In Plain Sight

by Amy Sparling

  It’s the guy eating a cheeseburger and the caption reads: Bryce ate this whole thing in two minutes. #gross

  Bryce?

  Oh, shit.

  I follow Colby Jensen back and send him a DM.

  Who is this?

  Um, it’s me? Colby?

  The guy who walked me home from Mindy’s party?

  The very same

  So . . . we haven’t been chatting online for hours?

  No?

  Um, this sucks.

  What happened?

  HotRodLife99 has been messaging me all night and I thought it was you . . .

  Can you meet me in the park between the Shady Heights and Shady Grove neighborhoods? In like five minutes?

  I glance at the time on my phone and then type a reply before I can chicken out.

  Yes.

  With my heart pounding, I carry a sleeping Starla to her room and then quietly slip out. I put on some flip flops and decide that five minutes isn’t enough time to get dressed up for Colby, so I just go as I am, in pajamas with my hair in a messy bun. My mom is with Landon in their bedroom, and Pam has already gone to bed in her room down the hall, so I grab my car keys, which also has a house key, and slip out of the front door, locking it behind me.

  Then I walk on foot toward the neighborhood park that separates my street from Colby’s. It won’t take long to walk there, and I don’t want to risk waking up my mom by opening the garage door to get my car.

  I hug my phone tightly in my hand, my car keys in the other as I walk toward the park. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I think about the entire conversation I just had with a guy who wasn’t Colby.

  Streetlamps light up the park and I see Colby standing there when I’m still several yards away. He’s wearing black basketball shorts and a white T-shirt that hugs tightly to his chest and arms. Messy dirty blonde hair that’s nearly to his shoulders practically begs me to run my hands through it.

  Instead, I stay calm and act like this isn’t a big deal. Colby grins, his lips spreading into the cutest freaking smirk I’ve ever seen as I approach him.

  “Hey,” he says, his eyes sliding down to take in my outfit for a split second before they meet mine again. “Cute pajamas.”

  “Shut up,” I say, hugging my arms around myself. I’m wearing a black tank top with little cats all over it, and matching pink shorts with flip flops.

  The way he looks at me makes me feel weightless, like a gentle wind could sweep me away forever.

  Colby moves toward a bench and sits, motioning for me to join him. I sit on the opposite side, ignoring my body’s urge to sit right up next to him.

  “So what’s going on with Bryce?” he asks, tucking his hair behind his ears.

  I blow out a deep breath and gaze out at the empty swing set in the distance. “Oh my God, I don’t even know. I’m so embarrassed.”

  He chuckles. “Honestly, I was hoping you wouldn’t meet him for a while. He can be . . . intense, with pretty girls.”

  There he goes again, slipping compliments into everyday conversation like it’s nothing. I bite my lip, wanting to tell him everything. Suddenly I’m so embarrassed I could cry.

  “Well, he messaged me earlier, and I thought he was you,” I say, covering my face with my hand. “This is so embarrassing.”

  “You didn’t immediately know it wasn’t me?” he says with a laugh. “I can’t imagine that Bryce and I sound anything alike.”

  “He did sound kind of pushy,” I admit with a sigh. “But here’s the thing: I kind of flirted with him all night.” I say it quickly just to get it out, and it ends up coming out like a question.

  Colby’s eyes widen for a second and then that grin reappears on his face. “What did you say?”

  I hold out my phone for him, showing him the very long DM chain. His gorgeous face glows in the phone screen for a few seconds while he scrolls through it all.

  “He asked you for what?” Colby says, a look of rage flashing across his face. “Damn, I’m glad you didn’t comply.”

  I let out a huff of air. “I’m not slutty, Colby. I mean, I like you, but I’m not about to send some dirty photo that can be spread all around school.”

  His lips slide to the side of his mouth and he peers up at me for a long moment. Then he hands me back my phone, his fingers touching mine during the exchange.

