The Perfect Escape (The Perfect Escape #1) - Suzanne Park Page 0,42
way to end the night.
Chapter Thirteen
Nate
No way was I imagining it.
People at school were friendlier. Made more eye contact. And from what I could tell there was only one explanation. Couple skating with Annie had made my social status skyrocket.
Jaxon asked during Monday’s lunch period, “So…what IS the deal with you and Annie? You’re not sitting with her. Are you guys trying to play it cool?” He ripped off all the cheese from his pizza and just ate the crust part but kept his stare on me. Zach lifted Jaxon’s discarded cheese off the plate with his thumb and index finger and ate it.
I shrugged. “Nothing since the rink. Haven’t even seen her today.” I pulled my phone from the front pocket of my jeans and checked for any missed calls or messages. No word from Kate for a few days now.
I broke the silence with a simple message to her. Hey. Unblinking, I stared at my phone, willing her to answer me.
Zach swallowed. “You avoiding her?”
“Who?” I asked, still wondering about Kate’s silence. I shoved my phone back into my pocket.
“Annie, you idiot.” Jaxon said. “There! I see her. She’s over by the vending machines.” He stood up and used his hands as a megaphone. “Hey, Annie! Come sit over heeeeere!”
It took a great deal of restraint not to hammer-punch his nuts. I hissed, “Sit down. Quit being an asshole.”
Jaxon waved around like he was drowning. “Yessssss, she’s coming! This is gonna be good.”
I had exactly ten seconds to figure out what I was going to say. She was headed straight toward us.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One. I had nothing. My mind drew a blank.
Zero words. One tied tongue. And two useless jackass friends.
“How’s it going, Annie?” Jaxon asked as she put her tray down next to mine. He lifted his eyebrows, flashing me a message: You’re welcome.
“Good, thanks for asking.” She sat on the bench next to me, legs slightly pointing away from mine. She gave me a stern look. “You coulda sat down over with me, you know. The bell’s gonna ring pretty soon.”
“I—I—I didn’t see you over there.” That wasn’t a total lie. But then again, I also wasn’t looking for her. Too chicken to scope the place out, I didn’t want to discover that she was happy elsewhere, not even thinking about me. That couples’ skate was a fluke. Sitting in my usual lunchroom spot was a safe, reasonable plan. She, or anyone else really, could easily find me, if that’s what they wanted.
The unfilled silence pained me. My friends were being quiet too, which was also unlike them. She had disrupted our boring, placid ecosystem. Actually, Jaxon had. Thanks, Jaxon.
Of all people, Zach spoke. “I ate alligator the other day.”
I scrunched my face. “What? Why? And where?” I asked, grossed out, but also relieved someone had said something.
“I won a gift card to that new Cajun restaurant last month, and my family and I went there for dinner. I had breaded alligator nuggets for the first time.”
“Does it taste like chicken?” We all three asked in unison and burst into a fit of laughter.
He took a sip of chocolate milk before answering. “Eh, actually, it tastes more like rattlesnake.”
I spat out a laugh. I’d spent years getting into peak physical shape and memorized every survivalist training guide ever published, but I could never be like Zach, who ate alligator and rattlesnake like it was no big deal. He had a strong constitution, like a billy goat. I got an upset stomach just thinking about Cajun spices.
The bell rang, and I jolted upright. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m on a strict reptile- and amphibian-free diet.” After a few pats on my stomach, I took a quick bite of my barely eaten supreme pizza. Bell peppers, onions, sausage, and pepperoni—“supreme” was an overstatement for such a shitty medley of pie toppings.