Deceptive Cadence (25 page)

I turned on him. “No! Who’s saying that?”

He pulled back, startled by the venom in my voice. “I just heard it around. Everyone’s talking about it. And just so you know, I respect that you don’t wanna have sex. I mean, we’re still young, so how do we know―”

“Oh my gosh!” My face and neck burned. “Everyone needs to mind their own business.”

Flynn saw my embarrassment and changed the subject. We checked in for our races and stood at the starting line together. I wondered where the rumors had originated. I certainly hadn’t told anyone―other than Geri, but she wouldn’t say anything―so I wondered who James had told. Tom and Sam maybe? But they wouldn’t say anything either.

“Hey, beautiful.”

I flinched at the sound of James’ voice. Despite how unlikely, I still felt concerned that he might break up with me. After all, I didn’t know what the outcome of this relationship would be.

“Hey, are you okay?” He touched my back softly. “You seem . . . jumpy.”

“I . . . ah . . .” I had no idea what to say. The way he looked down at me with such devotion washed away all my doubt, and I felt foolish.

Flynn answered for me. “There’s a rumor going around that you’re going to dump her.”

James rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Do people have nothing better to do? Well, maybe this will kill it off.”

He spun me around and smacked his lips against mine. What a fantastic kiss! Openmouthed, he bent me into a dip as I caressed his face. We only stopped when one of the teachers yelled at us.

We straightened as he pulled away and I stood, dazed.
Wow!

He grinned. “Well then, I don’t think either of us is quite ready to break up any time soon.”

“Mmm.” I flushed again.

Flynn chuckled beside me. “Nope, it certainly doesn’t seem like it.”

James kissed my cheek. “Get your head back in the game. I wanna see a first place stick today. You need to break that second place curse.”

I watched him as he walked away. He had his shirt off and his shoulders looked better than ever. I bit my lip and tilted my head, unable to look away. Flynn nudged me, and laughed when I blushed from being caught ogling.

After the race, I filled Geri in on what I’d found out. She instantly began scheming up a plan to find the source. It took me several minutes to veer the topic on to Melanie.

“She’s still pretty mad,” Geri said. “It was near impossible to get her to talk to me ’cause you and I are best friends. But I managed to get a little bit out of her, and she just wants to be left alone. She’s pretty beat up about it . . . stupid Brian.” She shot his back a filthy look.

“I guess we need to be patient and keep trying.”

She nodded, as I watched her glare burn into Brian walking away. I smiled at her, loving her fierce loyalty. I knew, just by the twitch of her eyebrow, she was imagining ripping his eyes out with her nails.

During the lunch break, James and I walked to the shop to buy food. He made it a point to be affectionate with me, and never stopped touching me in some way or another.

“James,” I said quietly as we walked back with our food. “Did you tell anyone what happened . . . you know, on my birthday?”

He shook his head. “Not really. Just Tom. But he wouldn’t say anything.”

“Where do you think the rumor came from?”

He grunted. “I don’t know, or care, to be honest. People are stupid and are just trying to sabotage us.”

“Sabotage?” I hadn’t thought about that angle. But who would want that? Brian? No, he wasn’t like that. He may still like me, but he wouldn’t stoop to that. Melanie and I had started getting along, so she wouldn’t have done it. I wondered if I’d offended anyone that I hadn’t realized. Apparently I was good at that.

I waited for my first race after lunch. My gaze wandered over the students lining the grassy area beside the pool. I saw Dusty and a group of his ninth grade friends watching girls walk by. I grinned at Dusty’s dazed face as he tried to work out what exactly he was supposed to do.

Then, a group of twelfth grade girls walked in front of them. Their wide-eyed stares followed the girls, but the girls didn’t pay them any attention. A thought hit me. There
was
a group of twelfth grade girls who would want James and me to break up―Carla and her following.

They’d been quiet since Robbie and the other two boys were expelled, so I’d forgotten about them. But they’d want me gone—I would still be considered the reason why James left them.

Throughout the race, my mind ticked over those thoughts. It had to be them. No one else would think that would be the reason why he’d break up with me. I felt so angry that I took it out on the water, kicking and pulling at it with all my strength.

When I hit the wall―which startled me because I wasn’t paying attention to the line on the bottom―I glanced around to see a good quarter of the length of the pool between me and the next person. The teacher handed the first place stick to me, and I stared at it. I
never
won first.

James’ face appeared above me with a wide grin spread across it. “Wow, Cadence! You just broke the school record! You just flew on that second lap!”

“I did?” I watched as the rest of the girls finished the race, then made my way to the side of the pool.

James wrapped my towel around me and kissed me. “You’re amazing!”

I giggled. James’ eyes captivated me. Nothing mattered aside from the adoration I saw there.

He walked me to the winners’ table where the teacher announced my new record over the speaker. As we walked back to our group, everyone showered me with congratulations for my swim. James and I headed to a tree nearby where we sat on the ground, him leaning against the trunk of the tree with his legs and arms around me as I leaned against his shoulder.

I shut my eyes and breathed in the smell of him. Although tainted by the smell of chlorine from our lunchtime swim, his usual scent was there all the same. His fingers stroked my arms, making me smile. But then the thoughts that plagued me while I swam rushed into my mind.

I lifted my head so I could look at him. “I think it was Carla or one of those girls.”

