Page 14 of Inseparable
He shrugs nonchalantly.
“And so modest, too!” I singsong as I skip out of the kitchen and up to the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, I’m tucked up in my coat in the toasty cab of Ayden’s brand spanking new Jeep. His parents surprised him with it a couple months back when he got confirmation of his football scholarship to UI, and now he insists on driving me everywhere, when he can.
See what I mean?All-round nice guy.
It’s also the reason why most of the senior class thinks we’re dating. That and the fact he hasn’t hooked up with anyone since summer break.
“Great,” I groan, as Ayden pulls into a vacant parking space at school and I spot Becky Carmichael holding court outside the entrance. “My week is off to a stellar start.” He follows my gaze out the window.
“Ignore her.”
“I try, but she makes it so difficult sometimes. She loves testing my patience to the limit.”
“She’s just jealous.”
I splutter. “As if!”
Becky is head of the cheerleading squad, and she’s got a trophy case full of awards from all the beauty pageants she won as a kid. She is always immaculately dressed, sporting the latest trends, and primped to within an inch of her life. I figure she must be up at the crack of dawn each day to look so perfectly groomed. Me? I roll out of bed at the last possible moment, having hit that snooze button at least five times. My beauty routine consists of brushing my teeth and quickly dragging a comb through my hair. Skinny jeans, shirts, blouses, and my well-worn Converse is my usual attire.
“Why do you always put yourself down?” he asks. “I hate that.”
“I’m not putting myself down. I’m just rejecting your assumption that Becky’s jealous of me. There isn’t anything I have that she is jealous of. Well, besides being besties with you and Devin, but I know it’s more than that.”
“You are like a breath of fresh air, Lina. Don’t ever change.” He kisses me on the forehead, and we both climb out of the Jeep at the same time. We walk together, his arm around my shoulders as usual. Becky scowls as we pass, but I pretend not to notice. It drives her bat-shit crazy when I act like she doesn’t exist, and it’s the most effective weapon in my arsenal.
Ayden waits with me while I extract what I need from my locker, and then he walks me to class. It’s the same routine every day. “Have a good one, babe.” He presses a kiss to my cheek.
“You too.” I curl my fingers around the door handle.
“Oh, and Lina?” I glance over my shoulder at him. “She’s jealous of you because you are effortlessly beautiful and the sweetest, nicest girl on the planet. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t live up to that.”
My mouth hangs open as he blows me a kiss and saunters off, grinning and whistling under his breath.
The morning snails by and it feels like forever until lunchtime rolls around. Mariah waves from her seat as I enter the cafeteria. I load my plate with pasta and chicken, grab a bread roll, some fruit, and juice, and head in her direction. I plop down beside her, across from Gabrielle and Madisyn. They all stare at my tray, and I grin. “What? I’m hungry. And I’m not on shift or at ballet practice today.”
“You’re so lucky. I think I’ve put on five pounds just looking at your plate,” Madisyn says, sighing enviously as she tucks strands of her dark blonde hair behind her ears. Madisyn is gorgeous with generous curves in all the right places. Guys practically salivate behind her back, but she suffers from major self-esteem issues. She hates that she’s taller, broader, and curvier than the average girl, and she’s constantly on some diet or other.
“Aren’t you worried it’s all going to catch up with you when you’re older and you’ll blow up like Mrs. White?” Gabi asks, picking at her chicken salad. Mrs. White won the Miss USA title when she was nineteen, and she returned home a bona-fide celebrity. Then she got pregnant, married the guy, popped out a few more kids, and her weight ballooned. She became a virtual pariah overnight, which is damn ridiculous. All because she stacked on the pounds, and who the hell’s business is it but hers anyway? I can’t stand narrowminded prejudicial people, and this town seems to have more than its fair share of bigots. Every time I’m reminded of that story, it strengthens my resolve to leave small-town living in the dust. I like the idea of being a small fish in a very big pond and having more privacy. Although, Mason City isn’t a total hick town, and it’s not like everyone knows who I am, it’s still far too nosy for my liking. The idea of big city living appeals to me. Hugely.
“Nope,” I answer truthfully. “Why waste time worrying over something that might never happen?”
Madisyn and Mariah grin, and Gabrielle just rolls her eyes. I stab my pasta with my fork, shoveling it in my mouth and moaning purely for show. Gabi throws a piece of tomato at me, and I angle my head, catching it in my mouth.
“Now that’s skill,” Ayden says, plopping down beside me with a grin.
Gabrielle sits up straighter in her chair, thrusting her chest out. She has the biggest crush on Ayden, but it isn’t reciprocated. Not that she lets it get to her too much. If Madisyn lacks self-confidence, Gabi has it in spades. It’s funny watching their interactions though. Ayden doesn’t quite know what to make of her, and half the time I think he’s genuinely scared of her.
“What’s up, loser?” I nudge him in the ribs. “Why are you deeming to grace us with your presence?” Ayden usually sits with the football team, although he has been known to make exceptions for me on occasions.
“I don’t need an excuse to sit with my best girl.” He winks at me, before wolfing his pasta, which is about triple the size of mine.
“Oh, there’s Devin,” Madisyn pipes up, waving in his direction. Mariah is the only one of my friends who knows the deal with the guys. In school, both Ayden and Devin have been at pains to hide their growing animosity.
But I guess that’s evolving.
Devin takes one look at Ayden and does a U-turn, heading to one of the bigger tables where a few guys he hangs with are sitting with some of the cheerleaders, Becky included. I watch as he sits down beside Will, across from my archnemesis. Becky leans across the table, batting her eyelashes and pouting prettily at Devin. He says something to her, and her entire face lights up.
