The Devil In Disguise

CHAPTER 7: Secrets and Trust

"My place. I'll text you. You're coming."

I grinned at Corina, replying, "I'll be there."

It had been a week since I'd joined this new school and, I had to say, I was digging it. I was known as one of the Populars, though I didn't feel like it, but people talked to me like I was someone they wanted to impress. I loved it.

The September air was starting to become colder, the season now deciding to transition from summer to autumn. The leaves on the trees which surrounded the playground were starting to turn different shades of brown, red and orange and soon they'd fall like drifting pieces of paper.

I walked with Corina (the brunette with unbelievably perfect curls) and Grace (the blonde with innocent sky-blue eyes) towards a big outdoor table to eat lunch. We knew that the rest of the group would be joining us soon.

"So, how many people are coming to the party?" I asked, my tone light, while inside I felt giddy with excitement. It was the first party I'd ever been invited to, you see.

"Eighty to one hundred. Depends if I decide to invite more," Corina replied, sliding onto the table bench and getting her lunch out; Grace and I did the same.

"So basically, there'll be about one hundred and twenty there," Grace said, making me chuckle. "Will... there be drinks?" I asked gingerly, not really knowing how these things worked.

Corina looked at me like I was stupid. In this field, I pretty much was. "Quit with that face," I grumbled, glaring and her, and she laughed.

"What did you expect? You asked a stupid question; of course there will be drinks, and a hell a lot too! How could you not know that, I mean, have you never been to a party or something?" Corina blabbed obliviously. "I provide drinks and people bring their own, so at the end there's a shit ton of drinks inside a shit ton of people, which means a shit ton of vomit to clean. Fortunately, that's not my problem, Dad will just pay someone else to do the jo —

"Shut up, Corina," Simon said, sliding onto the bench with a tray of canteen food in his hands. Setting it down, he almost immediately took a massive bite out of his chicken burger like a ravenous animal, only pausing to look up at Corina, Grace and I making disgusted faces at him.

"What?" he said with a mouth full of food and we all groaned.

"'What' is that you should keep your mouth shut when you chew," Xander said after arriving a second later, putting his tray down and sitting. "Really, did your parents never teach you the basic human etiquette?"

"No," Simon replied shortly and continued stuffing his mouth with the burger. Grace giggled, and Simon looked vaguely pleased with himself.

In the next ten minutes, the table was filled with the Populars, half of which I hadn't talked to yet. I sat awkwardly, nibbling on my sandwich, swallowing down the anxiety I usually felt around them; it was because I didn't know them. I didn't like not knowing people; it gave me a sense of mistrust, suspicion.

As everyone talked and laughed, I stayed silent. I tried to join in sometimes but the Populars were very comfortable with each other and very loud, and it felt like I was on the outside. My social facade teetered as I panicked; what if I wasn't accepted in this group? What if the Populars that I didn't know decided to kick me out or something?

"What are you thinking about?" I heard a silky voice say. I felt relief because I was being talked to, but discomfort because it was Xander I was talking to.

"Many things," I replied dismissively, glancing up into his intense green eyes. He didn't buy it.

"Why are you so uptight about everything? Come on, loosen up. You're going to have to at Corina's party..." he trailed off with that smirk and a malicious gleam in his eye. I narrowed my own and said, "I'm not uptight, you're just a nosey wanker."

"Actually, I'm just trying to know more about you. You're part of this group now, right?"

"Apparently so."

"So, tell me. What school did you go to before you came here? Year 11 is a strange year to move schools... unless you were homeschooled, of course."

I kept a cool exterior. But in my mind, I was yelling. How the bloody hell did he know that? I hadn't told anyone anything about my past — and homeschooling wasn't just a normal option. If he knew I was homeschooled, what else did he know? Did he know why? He must have known there's a reason I was homeschooled, or he wouldn't be asking. Maybe he's related it to the phone call I got last week?

Shut the fuck up, Lorelei — I mean, Karissa, that's your name now — and stop overthinking.

"No. I went to Polltier School. The one about three hours away from here," I said cooly, giving him a steady look, my dark eyes boring into his bright ones. It wasn't exactly a lie; I did go there. Two years ago.

"Right, right," Xander nodded, not taking his eyes off of mine, evidently not buying my lies again. "Why'd you leave it then?"

"Well, you know, same old. Moved house and this was the best school around, so..." I trailed off, shrugging. It wasn't totally a lie, again; I did move house.

"Why'd you move house?"

"'Cause my parents wanted a new house. What kind of question is that?" I snapped, disliking his prodding. He just observed me, looking like he'd mentally noted down how to pull my strings. Leaning back, he said, "Why do you not have any social media?"

Huffing, I accused, "Is this how you make friends? You interrogate them?"

"It's called asking questions, honey. Usually they ask questions back."

"Fine. Why are you here then?" I shot back a random question, targeting him now.

"Isn't that the question?" he sighed in a contemplative tone, his eyes wandering up into the depths of space. "Why are any of us here...?"

"Xander!" I snapped, and he looked back at me with a small smirk on his face. "Answer the question!"

"Well, it all started when my parents fell in love you see. They decided to do some unholy things and —"

"I am this close to strangling you," I struggled to say in a barely maintained voice, holding up my nearly touching fingers to demonstrate how close I was, and Xander's face split in the most attractive grin I'd ever seen — but that was beside the point.

"Well, if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I don't share secrets unless I trust you with my life," Xander teased, shrugging gracefully, a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, seems like we have one thing in common," I murmured, narrowing my eyes; he raised an eyebrow.

"But you answered my questions earlier," he countered, tilting his head.

"Did I answer them truthfully, though?" I asked him, and he furrowed his eyebrows just as the bell rang. He opened his mouth but before he could say anything, I stood up. "Got to go, can't be late for English!" I said, throwing him a last glance and leaving as students everywhere scattered for their respective last lessons.

As I walked away, Xander's amused expression was etched on my mind.

A/N:

What do you think of Xander and Karissa?

Remember to VOTE so I have motivation!
Love you!

— deainlustris