Little White Lies Page 8

  Beside me, Eric frowned. He shifted in his seat and looked at me. “Jacob said he saw you at lunch on Tuesday?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. For, like, five seconds.”

  I had no idea where Eric was going with this. He couldn’t be jealous that I’d seen Jacob at lunch. If only he knew how much I’d been avoiding that scenario. I’d done nothing wrong—I’d told Jacob to leave and he had.

  Eric turned in his seat, staring at me. “Callie and I had to have a later lunch on Tuesday because of science class. Didn’t you text me that you skipped lunch that day?”

  Did I?

  I felt the burning panic in my chest. I’d lied and had forgotten about it. I had told him that I’d skipped lunch. That was the most unnecessary thing to lie about, but I’d done it to avoid telling Eric that Jacob and I had been alone together for even five minutes.

  I turned to Eric, my mouth hanging open. I couldn’t come up with a lie fast enough! “I—”

  “I’m an idiot,” Jacob interjected. “It wasn’t lunch.” He paused, thinking. “I saw you at the vending machine and I joked about how that was your lunch.”

  Our eyes met for a brief second, then I looked down at the table.

  Ten minutes ago, I’d been a jerk to Jacob and he’d just saved me. He knew I’d lied and he covered for me anyway.

  “Right,” I said. “I got a gross package of stale cheese crackers.”

  Eric’s gaze shifted back and forth between Jacob and me. “But two minutes ago you didn’t deny seeing Jacob at lunch.”

  I felt like we were one of those couples fighting in front of friends and making everyone else uncomfortable.

  “It didn’t seem important to say ‘Hey, I saw you at the vending machine and not the caf.’” I shrugged and sipped my drink.

  Eric looked at me for another second as if he wanted to say something else, but the waiter appeared at that moment with our pizzas. We all took a slice of each and started eating. Callie, Eric, Jacob, and I kept our eyes mostly on our food while Paige and Ryan continued their bubbly conversation. I didn’t want to ruin the night for Paige and have her feel sorry for me—someone else had to start talking too.

  “The weather’s been awful lately,” I said. Lamest. Topic. Ever. “I’m always a mess after lessons.”

  “Yeah, at least I get one coolish lesson in the morning,” Callie said. “Afternoon lessons are beyond gross.”

  Callie and I looked at the guys, waiting for them to at least say something. But they stared at their glasses and Eric swirled his straw in his Coke.

  It was Friday night.

  And we were talking about the weather.

  12

  SPARKLE FREE

  FORTY EXCRUCIATING MINUTES LATER, WE split the bill and left The Slice. We walked outside and stood in a ragged circle outside the restaurant. I was glad it was dark outside—it helped hide whatever lingering stress was showing on my face from dinner.

  “So, Jacob and I are going to catch a movie,” Callie said. “Tonight was so much fun!” I knew my BFF well enough to realize when she was being fake-cheery.

  “Yeah!” I chimed in. My own excitement was as real as hers. “So much fun.” I glanced at Paige and Ryan. “Eric, want to walk to the courtyard with me?”

  “Sure,” Eric said, taking my hand. I waved at Callie as she as Jacob walked off toward the media center.

  Ryan turned immediately to Paige. “Can I walk you back to your dorm?”

  Paige’s wide eyes darted to me. I nodded slightly and raised my eyebrows.

  “Sure,” Paige said. “That would be great.”

  Ryan and Paige started down the sidewalk and Paige looked back over her shoulder at me. I smiled and waved her on.

  Seeing Paige so happy made the entire uncomfortable evening worth it.

  “Paige is hilarious,” Eric said. “She’s a TV star and a great girl who has always given you good advice, but she couldn’t be more freaked out about being around a guy.”

  “I know. But she’ll relax once she gets to know Ryan. She does give great advice, but it’s different when it’s you.”

  Still holding hands, Eric and I walked down the streetlight-lit sidewalk. The campus was quiet tonight; only a few students were walking around.

  “I’m glad we have time to go out just by ourselves,” I said. “I missed you this week.”

