stop them and I found him staring with an observing look in his eyes like he was trying to figure me out. I quickly looked away and began eating the plate of lunch food in front of me.

"What about you Kason?"

He looked at Aria and nodded. "I'm completely up for it as long as my dad gives the okay. Since Lydia will be going too, we will have to find someone else to watch Lucy, unless my dad can get off work," he answered.

Everyone at the table furrowed their eyebrows and looked at me, except for myself, Kason and my brother. "You're babysitting Lucy?"

I ran my tongue along the back of my teeth, getting nervous under their eyes. "Uh, yes?"

Marla squealed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

I shrugged, not seeing the issue in the situation. "It's only a babysitting job."

She held her hands up in surrender to the interrogation. "That's cool. We love Lucy. Just don't let Miles find out," she said, glancing at Kason, who nodded in agreement.

"It would just give him something else to start drama about."

My eyes scanned the cafeteria and found green eyes on us. Miles was still staring at me.

***

What's up with Miles, am I right? Creepy.

Opinions on Kason and Lydia moments??

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