  “I didn’t check my phone all day, or I would have followed you sooner,” he says. “Sorry about Bryce. He’s an idiot and he’ll hit on every beautiful girl, hoping one of them will agree to go out with him.”

  “Well I was about to agree to his freaking date question before I realized it wasn’t you!” My chest rises as I breathe in deeply. Embarrassment creeps over me. “I can’t believe it. What am I supposed to do now?”

  He scratches his neck. I catch the scent of some kind of boyish soap and it makes me want to nuzzle up against him. “Well, do you like him?”

  “No,” I say immediately. My lip curls. “Ew. No. I don’t.”

  His voice gets lower. “Do you like anyone?”

  I roll my eyes. “You know the answer to that, stupid.”

  His hand stretches across the back of the park bench. Though we’re on opposite sides of it, we’re both facing each other, our knees not that far apart. He lifts his fingers and pokes my shoulder, his touch sending an electric tingle down my arm.

  “I think I know how you can fix this situation with Bryce,” he says, never taking his eyes off me.”

  I put a finger to my lips, like I’m thinking. “Tell him the truth?”

  Colby winces playfully and shakes his head. “Nope, I have a much better idea.”

  He takes out his phone and then slides closer to me on the bench, his arm seamlessly sliding around my shoulders. He turns on the camera on his phone, holds his hand up in front of us, and then leans in. My whole body warms as he gets closer, closer, closer, until his lips press against my forehead. The camera shutter sound plays, and then Colby lowers his phone so we can see it.

  There I am, looking absolutely love sick and wrapped in Colby’s arms. I’m looking up at him, a grin on my face. Colby’s eyes are closed, his lips pressed to my forehead.

  My stomach flips over at how adorable the picture looks, even though I’m not even wearing makeup or anything. The look on my face, one of absolute bliss, really makes the whole photo.

  He sends it to his Instagram account and has to remove his arm from around my shoulder to use both of his hands to type out a caption. It’s worth it though, because what he writes is absolutely flawless.

  Spending time with my new girl. #perfect

  Chapter 24

  Maddie lets me read her conversation with Bryce. The perverted shit he told her makes my blood boil, and seeing her sending flirty things does all kinds of shit to my heart. But knowing she sent those things thinking she was talking to me makes me feel awesome inside.

  “I’m sorry for Bryce,” I say, sliding my finger down her shoulder. My arm is slung across the back of this park bench, and my fingers are only close enough to graze her skin, although I’d like to do much more. “He can be a total dick to girls.”

  A breeze sends Maddie’s hair flying, and she tucks it behind her ears. “Are you saying that because you aren’t the same way?”

  I scoff. “No way, I’m not like him at all.”

  She leans forward, the moonlight making her look like a damn angel. “What are you like?”

  “Well, for starters, I wouldn’t have chatted with you on Instagram all night. I’d have asked for your number and called you.”

  “Called me?” she says, and I swear she’s flirting with me a little more than usual. “Do people call each other anymore? I thought it was all text.”

  I shrug. “When I like a girl, I’d rather hear her voice.”

  Her cheeks turn as pink as her hair, and she drops her face into her hands. “Well, I feel like a total idiot now.”

  “Aww, don’t worry about it,” I say, sliding a li
ttle closer to her. Our knees touch, my skin getting warm at the idea of being close to her. “Bryce will see the picture of us and know to back the hell off. Trust me.”

  She lifts up, looking at me with eager eyes. “You sure about that?”

  I nod. “It’s a best friend thing. He wanted you, but I just proved I got you first.”

  There’s a flash of something in her eyes and I realize what that just sounded like, so I hold up my hand. “Not that you’re property or anything, I swear. I’m a respectful guy. It’s just that he wouldn’t have stopped trying to date you unless he knew you were already into someone else.”

  I can’t quite decipher her expression, but I don’t think she’s not hating me right now. I try to look confident, but I’m pretty sure it comes out bashful. “If you don’t really like me, it’s okay. I mean, I’d understand.”