  “Me too,” Eric said. “Things will settle down, though. And hey, sorry about the weirdness over the lunch thing. I wasn’t trying to make a big deal out of it, but I know it came out that way.”

  I hated that he was the one apologizing right now. I should have been the one telling him the truth. “It’s cool,” I said. “Forget about it.”

  As we walked together, I loved how good it felt to be with him. Maybe I had been confused for a minute or two—thinking I might still have feelings for Jacob. But it had only been because Jacob had been the first guy I’d ever liked. There was history between us and now the only thing I felt for Jacob was friendship.

  “How are you feeling now about the YENT?” Eric asked. “I could tell you were tense this week.”

  I slowed a little. “I’m feeling better. At first, I couldn’t stop being intimidated by Heather and Jas. It messed up Charm and we fell apart.”

  “But you know you’ve got nothing to worry about. You were chosen for the YENT, Sash. Mr. Conner and Mr. Nicholson both know how good you are.”

  We stopped by a bench and sat down. I snuggled against Eric’s shoulder—he rubbed my upper arm.

  “How are your classes?” I asked Eric.

  “They’re all pretty good so far,” he said. “I like science a lot. Callie and I sit next to each other and text whenever the teacher does something dumb.”

  “Oh,” I said, trying to laugh. But it made me nervous that they were texting! “Like what?”

  Eric grinned. “A couple of days ago, he was supposed to pass out a study sheet for a quiz we’re going to have next week.”

  I nodded.

  “Except he accidentally handed out one answer sheet to the quiz and everyone started passing it around.”

  “Omigod! Did he get it back?”

  “Yeah, some girl got it and turned it in. He canceled the quiz, obviously.”

  “Score for you, then.”

  Eric rubbed his hand over the back of my head. “What about you? Things okay with classes with the YENT schedule and everything?”

  “So far. I mean, we haven’t started prepping for a show yet, so I don’t know how that’s going to be. But I’ll deal with it when we get there. Our first show is going to be a schooling show, so that’ll be a nice transition into competition season.”

  “Definitely. And Mr. Conner said he’d give the advanced team our first show date soon. I’d love to practice with you on the weekends, if that’s cool.”

  I smiled. “You better.”

  “Let’s get you back to your dorm before you’re too tired to practice at all,” Eric said.

  I sighed. “Ugh—but true; if I don’t get my beauty rest I’ll do so poorly at practice Mr. Conner will kick me out for good.”

  Eric laughed and reached out a hand to pull me up. “Totally. And then I’d never see you again, which would be devastating.”

  I mock-rolled my eyes. “Uh-huh. I’m sure.”

  We walked back to Winchester and I started up the stairs, but Eric grabbed my hand, pulling me back gently and turning me toward him.

  He leaned into me and our lips touched. I waited for the overwhelming feeling of sparkles and the tiny shock waves that I always felt when Eric’s lips were against mine. But I felt … nothing. I pulled back, trying not to show the disappointment on my face.

  “’Night,” Eric said, smiling. “Text you tomorrow.”

  Wait a sec. He didn’t feel that?! He couldn’t have missed how off that kiss was. Unless … it was just me. OMG. I was so freaked out about my lies that I couldn’t even enjoy kissing my own boyfriend anymore.

  “Bye.”
<
br />   I stood outside long after he’d walked away, trying to figure out what had just happened. And what it meant for us.

  13

  BASICALLY, I HAVEN’T BEEN NAUSEOUS FOR A WEEK

  ON SATURDAY, THE ONLY THING I WANTED TO do was trail ride with Charm and get away from everyone. I didn’t feel like working in the arena, but Mr. Conner would never let me go by myself.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Paige asked. “We could go to the movies or watch a DVD. You could ride later.”

  “Can we do that after?” I asked. “That sounds great, but I need to work Charm for a while.”

  Paige nodded. “Okay. Later for sure.”

  I left Winchester and walked to the stable. Inside the tack room, I gathered Charm’s tack. We’d just have to work in the arena. The door pushed open and Heather walked inside. I wondered … no way. She’d never say yes to trail riding with me. And did I even want to go with Heather Fox?

