Best-Case Scenario

Chapter Thirty

When the last bell rings, I grab my things out of my locker as the hallways empty out. The only thing on my mind is to get out as quickly as possible, but I realize I should have gone a back way instead of the main staircase. I spot Finn in the crowd near the doors when I reach the bottom. I veer to the right and make for the side doors. Just as I'm about to cross the room, I spot Kali out of the corner of my eye.

I move towards a small alcove that makes me feel a little bit more hidden to see Kali walking with a fierce, determine look on her face. She's not walking towards me but to the doors, right at Finn.

"How could you?!" she yells when she reaches him. Her hands are fists. The crowd goes quiet and I'm stunned. Kali does not draw attention to herself.

Finn backs up, eyes wide. He raises his hands. "What are you talking about?"

"You outed her online!"

I feel shame melt through me, but stay where I am. I can see them clearly from here and everyone seems to be fixed on them.

To my surprise, Finn gets red around the ears and look down. "You two were- "

"Never mind what we were doing! Nobody deserves this."

"If you weren't yelling about it then no one would know for sure!"

Kali laughs. The circle around them looks at Finn for a reaction. He recoils a bit. "Everyone has been asking me about it all day. Who knows what they've asked her. Did you even think? Have you even checked on her?"

"We talked during lunch," he mumbles.

"And?"

"Not about that exactly."

Kali's loud, irritated sigh reaches me. "She might have done something messed up. To both of us." I flinch. "But she doesn't deserve to be outed. No one does."

Instead of waiting for a response, she walks through the crowd who obliges by parting for her.

I don't wait for someone to see me. I turn and speed for the side exit. Seth meets me as soon as I escape, taking in as much air as I can get.

He raises an eyebrow. "You okay?"

I shake my head. "Definitely not."

Seth doesn't seem phased. He rests his hand on my shoulder. "Want to walk around?"

"Not really," I say. "I need Seth advice. Can we get away from here?"

We end up at the snowplow turn around we hung out at two weeks ago. He rolls down the windows and raises an eyebrow. "Go ahead," I say. He rummages around in his pockets.

"So that post was a lot huh?"

I wrinkle my nose. "Yeah. Did you see it or did Imari tell you?"

"Imari is way too busy to check his phone," Seth says. "I didn't see it. Carla tracked me down looking for you. Did she find you?"

"Yes," I say sharply. "Did you tell her where to find me?"

He grins. "I told her you were at the football field. I hope she walked all the way up there. Sorry she found you. I tried to put her off your trail."

"It wasn't that bad." I lean my chair back and close my eyes. I'm exhausted after today. We don't talk for about ten minutes. I breathe in the cold air mixed with the sweet smoke and relax.

"We kissed," I finally say. "Me and Kali. On Saturday."

I hear Seth's inhale. "Did you plan it?"