  “I can’t believe you kissed me,” she says, a grin sliding across her lips. “I mean, it was on the forehead, but still.”

  “Does that mean you like me?” I ask, leaning a little bit closer to her.

  Her eyes flit up toward mine. My entire body is buzzing with how much I like this girl. We gaze at each other for so long, and her answer seems to take forever, but when she finally speaks I’ve nearly forgotten the question.

  “I think I do,” she says.

  And then I kiss her.

  Her lips are soft, and they tremble a little, but I think it’s because she’s nervous. I try to pull away, but she leans in closer, her hand grabbing my leg. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close, placing another kiss on her lips. This time, she kisses me back, grabs my shoulder and pulls me in.

  Soon we’re all over each other, and I can’t even focus on breathing, much less my surroundings. All I know is her, the soft lavender smell of her shampoo, and the wonderful taste of her mouth on mine.

  When we pull apart slightly, I run my thumb down her cheek.

  “Want to come hang out at my house?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

  She bites on her bottom lip. “Yes, but . . . only for a little bit.”

  I rise from the bench and reach for her hand, which slips so effortlessly into mine, you’d think our hands were made for each other.

  And I don’t even care how dumb that might sound, or how much my friends would rag on me for thinking that way. Maddie Sinclair is beautiful and kind and I really want her to be my girlfriend.

  So I should probably do this perfectly right.

  We walk the short distance to my house, and although I’m a little weirded out letting her see my place, when it’s only a fraction of the size of her mansion, she doesn’t seem to care about it. I’ll make sure to take her out on a nice date soon. That way she can see I’m the right guy for her. One who can provide just like her own parents do.

  “We’ll go in the back door,” I say. “It’s the farthest away from my parents’ room.”

  “Sneaky,” Maddie says, wiggling her eyebrows.

  “They probably wouldn’t care if I had someone over,” I say. “But since they’re asleep, it’s better to just sneak in.”

  She squeezes my hand and leans into me, her other arm grabbing my elbow. “I like you.”

  I kiss the top of her head. “I like you.”

  In the hallway, I twirl my hand toward my closed bedroom door. “Here it is,” I whisper, making a grand gesture of opening the door.

  “Hmm,” she says, stepping into my room. “It’s clean. That’s nice.”

  “I’m a clean guy,” I say, closing my door behind me. It’s the truth, even if it’s hard to believe. I prefer to keep my stuff tidy and organized. I can’t stand being in Bryce’s rotting dumpster of a bedroom. Josh’s room isn’t too bad, but he leaves dirty clothes all over the place.

  I lean against my closed door while Maddie walks around my room, her expression curious and playful. “Nice photo,” she says, touching the frame of a five-year-old me standing next to Mickey Mouse.

  “So, now that you’ve seen my room, has your opinion of me changed?”

  She turns toward me. “Yep.”

  “Good or bad?”

  Her eyes narrow in this ridiculously sexy way, and she crosses the room until she’s standing right in front of me. She lifts up on her toes and kisses me. “Good,” she says.

  I slide my arms over her hips and pull her close to me, our bodies pressing against each other in a way that makes my chest constrict.

  “I’m nervous,” she whispers, her lips near my collar bone.

  “We don’t have to do anything,” I whisper back, running a hand through her pink hair. And unlike some of my friends, I truly mean it. “I just want to be around you for as long as you’ll have me.”

  She rests her head on my shoulder and lets out a long breath. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 25

  As much as I love my new car, riding to school with Colby is a million times better than driving myself. He drives a BMW, which is pretty nice and smells like his body wash. I’m pretty sure I can never get tired of the smell of him.

  “So, was it as terrible as you imagined?” Colby asks as he circles through our long driveway, headed toward the gate which is still open from when I let him in.

  “Yes,” I say, exaggerating the word, but I can’t hold back my grin. “It was terrible. I told them my friend was taking me to school and they wanted to know all about you.”

