Ella's Twisted Senior Year(33)

“Um, we probably shouldn’t kiss in the parking lot?”

I’m not sure if it’s a question or a statement, but I sink back into my seat. I can’t really get upset about this. Ethan had tried to figure out what we were, what we’re doing. Are we friends with benefits, friends making a onetime mistake, or the ultimate big deal: boyfriend and girlfriend? I’d blown off the question by declaring that we are “us”. What does that even mean? I was too caught up in the moment, wanting his lips back on mine, his hands roaming wherever they pleased. I can’t be held responsible for my actions in that moment. Yet here we are, in the school parking lot, about to walk right into the lion’s den.

I sigh through my nose. “Is Kennedy still texting you like crazy?”

He makes his half-shrug movement. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Then I guess we just cool off at school. Keep to ourselves and give it more time.”

“But you pretty much declared that we’re together in my driveway,” he says. “So, maybe we can kiss in the parking lot.”

He wiggles his eyebrows at me.

Nervous doesn’t even begin to explain the feelings coursing through my veins right now. I’ve had a boyfriend or two over the years, but they were never that serious. It never went beyond hallway hand holding and sitting together at lunch. Do I really want the wrath of Kennedy Price if I show up holding her ex-boyfriend’s hand just a week after they split?

I look around, checking to make sure there’s no one watching us, then I lean in and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Not fair,” he whines.

His lip pokes out and I pretty much have to kiss him now. There’s no way to deny this boy of anything when he’s looking so hot.

I lick the donut sugar off my lips and kiss him.

“Perfect.” He unbuckles his seatbelt. “Now I can enjoy my day.”

I give him a look. “You’re dumb.”

April’s waiting for me inside the school. She’s wearing a black skirt that is definitely shorter than the mid-thigh dress code rules, but she covers her tank top with a shimmery cardigan that goes to her knees in an effort to get away with it. Her eyebrow quirks when she sees me walking in with Ethan.

Sure, he’s been driving me to school all of last week, but we’d made sure to part ways long before we reached the main doors.

“Uh, hi,” April says, giving him a once over.

“You’re April, right?” Ethan says. “I hear about you constantly.”

Her expression doesn’t give away if she’s pleased or annoyed to finally meet him. “Likewise.”

“Poe!” someone calls from across the hallway. It’s one of his jock friends who I vaguely recognize from his lunch table. “You gonna let me copy your homework or what?”

“Guess that’s my cue to leave. Can’t let Keith get another detention for not having his homework,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

I nod and then Ethan’s arm is around my shoulder and he leans in, kissing me on the forehead before he leaves. Every muscle in my body freezes. How exactly does one react to their first public display of affection from the hottest, most popular guy in the school?

“Girl, you have three minutes to explain everything,” April says, grabbing me by the arm and hauling me toward first period. “Something tells me you weren’t sick last weekend.”

“I totally was,” I lie. Well, half-lie. “But since we’re on the topic . . . yeah . . . that happened.”

April squeezes my arm. “I don’t know if I should be happy for you because he’s so hot and now you’ll have a prom date, or like, if I should be a good friend and warn you that this might end terribly.”

“It’s not anything like that. I mean, we’re not going to prom.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

I open my mouth but can’t think up a good excuse. The hallways seem a little more packed today, and I’m hit with a feeling of déjà vu. People are staring. And smirking. And doing that thing where they look at you and then look at their friends and start laughing.

“Am I the center of attention again?” I ask.

April looks around, scouting out the scene with her perceptive best friend skills. “You think word got out about you and Ethan already?”

“It was one stupid forehead kiss. Like thirty seconds ago,” I say, looking around but trying to make it seem like I don’t care. Everyone is definitely staring at me.

“What’s going on?” I ask a freshman as we walk by. She turns a deep shade of red and turns away.

April chuckles. “Face it, Ella. You start dating the hot guy, you become fodder for high school gossip. If we were celebrities, you’d be on the cover of every gossip mag right now.”

This isn’t cool. Why do we even need a high school popularity caste system? Can’t we just all go about our days ignoring what everyone else does?

I mean, I guess I knew people would be curious to hear that Ethan and I are kind of a thing now, but does that really warrant staring at me like I’ve grown an extra head? I’m not even walking with him right now.

April stops between the two neighboring classrooms that have our first periods. “Will you be okay by yourself?” she asks. “I could sneak a hall pass and come hang out with you.”