Rebel Wrong

Chapter Five: Awkwardness

Cade didn't sleep too well. She'd like to say it was because Sebastian and his roommate snored too loud or because the floor was completely uncomfortable, but really it was just because she was too busy beating herself up to do any actual sleeping.

The night's events kept replaying in her mind. She'd like to blame everything on Wesley, but she couldn't. He hadn't forced her to go out with him; she had come willingly. He must have taken that as a sign that she was into him. Was she into him?

He was obviously attractive and charming, and he wasn't the worst kisser in the world, but did she want to deal with all the drama that he would bring?

She covered her face with her hands and let out a frustrated sigh. When did her life become so complicated that she was worrying over whether or not she should date her step-brother? She was missing Michigan and Trevor even more now. Back there all she had to worry about was paying bills and keeping her mom alive. She'd take that over this mess any day.

Cade nodded off for a few minutes towards dawn, but she immediately snapped awake when she heard Sebastian moving around in bed. She held still, not even breathing. Her face flushed with color. She was getting flustered and she didn't know why.

It felt like an eternity until Sebastian got out of bed and left the room, probably headed to the bathroom. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until she let out a relieved sigh once the door had closed.

She should probably leave. It wouldn't exactly be a good thing for her reputation to be seen leaving a college dorm at six in the morning, but she figured that the earlier she left, the less people there might be awake to catch her walk of shame. Even though nothing happened everyone would think that something did.

Cade slowly rose to her feet, trying not to wake up Marshall, Sebastian's roommate. She hadn't really talked to him. He was already in bed when Cade had come back wo the dorm. Sebastian had just woken him up long enough to explain that he was going to have a friend stay over. Marshall did nothing more than make an unintelligible grunting noise and then proceeded to go back to sleep.

Cade was halfway down the hallway when a door to her left opened and out stepped Sebastian. She gasped in surprise and took a couple steps back. Thankfully she resisted the urge to wave her hands in front of her face like whenever she walked into cobwebs.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked, giving her a weird look. He didn't seem to notice her completely embarrassing moment.

"I, um, I'm going home," she managed to stutter out. If she was trying to make herself look like an idiot, then she was doing a spectacular job at it.

"You're going to walk?" he asked, frowning.

"I can catch a bus," she shrugged. This was a college campus. There were bound to be a couple bus stops around the place.

"I'm not gonna let you ride the bus. I can give you a ride," Sebastian told her.

Cade couldn't really think of another reason to refuse him. How could she make anyone believe that she would rather take the bus? She just wanted the awkward situation to be over and she knew that she'd still be feeling awkward as long as she was around Sebastian.

"Really, you don't need to do that. I've imposed on you enough as it is," she shook her head at him.

"It's no problem. Really," he assured her. "Come on. Let me get my things and then we'll leave," he waved his hand, encouraging her to follow him.

"Okay," Cade agreed as she reluctantly followed him back to his dorm room.

Cade kept her head down as she walked down the hallway, making sure to stay a few feet behind him. She didn't know why, but she was worried about someone catching her in the dorms. It was an irrational fear. It wasn't as if she knew anyone at the school and it's not like it was a new thing for random girl to spend the night in a guy's dorm. She was becoming way too emotional after moving to California.