Shut Out(53)

Deliberately avoiding Cash’s eyes, I hurried off toward the front of the library.

He caught up with me a few minutes later, though. Our paths crossed when we each came to pick up some of the books that needed to be shelved.

“Hey,” he said, pointing down at the stack of books in his arms. “Looks like someone else just finished reading Lysistrata. Maybe it was one of the other strike girls.”

“It could be,” I said.

He smirked and went on shelving while I walked upstairs to put away some of the children’s books. I’d just shelved a copy of Hop on Pop when Cash’s words hit me.

The strike.

Shit.

I felt sudden tears sting at the corners of my eyes as I realized, with a miserable jolt, that I’d just been used again. That kiss hadn’t been Cash telling me he still liked me. He’d been trying to mess with me, to make me break my oath. He was using my feelings against me so that the boys would win.

I was an idiot to keep getting my hopes up.





chapter twenty-four


“You okay, sweetheart?”

“Huh?” I looked across the dinner table at Dad. His forehead was creased with concern, his eyes searching my face. I blushed and turned away. Truthfully, I’d been thinking about what had happened with Cash in the library. “I’m fine, Dad. Why?”

“Nothing. You just seem quieter than usual,” he said. “I mean, you haven’t even asked me what I’ve eaten today or lectured me about the health risks of this steak I went behind your back and grilled.” He jabbed his fork into a pink, juicy piece of meat and brought it to his lips.

“Sorry.” I sighed. “I’m just… distracted. But you’re right. You really shouldn’t be eating that. You need to have a salad for dinner most nights. I’ll let it slide tonight, I guess.”

Dad chuckled and swallowed the bite of steak. “Oh, honey. Something has to be wrong. Normally you’d whisk the plate away and force a salad on me this instant. Is it Randy? Did you run into him at school or something?”

“No,” I said. “It’s… I’m just exhausted.” I pushed my plate away, the food barely touched, and got to my feet. “I’m going to go upstairs and lie down for a while, I think.”

“All right,” Dad said. “You’re sure you’re okay? Do you need some Tylenol or—”

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I just need to… to relax. When Logan gets back from his date with Mystery Girl, can you have him take out the garbage, please?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” I walked over and kissed him on the cheek. “And enjoy the steak while you can. I’m getting back on my guard tomorrow.”

He grinned and took another large bite, clearly savoring it. After he’d chewed, he said, “Just yell if you need anything.”

I nodded and hurried upstairs. The truth was, I didn’t need to lie down, and I wasn’t tired. In fact, I was wide awake, my body still on edge from that kiss Cash and I had shared. What I really needed was to talk about it—and not with my father. God, that would have been a whole new level of awkward.

When I got to my bedroom, the first thing I did was call Chloe. I thought about dialing Ellen’s number, since I’d already confessed to her about my and Cash’s brief history, but somehow I needed Chloe for this one. After all, she always seemed to have the answers, even when the rest of us were clueless.

“What’s up, love?” Chloe asked as soon as she answered the phone.

I took a deep breath. “Okay,” I said. “I have something to tell you, and don’t be mad at me for hiding it because I was too embarrassed to talk about it, but now I need your help.”

“Whoa,” Chloe said. “Slow down. Is this some kind of freaky soap-opera scandal? Lissa Daniels, are you secretly a man?”

I let out my breath and laughed, and so did she. This was why I loved Chloe.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll try not to get mad. Now, what’s the deal?”

“I made out with Cash.”

“Wait—Cash Sterling? Holy shit. How did that happen? He doesn’t go that far with anyone, the tease.”

I flinched, remembering the way Randy’s friends had barked insults like that at me. Cock tease…

“I can’t believe this,” Chloe continued. “Okay, so when? Where? And, most important, how was it?”

“Today, the library… and”—I sighed—“fantastic. Even better than the first time.”

“The first time? What the f*ck, Lissa?”

“Yeah, that’s the part I didn’t tell you about. Don’t be mad, okay?” And I proceeded to tell her about the party over the summer, how he’d kissed me and told me I was amazing, only to reject me in the end. I even told her about the goofy little Star Game. Chloe listened in silence until I’d finished.

Then she made a thoughtful noise before saying, “But he kissed you again. That’s got to mean something.”

“It means he’s an *.” I flopped onto my bed, stretching out on my back and staring up at the ceiling with my cell tucked between my shoulder and ear. “I thought it meant something at first, too, but then he mentioned the strike and I realized what he was doing. His plan this weekend didn’t work, so he was trying a different strategy. He knows I like him, and he was trying to get me to break my oath.”