Masked Risks

Chapter 6

The smell of nail polish had taken over my room as Pepper painted my toes bright neon yellow. My fingers were sitting beneath the mini nail dryer that Avery got me for my birthday last year. It seemed silly when I opened it because I had been doing fine air drying them for years before, but when I started using it, I realized how much easier and quicker it made the whole nail painting process, which I often took very seriously.

“So, what did you need to talk about?” Pepper looked up at me as she dipped the brush in the tiny square bottle.

My ankle was sprained and Dr. Chase gave me crutches and pain killers with orders to keep my weight off of my foot for two weeks. That meant I probably wouldn’t be dancing for two weeks, if I didn’t want to injure it again. After we left the doctor, my dad drove me to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription and went into Starbucks to get me a Mocha Cookie Crumble frap- packed with calories, but acted as magic healers for all things, emotional and physical. I could whine about not being able to dance for as long as I wanted, but it wouldn’t change anything. I just had to suck it up and keep icing my ankle.

When I got home, I sent a group message to tell my crew the news, and then I asked Pepper to come over. I needed her advice on what to do about the Chad situation. I normally talked to Avery about these things, but I couldn’t tell her what happened. She would be heartbroken and pissed.

I sighed. “It’s about what happened on Friday,” I started, looking down at her as she finished my pinky toe on my left foot.

“What happened Friday?” She moved onto my right foot.

“So, you saw Chad helping me out and stuff, right?” She nodded. “It was sweet, but unnecessary. Before Avery left, she looked at me with this hurt expression and left without saying goodbye, which I thought was weird, but figured it was her moodiness from the sunburn.”

“Okay…” Pepper gestured for me to go on.

“Well, Chad carried me out to my car. When he put me back on the ground, there was this awkward silence after I thanked him. Then he just kissed me.” I felt like I was back in middle school talking about stupid crushes.

Pepper had finished painting my toes and was closing the nail polish bottle when she looked up at me, he mouth open. “He what?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah, he kissed me. Then he basically just left, leaving me there confused and speechless.”

Pepper didn’t say anything for a minute. “This kind of changes things,” she started, thinking. “Did you kiss him back?”

I looked down a hands. “No. I didn’t expect him to kiss me because I was rooting for him and Avery to get together, so I just stood there shocked. I don’t feel the same, though.”

She looked at me. “Well, it’s always been kind of obvious that he’s had a crush on you, but it’s also obvious that Avery likes him. Did you tell her?”

My head shot up and I looked at her, desperate. “No, of course not. I’ve been too scared to even text her. What do I do?”

“You’re not gonna like this, but you really need to talk to both of them. You need to tell Chad how you really feel and you need to explain to Avery what happened and let her know that it meant nothing to you,” she explained, like it was so simple.

“But it’s gonna mess up everything in the group. Now, everything is going to be awkward and… different,” I whined, falling onto my back to lay on the soft white carpet where we were sitting. I threw my hands over my face.

“I know, but it’s too late. Lips have touched and feelings have been announced and there is no going back.” Pepper threw the nail polish into my nail polish bag and pulled out a nail file.