Razzledazzle [ ✓ ]

Chapter 22 | The Walk

"So that's the plan?" Tyler asks as Lee slides the locker door open, after he's told us his plan.

"Lee, that's so stupid it might actually work," I inform him as I grab my stuff that had fallen to the bathroom floor. Carefully, we sneak out, hoping that no one will catch me exiting the boys' bathroom.

We're lucky, and we're able to leave without me being caught: and we're standing by the water fountains like we were a few days ago.

Before this fight started.

And we had been discussing the dare, then, but I still don't understand. What's the real dare, and what did it have to do with their whispers? It's all so confusing.

This is too easy. All of a sudden, my worst enemy and one of his right-hand-men are on my side? It doesn't add up.

But things change, I guess.

"I'll see you idiots later," Tyler calls, already down the hallway.

"Don't forget about the prank!" Lee shouts down the hallway.

Without thinking, I reach over and cover his mouth with my hand. "Stupid, don't shout that out in a school! Do you want to get caught?"

Lee forcefully removes my hand. "When have I ever been caught? Never. That's when." He smirks.

I just glare at him. "Now isn't a good time to start."

He snorts. "I'm not planning to start anytime soon. I'm the master of disguise." With that, he starts to saunter down the hallway, and to my dismay, he's going the same direction as me.

I have no choice but to follow.

He turns around once he notices I'm following him. "Miss me already?" he asks, grinning.

I roll my eyes. "Unfortunately, to get to the sidewalk outside I have to go this route through the school."

His grin only gets bigger. "You're walking? Guess what? I'm walking too! We live in the same neighborhood, right?"

Oh please no.

"We do? I don't think we do..." I muttered, but a little part of me, the part that I wanted to die, was almost, what—glad?—that Lee walked the same way as me.

It's just because I'm always lonely when I walk home. I never have any company. That's the only reason. That's it. That's all.

"You live in River Ridge, no?" Lee's just smiling now, smiling because he knows the answer is yes by my reaction.

"I guess I do," I reply dryly. His grin, if at all possible, was even wider.

"Well why'd you tell me no the first time?" he asks. "Do you like me or something?"

That's a little too close to the truth for me, but it's not like I'm ever going to say it out loud.

"Of course not, stupid," I growl, pushing past him in the hallway. I know there's really no point, because he'll catch up to me eventually, but...

I open the doors to the outside, very cautious and aware that Lee's still right behind me. I carefully make my way to the sidewalk.

I'm starting to regret wearing a sweater—even in October, it's still boiling where we live, or at least, too hot to wear a sweater.

And then I hear the music.

Instantly, I turn my head to the curb outside the school, where there's a big white truck, blasting music-box music everywhere. Even looking at it, I almost feel colder.