His eyes narrowed. “Huh?”

I explained to him my theory. He listened quietly, his lips pursing tighter and tighter until they were a thin, white line. When I finished, he grasped my waist and encouraged me to my feet so he could stand.

“I’ll see if this is true. I’ve heard rumors Becca still likes me, so I should find out so I can end it. This has hurt people other than us, especially Mel, and no one hurts Mel without having to face me.”

And with a squeeze of my hand, he left. I returned to Geri, who stood talking with some of the girls, and wrapped my arm through hers to listen. I scanned the group for Melanie. She sat by the fence, half-tucked behind a tree. She wanted to be close to us, but she didn’t want to be part of us. I took a deep breath and walked over to her.

Her glare flashed up when she noticed me coming, but she turned away. I sank onto my knees on the grass beside her. “Melanie, I’m really sorry about what happened. I understand if you don’t wanna be my friend anymore, but don’t close off everyone else. We’ve enjoyed having you with us, and I’m not going to tell the others to stop talking to you just because of this. Please, just blame me, not them.”

She pulled her knees up and buried her face into them. “Go away, Cadence.” She hissed my name with venom, making my heart ache. “Stop trying to be the hero.”

I sighed and stood, brushing the mud off my knees. “Okay, Melanie. Just know that you have friends when you’re ready.”

Her arms tightened around her legs as I walked away.

I had no idea why, but Community and Family Studies was extra boring that day. Geri sat beside me, staring off with her jaw hanging. If she faded any further, she would start to drool.

For the first time since seventh grade, we had a nearly identical schedule. We’d elected all the same classes but one―I chose Food Technology while she chose Drama―so those classes, along with different English classes, were the only two periods we had separately. Amazingly, nursing and sport science had very similar requirements.

A loud
bang
echoed in the corridor that made everyone jump. I looked toward the doorway just in time to see Becca toss a water bomb at my face. It hit with force, stinging my eyes and making my cheeks burn from the impact.

“Get back to your classes!” the teacher yelled.

They moved down the corridor, but by the soft whispering I could still hear, they stopped in the stairwell.

Geri’s eyes met mine with alarm. I nodded. “We’ll go the other way and hope they don’t notice.”

“Why don’t we hang with the teacher?” she asked quietly. “They won’t get us if we stay with her.”

“You want to tail the teacher and make us look even more like a pair of goody-goodies? They’ll get us worse for that when they have the chance. No, we’ll use the crowd for cover and make a run for it.”

She nodded and pulled out a packet of tissues. “You’re all wet.”

I glanced around, my cheeks warming when I noticed people cautiously watching me. My stomach flipped as I tried not to panic.

The bell rang, and we waited to be in the middle of the rush for the door. Then we ran in the other direction. We jumped down the stairs and into the school grounds, running around the building to the quad. Unfortunately, when we stepped into the quad, the girls stood huddled together, watching the door, waiting for us.

We hightailed it out into the middle of a soccer game where Justin and Tyler were playing.

“Hey!” Tyler yelled at us. “You’re interfering with our game!”

I spun around and hid behind him, using his bulk as a shield.

“Cadence! What are you doing?”

“Move it, loser!” Becca snarled at him.

Justin ran over to us, pulling Geri behind him. “I don’t like to hit girls, but for you, I’d make an exception.”

“Gross, nerds,” Carla groaned.

“Stop protecting them.” Becca said. “Everyone knows she hurt both of you. We just want some justice for turning James into a pansy and getting Robbie, Kev, and Greg expelled.”

Tyler tilted his head back. “Cadence, where’s James?”

“I don’t know. He was supposed to have physics.” I popped my head up over his shoulder to scan the quad. He should be around somewhere . . .

Becca charged. I pulled back, but just as Tyler caught her, her nails found my face. I touched my cheek to check for blood. Luckily, nothing.

I glared at her. “Why won’t you just leave us alone? I get that you still have a thing for him, but he’s
not interested
. He wasn’t before, and he isn’t now. Even if we did break up, do you really think he’d go for this crazy person thing you have going?”

She glowered at me, pushing Tyler off. “I guess I should try a different approach.” She folded her arms, slowly looking me over. “But, that will―”

James shoved passed the other girls and swung her around. “You spoiled, selfish whore! Just so you know, Becca, and know it clearly so you don’t have any wild and fanatical aspirations,
I don’t like you
.” He spoke the last few words clearly and slowly, making sure each one sunk deeply into her brain. “I never did, and I never will. Now leave my girlfriend and her friends
alone
.”

Her lip quivered, but she didn’t dare cry. She hurried away, with her friends rushing after her.

I stood stunned, as I thought about James’ words. In the other timeline, he and Becca had a brief fling about this time. Had he not liked her then, and it had been a thing of convenience? I shook off the thought, not wanting to think about James that way.

Tyler stepped aside as James rushed over to me. “Cadence! Wow! I heard what you said. That was pretty bold.”

I shrugged. “I’m tired of her bullying me.”

“Yeah, well, I think they’ve got the idea now. Plus, Carla’s pregnant, and without their leader, they’re not anywhere near as brave.”

“Carla’s what?” Although later than last time, her pregnancy still happened. I paused, realizing that there were things that wouldn’t change, because other people still had their own choices to make. I couldn’t save everyone.