Fate's Exchange (Twisted Fate, Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Did you get a hold of her?" David asked, taking his seat across the table from me at the window seat we'd secured.

We had decided to head to Tiki's, a restaurant half a block away from school that had the best tacos. The sun, unlike during my other chances at life, was shining down on us, not a cloud in the sky. The breeze made it perfect walking weather and David was the perfect walking partner. Then again, even if it were snowing, I wouldn't notice so long as we were touching. The whole way here, I didn't let go of his hand.

Now that we were seated and no longer holding hands, other thoughts began to filter through my head. The fog in my mind lifted and my vision cleared. Confusion over Suzie, worry for Tina, and more than a little hope for what David and I could be fought for attention. I found myself trying to prioritize what needed to be addressed first, if at all. It would be so easy to ignore the first two and go with the one I wanted to pursue.

"She's never ditched like this before," I mumbled, playing with my phone.

I tried texting Tina as soon as lunch began, and then phoning her when David was in the washroom. She hadn't answered either attempt, and I had surrendered to trying not to worry. Had what happened with Mr. Tinsley upset her? Was she pissed that I wanted David with us instead of taking the time to explain what happened to her? The fact that she took off without explanation irked me. Why couldn't she just grow up? It's not like anybody knew about what she'd been through.

David placed his hand on mine to still my fidgeting, and I looked up, his touch so effective my heart forgot to beat for a moment. "I'm sure she's fine and just forgot her phone or something."

"Maybe." I shifted in my seat and sighed. "Yeah, I guess that could be right." I nodded. "She tends to lose it a lot." By a lot, I meant never. Saying that just made me feel less neurotic.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If you haven't talked to her by the end of the day you can go check on her at home, right?" He didn't move his hand, which made me feel a little better. It was reassuring, and definitely more distracting, than what he was trying to say.

"I'm grounded. I can't go check on her tonight."

"Well, I don't know her, but I can check for you if you want?"

Seriously? Boys like him were freaking unicorns. They surprised you, coming out of nowhere when you least expected it to sprinkle magic all over your broken heart. Or, in my case, untested heart—my lack of experience was an embarrassment to all sixteen-year-old girls around the world.

"No, thank you. Her mom would totally freak if some boy came by to check on her, and you don't even want to think about how her dad would react. If he's home, that is." Why was David so nice? "I should be able to have my grounding lifted tonight anyway." 

"Why were you grounded?"

"For skipping Health." I leaned back, and we had to break contact as the waitress set our lunch in front of us. "I wouldn't tell my parents why."

"Why not? It sounds like you had a good reason," he said as he chewed a French fry.

"Yeah, I did." I nodded. "But if I had told them why before Mr. Tinsley was caught, it would've gotten messy. Like, really messy. Anyway, it doesn't matter if you have a good reason for doing something. You still did it, and it is still wrong in the end."

"I guess. Don't you think there's a gray area? It's all just black and white?"

"I think that there are shades of gray." I swallowed my fries with a sip of soda. "But what someone does is black and white. You either do or you don't, right? It's not like that with reactions to what has been done. There are too many choices and consequences for your choices for it to be black and white."

"So, you've thought about this before."

I looked up and saw a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. If he only knew.

"Alyssa, are you the reason Mr. Tinsley was escorted from class today?"

I shrugged and looked away, popping another fry into my mouth to buy time. What do I say? Yes? No? I sucked at lying, and it would be nice to be truthful with someone. The reaction I imagined him having, not so much. "It was the best solution I could think of. Sometimes outing someone has consequences for other people who don't deserve the backlash. I just wanted to do the right thing without hurting anyone. He was wrong."

"I agree."

"So, is this another stop on your journey or are you sticking around?"

He didn't know the full story, and I was afraid of telling him. Would he look at Tina different? Or think I was crazy? I dipped a fry into his ketchup, trying to act as if the question held no importance to me. His answer wouldn't affect me, though it may very well shatter my fragile facade of sanity.

It was happening just like before. Suzie had ditched, and then there was Tina. And that turned out good. Now Tina was AWOL, and here, right in front of me, was David. He had the possibility of being great, but if he wasn't sticking around... Well, that could turn me into a great mess.

"I don't know." He looked away. "It isn't my choice. I go where I'm told."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm lucky that way. I've lived here my whole life. I can't wait for college so that I can get away. But never having a real home or not being able to make friends long enough to keep them? Never going to an arcade? That sounds too lonely."

"Well, I'm here. With you." He reached over and squeezed my fingers before twining them in his own. "I'm not lonely right now."

"I'm glad." I looked down at our hands, my stomach flipping in response. "It feels good, not being alone."

He smiled and looked down to where our hands linked, and then glanced back up from under hooded lids. "Lunch again tomorrow?"

"Um..." If he stopped looking at me like that, maybe I could form a sentence. I cleared my throat and looked away, just long enough so that I could swallow without choking on the cotton ball drying out my throat. Once I felt recomposed, I glanced back and erected an air of confidence I didn't feel, though my voice came out sure and steady. "Of course, we're having lunch again tomorrow."

It beat having to figure out what would happen in a few days.