  Colby laughs. When he’d offered to drive me to school last night, I told him I didn’t want to freak out my mom, but ultimately I’d decided to do it anyway. I mean, who wouldn’t want to ride to school with Colby Jensen?

  The truth is, she wasn’t that freaked out. She assumed I meant Mindy when I said “friend” and when I corrected her and said it was a guy friend, she just gave me this little knowing smirk. I really hate that she was right on that one—there really is a reason to smirk about Colby.

  I am totally into him.

  It’s a short drive to school, and I have a blast the entire time, until we pull into the parking lot. Suddenly, every nerve in my body twists into anxiety and panic.

  This is my big debut as a new person. Sure, I have a few Instagram friends and Mindy has welcomed me into her clan of girls with M names, but this is school. Real school. The same school I’ve been attending invisibly for four months.

  My stomach twists into knots. Colby pulls into a parking spot and cuts the engine. He grabs his backpack from the backseat and then flashes me that sexy smile of his. “You ready?”

  I gulp. “Mhm, yeah.” It doesn’t sound nearly as confident as I’d hoped.

  “So I’ll take you to the office to get your schedule,” he says, walking around to meet me at the front of his car.

  Oh shit.

  “I already have my schedule,” I say quickly. “I, um, got it before Spring Break.”

  “Cool, where is it?” he asks, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Maybe we have a class together.”

  I already know we don’t have any classes together. My lies expand into more lies as I try to keep up this façade that I’m an actual new girl. “I forgot to bring it, but I memorized the schedule, so it’s no big deal.”

  Colby quirks an eyebrow at me, but then he reaches for my hand and I take it, nearly forgetting every single thought in my head.

  I love the way my hand fits into his.

  “So what do you have first?” he asks.

  “US History, then Chemistry, then Algebra two,” I say, holding up fingers as I count them off. “Then childcare for fourth period, which I’m pretty sure you’re probably not in . . .” I say with a laugh.

  Colby shakes his head. “Nope.”

  I grin. “Then I have lunch, then childcare again since it’s a split class, then gym.”

  “Damn, we don’t have any classes together,” he says with a sigh. “But I have C lunch as well, so I’ll see you there.”

  “Cool,” I say. I usually eat lunch alone on the long bench outside of the library, but I know exactly
where the football players and the M’s sit at lunch. It’s the envied area of the cafeteria, and today I’ll get to sit there.

  My stomach feels all fluttery at the thought of it.

  Colby walks me to my US History class, never letting go of my hand until the very last second. I am on cloud freaking nine, practically bouncing all over the place with my excitement. I can tell people are noticing me for the first time by their curious looks, or double takes when they see me with Colby. It’s not like what I’d imagined in my dreams, though. Nothing like those movies or TV shows where a new girl arrives and everyone seems to stop, the world slows, and all eyes turn to the new girl.

  It's definitely not like that.

  But my world sure stops when Colby gives me a quick kiss on the lips before going to his own first period class. I sink into my desk with a sigh. My new life is perfect.

  #

  I have a close call in third period. For the first two classes, a few people talked to me, said they saw me on Instagram, and were generally nice.

  But in third period, my teacher called me up to her desk and said she never got admission information for a new student. My heart thudded like crazy, but I quietly explained that it’s me, the same Maddie Sinclair that’s been in her class for four months, and that only my hair color was different. She laughed and apologized for not recognizing me.

  The rest of the day goes smoothly. Colby finds me before lunch and we sit together. Although now I have enough money to buy a real meal from the cafeteria, I can barely eat any of it because I’m so excited to be here, with the M’s and with Colby sitting so close to me that our legs are touching.

  Everything is nearly perfect. Matilda has a new boyfriend, so although she’s sitting with us at lunch, she’s mostly absorbed in him. Maria hangs out with us, but she’s still kind of cold toward me. Mindy makes up for it though, by being as friendly as if she’s known me her whole life.

  Soon, we slip into a normal routine. Colby drives me to school, we hold hands and share food at lunch, Maria gives me the stink eye but Mindy treats me like her favorite.