Lie to Me (A Touched Trilogy) (19 page)

I glanced at Nathan. I’d heard him lie about why he’d broken
up with Vivian. He’d claimed it had nothing to do with me, yet the voice had
called him out. Had it been my wishful thinking that had me hearing the voice?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know if I’d been wrong about that. And without
asking, there was no way to know for sure.

Nanna did have a point about one other thing though. I had
been ignoring Nathan and he was fed up with it, maybe on the verge of being fed
up with me.

“I’m sorry,” I said. He looked down at me, his eyes
questioning. “You were right about me obsessing. No more suspicions, no more
plotting. Tonya says he didn’t do anything. He seems like a great guy. From now
on, you’re the only guy I’ll think about. I’m done obsessing.”

“What? I’m not worthy of obsessing over?” He cracked a
smile, and some of my guilt lifted.

“Oh, I don’t know. If I did, then that wouldn’t be much work
for you now would it?”

I ran my hand up under his shirt and loved the way the
muscles contracted. Creaking from upstairs reminded me that Dad was home and
lately he’d been prone to spontaneous runs down the stairs. I withdrew my hand
and gave him a sassy smile.

“You don’t play nice, you know that?” he said, shifting to
get comfortable.

“Hey, you were the one that said you wanted to do the
chasing.”

Chapter 10

 “I need you to cover for me,” Tonya said, sliding up to me
while I emptied the mountain of trash from my locker. The plastic bag I held
was nearly full, but I still had a pile more to go.

“When? Where? And most importantly, why?”

“Trevor is taking me to the Triple Feature on Saturday and I
need you to tell Gran that I’m going with you.”

Almost six months of dating and she still wouldn’t tell Gran
about Trevor.
Why not?
I quashed the thought as soon as it came to me.
For the past four weeks, I’d been really good at not thinking anything about
Trevor, even the couple of times we’d all hung out together.

I pulled my mind away from Trevor and onto the Triple
Feature. It was Beachgrove Cinema’s attempt at cashing in on what had once been
my most hated day of the year. Prom. From six o’clock on Saturday evening until
three in the morning, the drive-in theater just outside of town was converted
into a rom-com haven, with three romantic-comedies playing non-stop all night.

Beachgrove High sponsored the Triple Feature as the major
prom fundraiser, staffing it with volunteers and parent chaperones. It was the
one time of year the town suspended curfew and was usually the highlight of the
year for anyone fifteen to eighteen, since there wasn’t anywhere else to go.
And under the guise of fundraising and covering costs, the school and theater
managed to get away with charging a hundred bucks a ticket. I hated to think
what they would be charging for drinks and food at the concession. In a less
affluent community, the place would probably have been dead, but Beachgrove was
one of those places where my dad’s nice law firm income placed us in the lower bracket.

Dad said the whole thing was a lawsuit waiting to happen.
One kid gets hurt after normal curfew and the school and drive-in would be
shelling out big bucks. Not that that deterred me or any other high school
student from wanting to go. This was going to be my first year, and if he was
so convinced about it ending someday, I didn’t want to miss my chance.

“So? Will you?” Tonya asked.

“Sorry, Nathan already asked me to go with him. Dad said no
at first. Some lame excuse about it being too late for me to be out with my
boyfriend. Not that he minded when he told Lily she could go with Dylan. So, I
convinced Lily to let us make it into a group thing with Owen, Karin, and
Bianca. And he couldn’t really say no to that.”

“And you didn’t invite me?!”

“I figured you would have plans with Trevor. You guys are
together practically every minute you’re not at home or school. Besides, Dylan
and Trevor didn’t exactly hit it off last time, and I figured it was better
they didn’t meet up again.”

“Whatever. Besides, that doesn’t matter. I just need you to
get me out the door. Please?”

“When are you going to tell Gran about him?” I asked.

“Soon. She’s still so wrapped up in dealing with Mom since
she got out. Even though Mom’s still in San Diego, she’s been calling and asking
to come home, and you know how Gran hates not letting her come. Come on, you
still owe me for that double date.”

“Hey, you were the one who first mentioned that double
dating stuff.”

“Yeah, back when we were ten. Come on, please?” she said,
her lips in a pout.

