Page 49 of Waysider
Teddy rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a rueful look. “Guess we weren’t being subtle about it, huh?”
Cass tore the wrapping off one of the straws and put it in her water. Ice cubes scraped against the inside of the plastic cup. “Well, that, and the students here apparently don’t have anything better to talk about,” she told Teddy.
He sat back against the booth and let out a sigh. “Fantastic,” he muttered.
“People have been gossiping about me my entire life. Eventually you just stop caring.” Cass paused. “It must be hard being the headmistress’s son.”
“You have no idea.” Teddy rubbed a hand over his face like the mere reminder exhausted him. As a brief silence fell between them, Elton John played from an old radio on the countertop nearby in a blend of deep crooning and bittersweet piano notes. After another moment, Teddy tilted his head and looked at her. Cass saw a flash of the same curiosity she’d felt in his eyes. “So what about you? What’s your deal?”
Cass crossed her arms and considered the question. “I’m reckless,” she answered finally. “Selfish. Impulsive. Everything that’s gone wrong in my life is my own damn fault.”
Teddy’s eyebrows drew together. He leaned forward again, and their faces were so close that Cass could make out the faintest lines of brown appearing amongst the vividly blue iris. “Jeez. You’re being a little hard on yourself, don’t you think?” he said. “No one who comes to Else & Bellows has had it easy.”
Cass just shrugged. She’d never forget the look on her parents’ faces when they told her Cal hadn’t made it out of the river. That pain was her fault. Everything they’d lost was on Cass, because there was something broken inside of her.
She’d gone over the details a million times, and no matter how she looked at it, none of it would’ve happened without her shitty choices. Each one had a domino effect that led right to Cal, crashing into him with the same chaos that Cass caused everywhere she went, without any regard to other people or the consequences.
“Hey,” Teddy said, startling her. Cass refocused on him, and she realized her face must’ve given her away again. Teddy was watching her with concern. “I know I keep asking this, but are you okay?”
Just as she started to respond, a commotion startled them both. Teddy and Cass turned toward the other end of the long room, where Tom was still seated on one of the stools at the counter. Cheryl snatched a cookie out of his hand, smacked it, and set the cookie back onto a platter. She slammed the lid in place with unnecessary force.
“I bet you five bucks this ends with Cheryl boxing his ears,” Teddy said under his breath.
A startled laugh slipped from Cass. “I’ll take those odds,” she countered. “The woman is going to punch him right in the face. Look at that glare. You just know she’s clenching her fists under the counter.”
Teddy laughed, too. He wasn’t as quiet as she’d been, and the sound floated through the diner, drawing people’s gazes in their direction. Cass watched the light return to Teddy’s eyes. She couldn’t help but like the way he was looking at her—as if she were the only one there. As if she were beautiful.
She tried to shake it off. Thankfully, their food arrived shortly after that. Cass reached for the ketchup bottle and squirted some onto her plate. Teddy pointed at her with a cluster of fries and said, “I’ll make you a deal, Cass Ryan. I won’t ever talk about you behind your back. If I’ve got something to say, I’ll say it to your face. All I ask is that you do the same.”
Cass chewed, pretending to think about it. Then she smiled and nodded, sucking some salt off her thumb. “Deal.”
They shook hands over the table, Teddy grinning at her like a little kid, and Cass couldn’t stop the answering tug at the corners of her mouth. She felt better, Cass realized suddenly. Like she’d finally managed to pull herself from that bleak, endless darkness Teddy had found her in. Cass picked up her burger and took a huge bite, reveling in the taste of melted cheese and greasy meat. She could feel Teddy looking at her, probably marveling at how disgusting she was, but Cass didn’t care. This was the best burger she’d ever had.
Then Teddy took a bite of his own burger, and Cass realized he was disgusting, too. They grinned at each other again, some wordless feeling passing between them. As she watched Teddy take a drink from his milkshake, Cass thought about telling him the truth about what happened at the party. It would be such a relief to confide in someone. She couldn’t talk to Cal, or he’d just worry more than he already did. She couldn’t tell Finch because she might urge Cass to report it, or do it herself, and Cass couldn’t afford any scrutiny. So far, no one seemed to know about Cal, and she wanted to keep it that way. Which meant she couldn’t trust Teddy, either.
“Tell me about lacrosse,” Cass said suddenly.
That was all the encouragement Teddy needed.
For the next hour, he explained Else & Bellows’s most popular sport. Teddy was the team captain, of course. As they finished their food and walked to House Wayside together, he told her about their biggest rival, St. Benedict’s, another school of parapsychology. Even though it was nearly morning, the barest beginnings of daylight visible on the horizon, Cass didn’t feel tired or afraid anymore. Teddy was so bright—his hair, his smile, his voice—and it was easy to understand why everyone talked about him. Why they were drawn to him.
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Teddy said, his elbow brushing hers. They walked in and out of the shadows cast by a row of palm trees lining the street. “Is there a story behind your tattoo?”
Cass hesitated. She tipped her head back to gaze up at the sky. She thought of a lie, like she always did, but then she thought about how kind Teddy had been to her.
“No. Not really,” she said.
Perceptive as ever, Teddy didn’t push her. When they reached the front path of the house, Cass expected him to stop. Instead, he accompanied her right to the door. Silence trembled around them again. The only light came from a single window. If any of Cass’s roommates were home, they were asleep. As she faced Teddy on the porch, Cass felt a burst of déjà vu.
No, it’s not déjà vu, she thought. You were literally in this situation a couple hours ago.
Cass wasn’t about to make the same idiotic mistake twice. She gave Teddy an easygoing smile and reached up to give him a one-armed hug, her other hand tucked firmly in her back pocket. “That was just what I needed,” she told him. “Thank you. See you in class.”
“Wait,” Teddy said as Cass turned away. She stopped and looked at him, but he let out a breath and shook his head. Golden strands caught the light. “Never mind.”
Cass didn’t move. “What?”
The Airweaver tilted his head and touched his eyebrow. The gesture was absent, almost like a tell, Cass thought. Something was bothering him. Teddy was standing so close that she could see the flecks of amber in his eyes again. Cass searched his gaze, trying to think of anything she could’ve done to upset him. What was he—oh. Oh.
