Page 18 of Stalk Me (The Keatyn Chronicles 1)
I shrug my shoulders as Cush nudges my foot under the table. I told him last night about Sander’s upcoming makeover.
The lunchroom is abuzz.
At first it was, Who is that guy?
Then it was, Ohmigawd, it’s Sander!
Then there was a lot of looking between our table and his.
RiAnne says, “I don’t get it. ”
“Don’t get what?” Cush asks.
“He looks hot like that. Why didn’t he come sit with us?”
“Maybe you should go sit with him,” I suggest. “Console him. ”
“Don’t you dare!” Vanessa warns. “The lines have been drawn. You are not to cross. ”
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Hey, you’re the one who destroyed the prom king. I’m just trying to deal with the fallout. ”
“What fallout?”
“How it affects our status. We don’t want him starting his own table. ”
“Who cares about the fucking table?” I say, a little too loudly. The lacrosse guys at the next table turn around and stare at me.
I get up, grab my bag, and march out of the lunchroom. It’s either that or punch Vanessa right in her smug face.
Cush says, “Wait up,” from behind me. Then he starts laughing. “Not that I couldn’t catch you in those shoes. Or boots. What are they anyway?”
Keep it together, Keatyn. Don’t have a breakdown in the middle of school.
“I don’t know what they’re called, but my feet are killing me. ”
Cush picks me up off the ground and carries me down the hall.
Who knew he was so strong?
We pass a pretty cheerleader named Mandy, who sometimes comes to Cush’s parties. She gasps at the sight of him carrying me down the hall. From the look on her face, you’d have thought she’d seen us having sex.
Cush nods his head at her and says, “S’up,” as he carries me into the boys’ locker room. He sets me down on a bench between rows of bright blue lockers.
“Take them off,” he commands.
I don’t.
Instead, I lay back on the bench and scream, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“What the hell is going on?” Coach Kline yells at Cush. Then he says to me, “And why are you in the boys’ locker room?”
“She’s having a meltdown, sir,” Cush says. “It’s the shoes. They’re slowly trying to kill her. ”
Coach looks at my shoes, grimaces, and nods his head in agreement. “That’s understandable. ” Then he walks back into his office and shuts the door.
Cush kneels down and starts unbuckling my shoe.
“Sometimes I can’t figure you out. Why are you friends with her? Why do you put up with it?”
“I could ask you the same question. Why do you let her invite so many people to your parties? Why do you put up with it?”
“She told me she’d ruin my reputation if I didn’t. ”
“How could she do that? You’ve been with plenty of girls. ”
“Yeah, I know, but she’s your friend, so I went along with it. ”
“She wanted Sander. She thought they would be the school’s perfect couple. ”
“But you got Sander instead. ”
“I didn’t try to, though. It just happened. He was new, and we had a lot in common. ”
He slides one of my shoes off and starts unbuckling the six buckles running up my other leg.
I wiggle and stretch my toes. They already feel so much better. I’m pretty sure if my toes had lips, they’d be kissing Cush right now in thanks.
“She threatened to ruin my reputation too,” I whisper.
“I really don’t think there’s anything she could do or say that would change people’s opinion of you. You don’t chase the spotlight, Keatyn. You never had to. The spotlight chases you. ”
He slides off the other shoe then rubs the marks on my feet.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t need her to be popular. ”
I look into Cush’s big, blue eyes and have the sudden urge to kiss him.
You know, just to thank him for being so sweet.
Like, to my feet.
He looks down at his hands, which are still gently massaging my legs.
“I’m not sure I even want to be popular anymore,” I confess.
“Yeah, me either,” he says quietly. Then he brightens and gives me the naughty Cushman grin. “It’s a gorgeous day. Let’s skip. Drive down the coast or go to the beach. ”
My phone vibrates with texts.
Vanessa: Where the fuck are you? Was Cush really carrying you down the hall? Did you leave school together?
RiAnne: I heard a naughty rumor about you and Cush. Is it true? Is that the real reason why you broke up with Sander?
I sigh, show him the texts then toss my phone in my bag. “Where should we go?”
“Santa Monica Pier? We can eat all the crap food, ride the Ferris wheel, and play arcade games until dark. ”
“That sounds like fun,” I say.
Tuesday, May 17th
So, sue me.
5:45pm
