Trick Me Twice - Becca Steele Page 0,7

own clothes.” She shrugged. “You know me. I’m not one to conform.”

For the hundredth time, I wished I had her attitude. How freeing would it be to be yourself, completely? “That’s true,” I agreed. “Okay, so I need a costume. I don’t have much time, but I’ll see what I can put together. Anything else I need to know?”

“Nope. Nothing I can think of. I’ll meet you by the main park gates beforehand, and we can take it from there.”

“Okay.” I returned my attention to my screen, scrolling back to the beginning of my essay so I could read through everything I’d written so far. As a group of people entered the room, Lena leaned towards me, lowering her voice.

“You need to have fun. I mean it. This is your last year at school, and you don’t want to have regrets.”

I sighed. “I know, and I’ll try.”

“Good.” Her voice was satisfied. “I’m glad you’re coming.”

“Me too.” I think. How had I been talked into this? Lena was right, though. This was my final year. And if I couldn’t do this, how was I going to manage when I was at university at the other end of the country?

Engrossed in my work, I didn’t notice the large body sliding into the seat next to mine until the scent of spiced cedar hit my nostrils. Lena remained oblivious on my other side, headphones on, tapping at the calculator next to her keyboard as she chewed on the end of a pen.

“Done with your essay already? It’s not even due until Monday.”

I jumped, swinging my head to face Carter so quickly that my ponytail flew around and smacked me in the side of the face. He smirked, and I felt my cheeks heat. Counting to ten in my head before I replied, I wrestled my thoughts under control, the mix of apprehension and awareness that I felt at his presence churning uncomfortably in my stomach.

“Some of us like to be ahead of the game,” I said primly, turning back to my screen.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his lip curl, and he opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly another body was sliding into the space between our seats, breaking the connection between me and Carter and allowing me to breathe. I looked up to see Dylan Rossiter smiling down at me, and I returned his smile with a relieved one of my own.

“Hey, Raine. I’ve been looking for you. Would you still like a lift home after drama club on Monday?” He stared down at me, his soft brown eyes full of warmth. Dylan was also in the drama club, where he worked on set design and helped out behind the scenes. After Carter had left me crying in the hallway yesterday, Dylan had caught me wiping away my tears, and, concerned, had immediately asked me what was wrong. Not wanting to get him caught up in Carter’s drama, I gave him a vague explanation of needing to find a way home from drama club on Mondays, otherwise I may have to drop out. He lived in the opposite direction to me, but he’d told me that he might be able to sort something out.

“I’d love one.” I eyed him hopefully.

“In that case, I’ve got you. Wait for me after drama club.”

“She doesn’t need a lift. She’s coming with me.” Carter’s voice came from behind Dylan, his tone daring me to disagree.

“But you— But I—” I spluttered, caught off guard. What was he playing at? He’d made it crystal clear that he wanted me to find another way home on Mondays.

Dylan’s face fell and he glanced at Carter, taking in what was probably some kind of threatening expression on his face, before turning back to me. He mouthed sorry, then mumbled, “Oh, okay. If your situation changes, let me know.” Then he fled the room, leaving me staring at Carter in disbelief.

“What was all that about?”

Carter stared at me silently for a moment, before he turned his back on me, leaning over to talk to his friend Kian, who was sitting on his other side.

A frustrated huff escaped me, and I glared at the back of his head. What was his problem?

4

Adjusting my costume, I attempted to suppress my rising discomfort as I eyed myself in the mirror. In the end, I’d put together this particular outfit because it was the exact opposite of everything people would expect from me, and therefore, I’d hopefully be able to