The Naughty List (The Naughty List #1)(54)

“Do you have gear to set up?” Christian asked as he pulled his Honda into the street.

“Don’t need it.” Wow. I sounded pretty tough—like, monotone tough. Christian looked a little scared, but I was anxious. Numb, yet anxious.

“Tess—”

“I’m not recording anything,” I said. “This isn’t an assignment. I just need to know, okay? For myself.” My eyes stung, and when I looked at him, he met my gaze, looking sorry. It was nice of him to feel so bad for me. He looked guilty, even.

I turned toward the passenger window, feeling dread slowly creep in as I stared out over the darkened streets. Aiden and Chloe. Let it not be true. By Cleopatra’s crown! Let it be a lie.

Rolling down the window, I put my face out into the wind. I could remember Aiden at the recycling speech when I was a freshman. He presented the reasons I should go out with him. And his number one was, “Because she lights up my life with her own brand of sunshine.” It was even listed on the flowchart behind him.

Then he hopped down off the stage and walked across the auditorium straight to me. I just about died. People were calling out, cheering, laughing.

But rather than saying anything, Aiden just dropped down in the seat next to me and stared straight ahead, as if it was the most normal place for him to be. Stunned, I looked at the side of his face, deciding that it was not only adorable but sweet, too.

I’d turned to the stage and nestled back in my seat, shoulder to shoulder with Aiden Wilder. The rest of the school stopped watching us and looked up at Principal Pelli, who was still standing there, sort of shocked.

Aiden leaned his head sideways toward me, still staring forward. “Is that a yes?” he’d whispered.

I bit on my lip, glancing down as he held his hand out to me. Well, if that wasn’t strawberry smoothie, then I didn’t know what was. I took his hand—of course I did. And since then, I hadn’t let go. So why did he? Why did Aiden let me go?

I sniffled.

“Tessa?” Christian asked. “We’ll just wait at his house, okay? We don’t need to go driving all over town or anything.” He put his hand tentatively on my knee.

I was too sick at heart to push it away. Aiden out to dinner with another girl. I wondered if he’d ever done it before. Put food in his mouth alone with another girl.

I wanted him back. I wanted my Aiden back. My bottom lip quivered and I bit on it, trying to keep it steady.

After a long minute, Christian took his fingers off my body and put them back where they belonged. On the steering wheel. He parked down the street from Aiden’s house and cut the engine.

“I brought a couple of sodas, if you’re thirsty,” Christian whispered, turning the ignition key so that he could put on the radio. He might have been trying to be romantic since he had Radiohead playing low, filtering in through the speakers. I was sure the skirt didn’t help keep things platonic. Boys just didn’t respect it. It made them all goofy. Just then, Christian glanced at my legs.

Even though I wasn’t thirsty, I nodded when he offered me a soda from a cooler in the backseat. We sat quietly, listening to music. It was nearly ten o’clock. Could they still be at dinner?

“So what else did your sister tell you?” I asked. If she was sneaking around with my boyfriend, she’d have something to say about it. The boy was talented at more than just basketball.

“Nothing. My sister hardly talks to me at home. And she especially doesn’t talk to me about the guys she’s dating.”

Hold on. “She is not dating Aiden,” I said forcefully. I nearly spilled my can of pop. If he cheated, that was one severely messed-up thing, but dating? No. Not likely.

Christian shook his head. “Sorry. You’re right. I just mean, she hasn’t said anything about him to me. Other than that they were going to dinner.”

Franks and beans! I wanted to cry again. I couldn’t take this emotional roller coaster I was on. This was all too much. I should just call Aiden and ask him what was going on. He’d tell me. Aiden wouldn’t cheat. He would never …

His car drove past us and turned into the driveway. I swallowed hard and set my drink in the center console as I leaned forward. My heart rate was through the roof. I couldn’t tell if anyone was with him.

Aiden sat in his car for a long time. His outline was visible through the back window. What was he doing? Was she with him? Good golly! I was going to have a heart attack.

His door opened. I held my breath as I watched his long body climb out. He looked nervous, darting his eyes around the neighborhood. I almost didn’t recognize him. He was still in his track pants, but he had a baseball hat on, pulled low. A disguise?

“Is Chloe with him?” Christian asked. He was staring at me and not out the window.

“I don’t know yet.”

I put my hands on the dashboard and tried to steady myself. I was shaking so badly with adrenaline, I felt like I could lift a car or do some other superhuman thing like that.

Aiden turned back to his Jetta and walked around to the passenger door. I gasped. She was with him, wasn’t she? I whimpered.

He opened the door. Aiden reached his hand in, and Chloe took it as he pulled her out. She stood up, clad in a cute, yellow sundress, and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him. I moaned.

“There it is,” Christian whispered.