“I don’t know. I already feel bad about lying to your gran
all the other times. Maybe you guys can just come with us and then it won’t be
a lie.”

“When did you turn into some goody-two-shoes?” She huffed
and leaned her back against the neighboring locker. “Fine. I was going to pay
for your ticket, but now you’re on your own.”

“Gee, thanks. Dylan already picked up our tickets for us. He
gets them at a discount since he’s the all important assistant manager at the
cinema, so we only had to pay fifty bucks a ticket.”

She perked up. “Can he get anymore? Trevor was bitching
about the price.”

“No, he reached his limit. Sorry,” I said, trying to hide my
satisfaction. If Trevor wanted to be with Tonya, he could pay full price. I may
have promised Nathan I wouldn’t obsess over Trevor anymore, but that didn’t
mean it wasn’t always in the back of my mind.

The voice hadn’t popped up again, at least not with Trevor
and Tonya, but my gut still clenched anytime he was around. Nanna said I had no
control of my gift, but personally, I thought that was all the more reason to
believe it. Each day I caught more and more people in lies, which occasionally
still freaked me out, but at least I had the brains to keep it to myself. Well,
except for the time Owen lied about not crushing on someone. That time I had to
tell Tonya, and maybe I mentioned it to Bianca and Nathan.

Tonya and I headed to Mr. Arnold’s class and I kept an eye
out for Nathan. Usually he met me at my locker, but I hadn’t seen him yet.

Karin caught us just before the warning bell, which was
strange since I rarely saw her during school. She was on the advanced track and
most of her classes were at the senior level or college credit. She always
stuck out in our group of friends, and she only hung out with us because of
Owen. Which, if they paired up, would be even weirder. Thank God, Owen wasn’t
interested.

“Hey,” she said, gasping for a breath. “Bianca and I are
planning on going to Town Center tomorrow morning, if you want to join us. Kind
of a girls’ day thing before heading to the drive in.”

“Sounds spiffy,” Tonya said. I nudged her with my elbow.
Sometimes she could be so rude, especially to Karin, who was totally unaware of
the high level of sarcasm Tonya used with her.

“Okaaay.” Karin gave Tonya an annoyed look, and then turned
to me. “Bianca’s driving, so we’ll pick you up at about ten.” She walked off
and gave a little wave.

“You’re such a bitch to her,” I said, slapping Tonya’s arm
lightly.

“I can’t help it. She’s one of those perfect, snotty, types.
I don’t know why we always have to include her.”

“Because she’s our friend, and she’s the only reason we
didn’t flunk History last year.”

“Okay, so she’s not that bad, but there’s just something
about her that pushes my buttons. Guess I’ll come over to your place tomorrow
morning, since she’s obviously not going to pick me up.”

Tonya opened the classroom door and we went in. I expected
to see Nathan in his usual seat behind mine, but he wasn’t there. Maybe he was
sick. I contemplated texting him, but it would take me too long. It would have
been pointless anyways, since he walked in a few minutes later, followed by
Vivian.

He winked at me, while Vivian just smiled. It was her smile
that set off every suspicious bone in my body. Completely disregarding Mr. Arnold
as he began his lecture, I turned in my seat to look at Nathan.

“Where were you?” I whispered.

“Vivian trapped me at my locker.” He focused on pulling his
binder out of his backpack.

“And?” There had to be more to it than that. Vivian’s smile
said there was more to it. His avoidance said there was more to it.

“Nothing.” He checked to see if I’d bought it. “Okay, she
asked me if I could help her and her mom move some stuff this weekend.”

“This weekend? I seriously hope you told her no.”

“I told her I was busy.”

“So why was she smiling?”

“How should I know?” He looked thoroughly confused.

I huffed and swiveled back to Mr. Arnold. I knew Nathan
wasn’t lying, but still, just knowing Vivian was up to her scheming ways again
made me mad. And that Nathan was so passively undisturbed only pissed me off
more. Didn’t he care that Vivian was most likely trying to break us up?

A few minutes later I felt a tap on my shoulder and glanced
back to see Nathan holding out a folded note. It was simply folded in half then
half again, nothing like the intricate fold of the note he and Vivian had been
passing months ago, but my stomach still clenched in fear that the message
would be the same.

