Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(26)

My eyes almost popped out of my head, a small squeak escaping when I saw where his hand was. Under her skirt.

Lazily, as if he didn’t even care who was watching, his head rose, and Daphne opened her eyes, her breasts straining against her blouse, and the top buttons undone.

I scrambled to grab my pass, gesturing with it down the hall. “Um, pee break.”

Daphne grinned. “Run along then.”

I nodded, continuing past them.

After I did my business, I decided against splashing water on my flushed cheeks. Instead, I stared at my reflection, waiting for them to cool.

The humidity had ruined my attempt to straighten my hair, but it sat a little longer, waves skimming past my shoulders, thanks to the effort.

I patted the remaining drops of water from my hands, then flipped my head forward and gathered it all into a small ponytail, using the rainbow scrunchy I had around my wrist.

I suppose Lars and Daphne weren’t exactly a secret, but that was the first time I’d actually seen them together.

Lars was here on a scholarship, and most people thought it was due to his mom dating the principal. Some would say Daphne was slumming it, including herself, and even though Willa and I had pushed, she still wouldn’t divulge much about their relationship.

If you could call what they did a relationship. Who was I to know? One and a half dates and I was still clueless about everything.

Yet as I remembered the sight of his hand on her thigh, I knew I didn’t want to be. My cheeks threatened to flush again as I thought of someone touching me that way while whispering wicked things into my ear. I marched out of the bathroom, taking the other hallway back to class even though it was the long way around.

Dash eyed me behind the thick frames of his glasses, slouched low in his seat with a pen hanging between his teeth as I skimmed past the tables to my seat next to his.

“What’s up with you?” he asked when I kept doodling circles on the page instead of reading the five pages instructed by the teacher.

“Hmm?”

“You went to the toilet, right?”

I withheld a laugh. “Yes.”

“Well, what the hell happened in there that’s making you draw like a four-year-old again?”

“Mr. Thane,” Mrs. Cruthers said from behind her desk. “Eyes on your own table.”

With one last withering look at me, Dash did as he was told, but I knew he was still waiting for an explanation.

When someone started coughing down the front, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I saw Daphne and Lars.”

His brows pulled in as he tipped his head toward me. “And?” When I felt my cheeks begin to color, he grinned, his eyes glinting. “Oh, you saw them fucking around.”

“Mr. Thane. Care to share what you’re talking about with the class?”

Dash pursed his lips in thought. “That’s probably not a good idea, so I’m gonna have to say no.”

Mrs. Cruthers stabbed a finger at the door. “Outside. You can finish your reading in the hall.”

Dash was still grinning as he stood and grabbed his things. “Later, Freckles.”

He didn’t see me later, though. I peeked around the cafeteria but couldn’t see him.

I gave up my search and plowed into my leftover macaroni.

“What’s up with you?” Willa asked.

“Peggy Sue caught me and Lars in the hallway.” Daphne took a bite out of her burger.

“In the hallway?” Willa asked a smidge too loud.

“Shh. Shit.” Daphne picked some lettuce from her lip, tossing it to the table with a splat. “Sometimes we meet up really quick. It’s not a big deal.”

I just remembered. “There are cameras.”

“Not in every corner.” Daphne winked.

I looked over at the table of cheerleaders, noticing Kayla was actually eating and not staring death daggers at me for the first time this week. Which could be because Byron hadn’t shown today. “Do you miss your old friends?”

Daphne scoffed. “No, but the few who are real still talk to me. When queen Mcbitch face isn’t around, of course.”

“That makes them real?”

She twisted her lips. “Good point. Now they’re on my shit list too.”

My eyes bulged. “Ah …”

Waving a hand, she snatched a napkin, patting her mouth. “Don’t give me that.”

“What?”

“That face you make when you think you’ve done something wrong.”

Willa laughed as Daphne tried to imitate my supposed face, her eyebrows dropping low and her eyes widening.

I flipped them off. “Shut up.”

They cackled harder.

Lunch ended, and we headed to our respective classes. The afternoon dragged, and I found my mind swirling in dizzying circles. Where was Byron? I could text him and ask. Why did what I saw in the hall still leave a lingering curiosity? It felt kind of weird, being that they were my friends.

Dash was waiting for me, smoking beside his car as the teacher on duty debated whether to walk over and ask him to put it out.

I got there before he could and jumped inside, thankful Dash had already started the engine. Cool air blew over my arms. Through the window, Dash watched me redo my hair, a cloud of smoke blurring the glass for a moment.

Once inside, he was quiet, fingers tapping the wheel as some hardcore band blared from his speakers. When he neared the bridge, I decided I didn’t want to go straight home.