Kissing the Shy Guy - Stephanie Street Page 0,39

after I’d checked to make sure the door to the choir room was locked.

I scoffed. “No, I’m not.” I was but admitting it went against every male instinct I possessed.

Jenna rolled her eyes, unconvinced. “Fine. Be that way. But I know the truth.”

We walked side-by-side down the hall. The school was mostly empty and quiet, except for some athletes moving around near the locker rooms and the occasional shrill whistle from the gym.

“Really? And what truth is that?” I asked. We’d reached the double doors leading out to the parking lot. I held one open for Jenna. She snickered, making me scowl.

I expected her to keep walking toward her car, but she stopped and faced me.

“The truth is you’re sweet and kind, and you’re doing something for me, and I can never repay you.”

I searched her green eyes for the hardness I’d seen the day before, but it wasn’t there. I felt myself softening, and that wouldn’t do. Keeping this girl at arm’s length was the only way I’d survive the next five weeks.

“I’m not just doing it for you.” Lies. Or mostly.

She raised one brow and began walking again. “Right. You need to fool your mom into thinking you’re actually going to college.”

Ouch. I cringed at that even though it was entirely accurate. “I’m not fooling her, just buying some time.”

“Time to do what? Convince her she doesn’t really want you to go to college after all? Because I don’t see that happening if she’s anything like my parents.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets. We’d almost reached her car. I could have left to her own devices once we’d reached the parking lot, keeping an eye on her until she’d left. But for some stupid, masochistic reason, I didn’t do that.

I didn’t answer right away, either. Jenna pushed a button on her key fob to open the trunk. She tossed her backpack inside and closed it again before facing me, waiting for an answer.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s not that. I just need time to prove I can do something with my music without going to college.”

“How are you going to do that?” she asked.

“It’s a secret. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Jenna rolled her eyes and opened her door. “Fine. Don’t tell me. I just hope she won’t be too disappointed when you tell her the truth.”

That stung, and because it hit a little too close to home, I lashed out. “What do you care? You’re getting what you want. Don’t worry about me.”

Jenna’s eyes flashed with hurt before that familiar curtain fell, her face going carefully blank. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t care.” She got into her car.

She was turning me into her. “No,” I said before she closed the door, shutting me out completely. “I’m sorry. It’s a touchy subject and one I’m not ready to share yet.”

Her tense shoulders relaxed, almost imperceptibly, and it made me feel a little better. I wasn’t a mean person. I wouldn’t let Jenna goad me into being one.

She nodded. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have pried.”

Our eyes met and held, neither of us doing anything to break the contact. It pissed me off that I could still have feelings for her. Being me, I wanted to convince myself that I’d overreacted, that Jenna hadn’t let me kiss her to manipulate me. But I knew differently, didn’t I?

Either way, I hated this animosity. It wasn’t my style to hold a grudge. Jenna didn’t want a relationship with me—fine. She had every right, and I had to respect that. I did respect that. Which meant I was the idiot. I couldn’t stay mad at her for being honest in the end.

“It’s okay. I’m being prickly.” I would never survive this if I didn’t make nice with her. My spirit would shrivel and wither, and I wouldn’t be happy. “Look, Jenna, I don’t want us to be enemies. Whatever happened yesterday, let’s just forget it.” As if I could ever forget those kisses, but I could push the memories away until this was over. “I don’t want this gloom hanging over us every time we have to work together.”

Jenna stared at me. Several emotions ran across her face, but I couldn’t seem to read any of them. Finally, she smiled. “Okay.” She bit her lip, apparently deciding if she should say what she wanted to next. “Thank you, Adam—,” she hesitated, ready to say something else, but changed her mind. “Just thank