was thinking.
Class went by slowly, but it gave me time to calm down. With the Alphas coming to town, Alfred’s weird behavior, and now the vampire, I was freaking out. Plus, the fact that I might have realized I did view Nick in a more than friendly way was not helping matters.
What was I going to do about…all of it! If Nick did like me, then why wasn’t he telling me? Or trying to date me? It made no sense to me, but then again… guys, in general, didn’t make a lot of sense. And how was Dad going to remove the mark? I hoped it wasn’t going to be painful.
The bell rang, and I shuffled outside to find Mason and Bryan waiting for me. I smiled at them. “I’m not going to run, so get those smug looks off your face.”
They laughed, and I walked between them towards the cafeteria. A lot of people were looking at me strangely, and it made me sad. We’d kept the fact that we all knew each other a secret from junior high until now, but it looked like the cat was out of the bag.
Cherry stepped in front of me, and both Mason and Bryan pushed me backward. I rolled my eyes at them and stepped forward. “Hey, Banana.”
She stared at Mason and Bryan, eyebrows raised. “What’s going on?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. Just testing out the muscle around here.”
Mason and Bryan smiled but refrained from laughing. Cherry grabbed my elbow and pulled me to the side. “Sarah, what’s going on?”
“Just sampling the different boys at the school.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Do not lie to me, Sar-bear.”
“Sarah!” Nick called in exasperation. “Come on.”
I smiled apologetically at Cherry as Mason put his arm around my shoulders and led me away from her. Nick looked me over, and I folded my arms across my chest. “I didn’t get hurt from the classroom to here. Stop fretting, you old lady.”
Mason and Bryan walked away, waving as they left me in Nick’s care. He stared at me a moment and then turned. “Come on. I’m hungry.”
I followed him and kept my eyes down. I shouldn’t have though, because that’s how I ran into Tom. I started to fall and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me up and against his body. “Careful.”
I blushed and stepped away from him. “Sorry.”
Nick pulled me away and growled. “I look away for one second and you get into trouble.”
I pointed at Tom. “He’s not trouble. He’s your friend.”
Nick smiled. “He’s my friend, but he’s totally trouble. You should stay away from him.”
Tom smirked. “I’m not trouble, I’m fun. Perhaps Sarah wants to have fun.”
“She has fun with me,” Nick said defensively.
“Yes, I saw your game of catch the rabbit earlier. I was thinking she might enjoy a more private setting.” Tom turned toward me. “Would you like to go to a movie with me Monday?”
I opened my mouth, but Nick said, “She can’t.”
Tom looked at me, but I just stared at Nick. “Why can’t she?” Tom asked.
“She’s going out with me that night,” Nick said.
I’d never seen him look so scared or sick. Why was he telling Tom this? He hadn’t asked me out.
“You sure, Sarah? I bet I’d be a lot more fun.” Tom goaded.
I smiled at Tom. “Maybe another time.”
Tom kissed my cheek. “Count on it.”
As soon as Tom walked away, I turned and stared up at Nick. “What was that about? You didn’t ask me out.”
“I panicked.” He admitted as he turned away and ran his hand through his hair. “I tried to ask you yesterday, but he interrupted and…I’m sorry. If you want to go with Tom, I won’t stop you.”
“Nick.”
He turned and faced me. “What?”
“Do you want to go out with me? Because if you’re just doing it as my Guardian, please don’t.”
He stared at me for a few minutes and then asked, “Will you go out with me?”
“Only after I take her out,” Gary said from behind us. “I always knew you were a follower instead of a leader.”
Nick growled and moved towards Gary, but I grabbed his arm. “Nick.”
He glared at Gary and then bared his teeth. “He’s just jealous that you spend so much time with me.”
Gary smiled. “You’re right. I am, but I know you’ll be more jealous when…” Gary moved forward and whispered into Nick’s ear before walking away. “Just think about that Monday.”
“What did he say?” I asked Nick.
Nick stared at his hands and shook his