  Yes.

  I was desperate.

  “I want to trail ride,” I said. “But no one else can go. Want to come with me?”

  Heather glanced up from the stirrup leather she was adjusting on Aristocrat’s saddle. She stared at me for a second. “Sure. But only because Jasmine took over the arena and I don’t want to see her face.”

  I nodded. “Ditto. Leave in twenty?”

  “Fifteen,” Heather said. “You’re not eighty, Grandma.”

  “Make it ten.”

  I groomed Charm and tacked him up. Exactly ten minutes later, I met Heather outside the stable. We mounted our horses and started for the woods. It was barely ten and there was still a slight coolness in the air. We let the horses amble at an easy walk—I wasn’t in any hurry to get back to campus.

  As we entered the woods and the sounds of campus disappeared, I felt my tension slip away. I could finally breathe. Heather didn’t know anything that was going on and she was pretty much the only person I hadn’t lied to. This had to be one of the weirdest moments I’d had at Canterwood. Ever.

  “So, what’s wrong with you, Silver?” Heather asked.

  Okay, so I’d been able to relax for about five seconds.

  “What? Nothing’s wrong.”

  Heather peered at me from under the brim of her helmet. “You’re the worst liar. Really. Or I’m just way smarter than you.” She smirked. “Both are true, actually.”

  The trail started to wind through the woods and we were about to reach the open meadow that was flat and perfect for galloping.

  “You’re delusional,” I said lightly. “Want to race at the field?”

  Heather edged Aristocrat closer to Charm. “How many times do we have to play this game? I know something’s up and you deny it. Eventually, you crack and fess up. I’m always right. So just spill already and quit wasting my time.”

  I didn’t know if I wanted to push her off Aristocrat or tell her everything just because I needed someone—anyone—to talk to.

  “Guess what? You can be wrong. And this time you are.”

  But she was right. Like always.

  The horses walked a few more strides down the dirt trail before Heather sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

  My fingers tightened around Charm’s reins. “Go for it.”

  Heather looked over, her blue eyes settling on me. “You haven’t been making googly eyes at Eric all week, or smiling for no reason, and you’re not giggling on the phone every five seconds. So, basically, I haven’t been nauseous for a week.”

  I forced myself not to show even the slightest reaction. I knew Heather pretty well by now. But she still surprised me sometimes with her accuracy. Like, scary accurate.

  “Maybe I haven’t had time to be ‘googly-eyed,’” I said. “School just started on Monday and you know how crazy things are. No one has time for anything.”

  Heather loosened the reins and let Aristocrat stretch his neck. “You haven’t seen your boyfriend all summer. Why aren’t you following him around everywhere?”

  “I never followed him around. And things are perfect between Eric and me. We iChatted all summer, text a lot, and we’re really happy.”

  Charm snorted and I leaned down to rub his neck. It was still cool since we were under the shade of the trees.

  Heather slowed Aristocrat and turned to me. “Yeah. And you’d be even happier if you weren’t into Jacob.”

  Heather’s words, even at a normal tone, seemed to echo through the woods as if she’d yelled them. Something twisted in my stomach. She was wrong.

  “Jacob’s with Callie,” I said, my voice quiet. “I’m dating Eric and I like him. I’d never go after my best friend’s boyfriend.”

  “Unlike Callie,” she spat.

  My stomach did a somersault, remembering the moment I’d found out Callie and Jacob were together. But that was history. Ancient history.

  Heather looked at me, her gaze softening. “I didn’t ask you if you’d try to get Jacob back. I said you liked him. You didn’t deny that.”

  I stared at her. My mouth opened and for seconds, nothing came out.

  “I do not like Jacob in that way,” I said. “If I ever did, I’d be a horrible friend. And Eric is amazing. He’s the perfect guy for me. Jacob and I wouldn’t have worked out.”

  “How do you know?” Heather asked. “If some … things hadn’t happened, you might still be together.”

  I paused. I’d never considered that scenario. Not once. Jacob and me—still together. No Eric. I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like.

  “I guess I don’t know,” I said, my voice almost a whisper. “But it doesn’t matter.”

