The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(27)

My eyes narrowed. Oh, he wasn’t going to get away that easily. “I’ll be back.”

Brian was already picking up my stuff for me, since we usually spent the period after lunch planning the yearbook. “But Taylor, we were supposed to—”

“I know. I’ll only be gone for a little bit.” Before he could say anything else, I was gone. Darting around people, I finally caught up to Evan just as he got to the library at the end of the hall. He glanced over his shoulder and saw me, but he didn’t say anything. Nor did he slow down.

Staying close on his heels, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Mrs. Stills, the librarian and head of study hall, didn’t see me. She was busy checking out books for some freshman. Hidden behind the large magazine rack, I slid into the seat across from Evan. He let out a loud groan and reached over my head to grab a random magazine, then began flipping through it. I knew he wasn’t actually reading it, though. Not unless he really was interested in ten different ways to wear a scarf, as the cover claimed.

“Don’t you have class?” he muttered without looking up.

“So you noticed me, huh?” I leaned on my elbows toward him. “Since when?”

Instead of making some smart remark like I expected him to, Evan ducked his head deeper into the magazine. “Since I saved you at the pool.”

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that answer. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” He purposely angled the magazine so I couldn’t see his face anymore, but the tips of his ears were turning suspiciously pink beneath his deep tan. It was kind of endearing. “I guess you made an impression.”

That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. I knew I should meet Brian, but I couldn’t make myself leave Evan’s side. I nudged his arm, poking harder and harder until he looked up. His eyes were wary over the pages.

“Guess what I did today?”

“You met Madonna? No, Bill Gates?” He snapped his fingers. “I got it! Jesus!”

I snickered. “How did you know? I had a near-death experience, and Jesus told me that Madonna and Bill Gates were looking for me in the backyard.”

His eyes twinkled with so much amusement, they seemed to be a lighter shade of gray than usual. “I knew it.”

Shaking my head, I pulled out the brochures and applications I had gotten from the counselor’s office before lunch. All filed according to the difficulty of the essays. I spread them out in front of him. “I know you said you didn’t care about any of this stuff.” I made finger quotations when I said the word stuff. “But I figured it doesn’t hurt to think about it, right? Just something to look at when you’re bored. There were even some colleges with late application deadlines. Plus, I made some notes about which ones have the best marine-biology classes.”

The magazine dropped, and his fingers flipped through the papers. “Does this obsession with me going to college have something to do with the Reformed Rake thing Carly was talking about earlier?” he asked, leaning forward until our noses were almost touching.

I sucked in a deep breath at his sudden closeness, but I didn’t back away. In fact, I may have leaned in just a tiny bit. “I just had some spare time.”

His lips jerked into a half smile, making my gaze slide down, and I couldn’t look away. “Maybe we should be doing something else with our spare time instead of researching about a bunch of dumb colleges.”

“Like…?”

“Ms. Simmons?”

Rats. I had forgotten to stay hidden. I snapped back into my seat as though pulled by an invisible bungee cord. “Yes?”

Mrs. Stills frowned down at me. Even her wrinkles looked menacing. Unlike the other members of the faculty—who loved me—she never treated me with more than reined-in politeness. I never knew why. I wasn’t proud to admit it, but I really was the biggest suck-up ever. In kindergarten, I would spend my recesses sharpening pencils for my teacher. Yeah, I was that student.

Still, the way Mrs. Stills treated me was actually a step above the way she talked to other students, so that was something to be thankful about. “I don’t believe you’re supposed to be here. Did you need my help with something?”

“Uh, no.” I quickly got to my feet.

“Then I suggest you leave.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I stacked all the papers and brochures together, only stopping to fan my face with them to cool off.

Evan reached out and took my hand before I could dart away, squeezing lightly. “You could leave these here. I’ll throw them away for you later.”

Surprised, I stopped and stared at him, but he was glancing down at the brochures. His other hand shuffled through them a bit.

I bit back the smile that threatened to burst forth. The more I got to know Evan, the more I saw that the playboy facade was really just that. A facade. He really wasn’t that bad. God forbid I ever tell him that, though. His head was big enough as it was. “If you’re sure…”

“Yeah, thanks, though. And it was nice of you to get me all this. Even though I don’t need it,” he quickly added.

“No problem.”

Not sure if it was the mushrooms or the college applications, but on an impulse, I peeked behind me to make sure Mrs. Stills was back at her desk. Once the coast was clear, I leaned over his left shoulder and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He jumped and turned his head to look up at me. His eyes narrowed in question.