Fallen Crest High (Fallen Crest High #1)(28)

Adam had been watching me with an odd look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I bit out. I forced myself to relax. Sometimes being mean right off the bat wasn't good. And Adam had started to be one of the two people still there for me after my debacle with Jeff/Lydia/Jessica.

And speaking of, as I turned to Adam, I saw my two ex best friends at Jill Flatten's locker across the hall. All three of them were watching me with frowns on their faces. When they saw me, Jill giggled and leaned closer to the two. She whispered something and both of them started laughing.

Jeff stopped beside them, saw me, saw the exchange, and kept going.

Adam chuckled. "I think he's finally learning."

I rolled my eyes and started towards my first class. When Adam walked with me, I asked, "So what about you getting out of practice early?"

"I was thinking we could try that dinner again."

I saw Becky at her locker ahead. She dropped her bag. Books and papers fell out of it and she knelt beside and lurched to grab everything before people kicked her things away. A few laughed and did what she tried to prevent, but one other girl helped her gather her stuff.

I sighed. "I can't."

"Why not?" Then he saw where I'd been watching. He stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "Becky and I are never going to date. We had a heart to heart last night after the movies."

"You did?"

"Yeah." He nodded. His eyes skirted over my face, scanning me constantly as if he were looking for something. "She's really okay with you and me…" He hesitated. "Getting to know one another?"

I smirked. "And do I get a say in this?"

"Well, yeah, of course." But his cheeks got red, just a bit, and he scratched the back of his head. "So do you want to have dinner tonight? I was thinking you could even eat the food this time."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sure." I waited a beat. "Can I bring Becky?"

He froze and I moved ahead, laughing. Then he called after me, "You're not funny."

I shook my head and kept laughing. I was funny enough.

I had Lydia in my first two periods and she kept giving me weird looks. Jessica was in my third and fourth period. She refused to look at me. Then at lunch, when Becky dropped across from me and Adam went to sit with his football team, Jill joined their table along with Lydia and Jessica.

Becky looked over her shoulder and her eyes got wide. "I can't believe them."

"What?" I was cautious as I opened my bag lunch. Then I relaxed. Inside were an orange, a bag of chips, and a peanut butter sandwich. I gave her my chips, tossed the sandwich in the trash, and started to peel the orange.

"Jill Flatten. She's all over Jeff at the table. And I can't believe she's friends with your friends."

"They're not my friends."

"They were," she retorted and sent them a glare. Lydia had looked, but ducked her head down. "It's like Jill Flatten wants your life."

I sat back and fought off a yawn.

"Aren't you bothered at all by her?"

I shrugged. "Truthfully, no. It's sorta the last thing on my mind these days."

She gave me an incredulous look. "What else is going on in your life?"

If only she knew… I lifted an careless shoulder. "Jill Flatten does not bother me." Mason and Logan on the other hand… My mother… I shuddered. My whole life had fallen apart. Finding one good friend like Becky erased all the other friend drama.

"She bothers me." She peeked over her shoulder at them.

I looked this time too and saw all three of them had been staring at us. Lydia squeaked and looked at her food. Jessica's head whipped away and Jill only narrowed her eyes, but she held my gaze.

I narrowed mine back and stood.

Becky gasped, "What are you doing?"

I was tempted to shrug her off. I didn't know, but something propelled me across the lunch room. I stopped before their table and heard a lot of conversations hush. The football team sat at the 'popular' table, but most of the really popular girls sat at the other end where Adam was with the other varsity starters. Jill, Lydia, and Jessica sat at the far end where Jeff was, along with the other second string guys. Jeff was third string, actually.

Becky bumped into my elbow, and then apologized under her breath. She was panting from her hurry.

"Sam!" Adam called over and waved at us.

I ignored him.

Becky took my arm and hissed in my ear, "We can sit by him."

I shrugged her off and glanced up. I didn't know what made me look, but my fake father had entered the lunch room. He was dressed in his coach's apparel, a professional looking running suit with Fallen Crest Academy printed on his left shoulder underneath our school's crest.

"Yes?" Jill snapped at me. She tried to sound bored, like I was annoying her, but I heard the apprehension underneath it.

At the sight of David, everything hardened in me again. I was growing used to that feeling and I looked back at her. There was an added edge to me when I stepped close to their table and placed a hand right in front of her.

"Sam?" Jeff leaned forward and whispered. "What are you doing?"

Jessica still refused to look at me. Lydia had both her hands over her face, but her fingers were spread. She watched from behind them and I saw that she was holding her breath.