  Heather nodded and we let the horses trot down the path. Their hooves were muffled against the dirt trail and we twisted and turned through the woods.

  We reached the meadow and drew the horses to a halt. Charm and Aristocrat eyed each other—both horses knew what the field meant.

  “Fine, let’s race,” Heather said. “But you have to admit one thing first.” She grinned.

  I made a face. “What?”

  “You totally don’t like Jacob—whatever. But the boy is hot. Say it.” Heather dropped Aristocrat’s knotted reins on his neck and folded her arms, waiting for my answer.

  I rolled my head from side to side, stretching the tension from my neck.

  “Fine,” I said, finally. “I agree. Happy?”

  There. At least I hadn’t said directly that Jacob was hot.

  And with that, I heeled Charm forward and shoved my hands along his neck. Charm leaped into a gallop, darting away from Heather and Aristocrat.

  “Silver!” Heather yelled. “You’re dead!” Hoof beats thundered behind Charm and me and I lowered myself over his neck, giving him all the rein he wanted. Aristocrat and Heather never had a chance to catch us.

  14

  MAKE A DECISION, ALREADY!

  WHEN I GOT BACK TO MY ROOM, PAIGE WAS sprawled on her stomach with her laptop in front of her on her bed.

  “Whatcha doing?” I asked. I wondered if maybe now was the time to tell her everything. She’d know how to fix this. And I knew Paige—she could handle listening to me and not project my fears onto her relationship with Ryan.

  She grinned. “IMing with Ryan.”

  My plan to tell her evaporated. Again. I had to stop going back and forth—I was being ridiculous. I needed to stick with my decision. I was not going to do that to Paige when she was just getting into her own relationship. Paige had been all about school, volunteering, and hobbies—never about being boy-crazy. She’d liked a boy before she’d come to Canterwood, but she’d gone away to school before she’d had a chance to see if anything would happen. Ryan was her first shot at a real boyfriend.

  “Oooh,” I said in a teasing voice. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

  Paige rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Don’t go. You just got here. I’ll totally be done in a few minutes and we could go see a movie.”

  “That’s cool,” I said. “I’m ju
st going to go to the common room for, like, half an hour to catch up on a reading assignment. Come get me when you’re done.”

  Paige looked up from her computer screen. “’Kay.”

  I grabbed The Secret Garden and swiped a notebook. I had to take notes for Mr. Davidson’s class. It made me feel less nervous if I went into the class discussion with a few notes on what I wanted to say.

  When I got to the common room, I curled up in the window seat and opened my notebook. The lies swirled in my head and I tried to force them out of my brain. I really should have been reading, but I couldn’t focus.

  “Oooh, writing in your diary?”

  I looked up at Jasmine as she walked into the room. Her eyes were on my journal. “Journaling about The Secret Garden for English,” I said. “Want to read my deepest, darkest thoughts about Colin and Mary?”

  Jas snorted. “I’ll pass, thanks.” She grabbed a Sprite from the fridge and left.

  My gaze went back to the window and I don’t know how long I stared outside before Paige came inside. At least fall break wasn’t too far away. I’d be able to escape from everything and have fun with Paige in New York—it was exactly what I needed.

  “Get a lot done?” she asked.

  I stood, nodding. “A lot. Let me grab my purse and we can go.”

  Paige followed me back to our room. “How was your ride? What’d you do?” she asked.

  “Trail ride,” I said. “I should have practiced, but I didn’t feel like it.” I picked up my purse and put it over my shoulder.

  “You deserve to trail ride,” Paige said. “You love it and so does Charm. You guys practice all week—a break is okay.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “But guess who I went with.”

  Paige slowed as we left our room and walked down the Winchester hallway. “Callie?”

  “Nope.”

  “Eric?”

  “Wrong.” I laughed. “Keep going.”

  “Not …” Paige paused, looking at me sideways. “Not Heather or Jasmine.”

  I nodded. “Heather.”

  Paige grabbed my arm. “No way! Wow, you must have been totally desperate. She’s”—Paige swallowed—“still alive, right?”