Love Me | Series Book #1

THIRTY SIX

I was standing in the parking lot as the current threatened to take me under. The student body swam around me, free from the chains around my ankles that sank me to the ocean floor. My vision was murky as I drowned and all around me, nothing appeared to be real. I was losing oxygen. Tanking.

"Are you okay?"

Aly's hazel eyes focused on me. I blinked, studying the jewel encrusted flats she wore, glittering under the fluorescent hallway light. The frown that pinched at her plucked brows deepened as I stood in front of her without an answer.

"I haven't seen you all weekend. You disappeared before the party even started the other night," she said.

Rachel hadn't spoken to her yet. If she had then Aly wouldn't have had the need to ask. She would already know.

Or maybe not.

Maybe she was afraid to tell. Afraid that no one would believe her and just write her words off as jealousy or a glass over her drinking limit.

I felt the lie burning on my tongue. It used to be so easy letting them slip. But now it was me that was slipping farther away with every single I'm fine that dared to leave my mouth.

Aly was my best friend. She shouldn't have had to hear the words that I couldn't say. She should've already known them just by looking at me. But, I had mastered the lie so well that even I couldn't see through it. How could I expect her to?

"Aly I-"

"Found you."

My waist was snatched into a tight embrace as his hard body slammed into my back. My textbooks flipped open falling flat to the ground.

I shivered as his breath touched my ear.

"I've been looking for you all morning. Thought I'd give you a ride to school but you were already gone when I pulled up to your house."

My stomach lurched.

"Oh hey Aly," he acknowledged with a sure smile on his face.

"Hey," she said without meeting his same level of enthusiasm.

"Great weekend I heard," he continued, tightening his grip around me. "Seth told me all about it. Did the two of you have a good time?"

She perked up.

"He did?"

He knew just the way to divert her attention. My silent plea to her was lost as he began to fill her head with all the things that she wanted to hear.

"Yeah! You guys should get together again sometime. Matter of fact, we could set up a double date or something, don't you think Kaya?"

He pinched the skin on my hip where Aly couldn't see.

"The new marvel movie looks really good. Bet we could get discounted tickets as a group. How's that sound?"

"Um," Aly appeared dumbfounded under the influx of information he bombarded her with. "Sounds great. I'll just have to check my schedule first, but I'm down if he is," she said.