27
Jessica
“Are we going to hang out sometime?” Robb asked, running his hand through his dark hair.
“Of course,” I said, walking with him to our lockers. School was over. “I’ve been busy.”
“Me too,” he said, and I laughed.
“With what? Chasing girls?”
“Chasing you,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. Crystal was right. It was a matter of time before Robb attempted to hit on me. I only expected it to be less cheesy.
“Chasing me won’t be much fun,” I said, attempting to write off the flirtation.
“Not through your eyes.”
I forced a laugh and turned on my heel. “See you around, Robb,” I said, waving as I left him in the hallway. I didn’t have the patience to deal with his hormones. Robb was my friend, strictly platonic, and I already had my eyes on someone else.
I twisted my combination into my locker and opened the small box designed to hold all my textbooks. Yeah, right.
I emptied my bag into the crammed space and glanced in the mirror Crystal installed, but I didn’t look at myself. My eyes gazed past my face and hair, and I refocused behind me, staring at the boy down the hall, Eric Welborn.
He hadn’t been in class today, but there he was, standing at his locker arguing with a girl. She was wearing a black dress and a black cap that blended in with her black hair. I barely recognized Teresa, but I noted how they matched. Eric was in dark slacks, a pressed white shirt, and a black jacket was thrown over his shoulder. He looked good. Really good.
“They’re going to the Lewinskys’ funeral,” Crystal whispered as she leaned against the locker next to me. “I think it has been going on all day. I’m surprised they came back to get homework.”
“Funeral?” I asked, trying to look away from him. “Who died?”
“The Lewinsky family,” she repeated, rolling her eyes.
“Who are they?”
Crystal shrugged. “This sweet, old couple that lived with their daughter,” she said, divulging in the opportunity to spread news. “They left their car running in the garage, and the carbon monoxide did them in,” she said, leaning even closer. “Mr. Welborn was the one who found them. Figures, right?”
My knees locked. “Did Eric know them?”
“I guess.” Crystal bit her pierced lip. “The funeral is private,” she said. “Nobody even knows where it is, so I suppose it’s only closest family members and friends.”
“That’s horrible.”
“I’m pretty sure the Welborns are used to it,” Crystal said, and as the words left her mouth, Eric spun around.
His green eyes locked on Crystal, and she leapt behind me. “That’s so creepy,” she muttered, grasping her necklace. “He couldn’t hear me, right?”
I looked back at him, but he was walking away, Teresa leading. I sighed. “I’m pretty sure he did,” I said, logically knowing it’d be practically impossible. “I feel bad for him, you know.”
Crystal cringed. “Why? It’s his fault he’s so secluded.”
“Is it?”
Crystal groaned. “Who cares?” she asked. “Your project is over, and I need a prom dress. It’s next month.”
I shut my locker and threw my bag over my shoulder. “I can’t tonight.”
She pushed her lips together and whined. “But Robb and I were going to the bars tonight; we wanted you to go.”
I shook my head. “Not tonight.” And not when Robb is trying to date me. “You guys can have fun without me.”
“We do that all the time,” she said, unwrapping gum and laying it on her tongue. “We’d like company for once. Robb’s other friends hardly make it.”
“I didn’t even know he had other friends,” I said, and Crystal laughed.
“He has a girlfriend,” she said, and I tensed, wondering if I should tell Crystal what he’d said earlier that day. “Her name’s Linda, and her half-brother, Zac, hangs out with us sometimes.”
“You guys haven’t really mentioned them before,” I said, moving toward the front door.
Crystal shrugged. “If you were coming to the bar, you’d meet them.” She winked.
“I can’t,” I repeated, opening the door. “But can you give me a ride home?”
She smirked, allowing her lips to curl onto her cheek. “What? Is Welborn’s Charger not good enough for you anymore?”
My mouth opened. “How do you know what he drives?”
“Really?” She stopped walking just to cock her hip. “It’s impossible to miss in the parking lot. The entire school is talking about it,” she said. “Not to mention that he took you home in it.”
I grabbed her arm. “You were the only one who knew about that.”
She smiled. “Not anymore.”
“Crystal!”
“Oh, relax,” she said, waving me away. “It’s not like he’s your boyfriend.”
I sighed, shaking my head side to side. “What kind of dress do you want?” I asked, changing the subject, and she babbled from that point on the entire way home.
Minutes Before Sunset Page 32