I slowly unfolded it and tried to make out Nathan’s horrible
chicken scratch.

I know what you’re thinking. Forget about Vivian. Know
what I’m thinking about?

Quickly, I wrote back while Tonya peeked over to see what
he’d written.

What?

I flicked the paper back at him, not bother with folding it.
That kind of crap would have just annoyed me more. Less than a minute later, a
soft brush of air swept across my neck, followed by the paper drifting over my
shoulder. I snatched the paper and opened it.

You

The word was followed by an arrow to turn the page over. I
flipped it over, aware of Tonya’s rapt eyes on the note.

And your hot pink panties.

I choked on my gasp, while Tonya gave a loud laugh. My face
flamed and when Nathan coughed, I knew his face would be, too. He obviously
didn’t realize Tonya would be able to see it.

“Is there a problem, Ms. Matlin?” Mr. Arnold asked from the
board. Everyone in class followed his gaze and stared at me. Instinctively, I
crumpled the paper and tried to shove it in my backpack.

“No. Sorry, I just choked on my gum.” I sat up straight in
my seat and when he turned to answer a question from someone else, I glanced
over at Vivian. She was watching me, some of the glee in her face diminished. I
gave her a wicked grin and watched her frustration build.

Mr. Arnold coughed and surveyed the room, so I picked up my
pencil and pretended to copy the notes he’d written on the board; I’d just scan
Lily’s from last semester. Instead, I drew a cartoon of Vivian pulling out her
hair, while her eyes melted. Maybe a bit childish, but it made me feel a bit
better.

Nathan’s fingers trailed along my neck, and I wished I
hadn’t pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I swatted at his hand and shot him
a nasty look over my shoulder. Just because I wasn’t taking notes, or giving a
hundred percent attention to the teacher, didn’t mean he could totally distract
me. I needed to be able to get something out of the class. That he just blew a
kiss back caused my stomach to clench. Not the painful cramps of a liar, but
with the exhilarating knowledge that I loved playing his game.

The rest of the day flew by with Nathan managing to make me
completely forget about Vivian. I just wish he’d been with us the next day to
help me forget about Trevor.

It was impossible to relax
and
concentrate on
shopping with Tonya’s cell phone continually ringing or buzzing. I glared at
her as she smiled over another text from Trevor and waited impatiently in front
of her, barely resisting the toe tapping I so wanted to do. Whatever annoyance
I projected apparently wasn’t enough, because Tonya started typing away, and I finally
gave up on her and wandered away.

I had a new top to find and it was already one, which meant
I had three hours before I had to start getting ready for the Triple Feature.
Tonya had been my best hope of finding a cute top since she had some funky radar
that practically threw the best clothing at her. She already had four bags
dangling from her arm, and she hadn’t even been looking to buy anything. Bianca
would help, but she had some Goth cheerleader thing going on, and I wasn’t sure
I wanted anything she was feeling. And there was no way I’d follow Karin’s
fashion advice. Her clothes were just plain fugly. Not cheap, just outside the
realm of normal taste.

Shuffling through the nearest rack, I pulled out a
multicolored halter-top. Nice style, but it looked like the designer had
vomited the colors onto the fabric. I hung it back up and went onto the next
rack.

“Hey, why’d you leave me back there?” Tonya asked as she
reached around me to pull off a black top. It had a standing half-inch collar,
and short ruffles along the buttons that went from the neck to the slight
empire waist. It was the best thing I’d seen all morning. Tonya passed it to
me. “Here, try this one.”

“How do you do that?” I asked, taking the hanger and heading
for the change rooms.

“Do what?”

“Find the best clothes without even looking.”

“It’s instinct, I guess. God didn’t give just your family
gifts.”

“What did he want?” I asked as we waited for one of the
staff to come and open a room for me.

“God?”

“Trevor.”

“Oh, he just wanted to know what time the first movie
starts.”

Somehow, Tonya had suckered me into her plan to deceive
Gran. I still felt a bit uneasy about it, but when Nathan guessed that my
reluctance was due more to having it out for Trevor, I’d been forced into it.