For Rylie

Chapter 9

Leah and Tessa had dragged me off for a walk as the boys were packing their stuff into the car. 

We had already done that but I was still reluctant to go with them. 

Things that morning had been not awkward, and so incredibly awkward at the same time.

I had a feeling that what we had said wasn't enough. Now I knew something about him and he knew something about me that wasn't something either of us just went around telling anyone. It was this way for me and I knew by the way he was acting this morning that he was the same. 

He had been careful around me, but he was still trying to put on the mask. 

And may I say he was epically failing at that. 

Every time I looked at him, he would say something like "Can't keep your eyes off me, can you?" 

Everyone laughed, but everyone knew there was something off, no one wanted to point it out though. 

"Rylie." Leah was snapping her fingers in front of my face, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Sorry, what?" I asked apologetically. 

I truly was sorry, I was so caught up in my head that I had missed any conversation, if there had been one. 

"i said," Leah said, rolling her eyes but smiling. "What the hell is up with Max?"

I frowned purposefully. I didn't want anyone to know about my masks so I figured Max would feel the same. "What do you mean?"

It was Tessa this time that rolled her eyes. "Seriously? He's been acting weird since you two came back from the dare."

I wasn't about to remind her that it was her dare, because it really hadn't mattered. And anyway, it was better off this way. 

In my brain I was going through the reasons for and against telling them what happened. They were my two closest girl friends and I was pretty sure it was in the unspoken rules of friendship between girls that had you dissect every kiss you had with a guy. 

It didn't give anything too big away on Max so I resolved that I would tell them. 

"So? Did anything happen?" Leah prompted, puting her hands on her hips. 

We had stopped walking and she was tapping her left foot impatiently on the ground with irritating speed. 

"Well we kissed?" I said but they didn't buy it. 

"Before you get excited, nothing major happened." I told them, but it was too late, they were already beyond excitement. 

I recounted what I had told Max about Zane the other night, and how he said he was nothing like Zane and that he would never pressure me into something I didn't want to do.

To be honest, I had to edit that story a fair bit. As far as everyone knew, Zane had made me feel uncomfortable and was trying to make out with me at a party with heaps of people watching. 

They had no idea what actually happened. 

"So, then we walked to the forest and," I was about to continue but their excitement was getting on my nerves. They were on the verge jumping up and screaming. 

"Will you two calm down??" I shrieked but they shook their head simultaneously. 

I rolled my eyes but continued. "He said that I didn't have to kiss him. He said he wasn't going to pressure me into something I didn't want to do and said we didn't have to..." I trailed, dreading the part that would come next.