The Chemistry Test

23. plotting and spying

Day Ten

As the day went on, I felt increasingly worse about finding dirt on Gwyn.  Not only was it difficult because of the time constraint Damon had given me, but I also had rehearsal after school, so my only hope after our awkward lunch conversation was speaking with her in Art.

"That's so pretty." she said, leaning over the table to peek at my tiger lily oil pastel drawing.  "I want that shade in lipstick."

"Thank you," I laughed, looking down at my messy work.  In comparison to Gwyn's buzzing cityscape drawing, mine looked like a loopy kindergartener's, but I smiled at her compliment nonetheless.

"I feel so sorry for Mark,"  Gwyn puckered her lips, smudging her drawing with her thumb.  "I totally forgot about our date today.  He looked so sad," she pouted,  "I had no idea about the play, either.  It's like a double whammy."

"I know,"  I sympathized, setting my oil pastels to the side.  "He's a trooper, though.  I'm sure he'll move on."

She looked up at me, resting her cheek in her palm.  "Do you think so? Does he move on easily?"

"Um,"  I thought about it for a second.  "I guess it depends, really, on the situation.  Why do you ask?"

She bit a glossed lip and looked to the side, "Just a question."  She gave me a reassuring smile before picking up a navy pastel and scribbling on her drawing.  "He just doesn't seem like the type.  I could be totally wrong, though.  We're still getting to know each other, and everything."

I couldn't deny how strange it was to have this conversation at this point in time, but maybe it was just what I needed to show Damon--Gwyn doubted Mark. It was harmless, but substantial enough. 

If I were to rummage through my bag for the camera he'd given me, it would have been too obvious and too late.  Instead, I glanced down at my phone and started an audio recording.

"I think you guys know each other pretty well.  You've been together for like, two months, right?" I looked up at her, but she was oblivious, smudging her paper. 

"Almost three,"  she said, "But I still feel like we don't know each other.  He doesn't really open up.  Like I ask about his home life, or anything other than school, and he completely shuts me down.  I can't get anything out of him."  she sighed, "I just don't know how much longer I can keep it up."

It wasn't a surprise hearing that Mark was closed off to Gwyn, but I didn't expect her to be so upset by it. 

"What do you mean?"  I asked, but before I could say anything else, the table buzzed as Gwyn's phone lit up with an incoming phone call.

She looked at it and a small smile crept onto her face before she glanced up at me, "Sorry, girlie, I need to take this."

No, no, no.  I bit back a protest as she sat up from the table and made her way out of the building.  Just as I was about to get the details.

What was so important that she needed to leave the classroom?  Who was so important?

The brief, vague audio recording wouldn't suffice for Damon.  I needed hard proof.

I looked up at the clock on the wall and over at my sleeping Art teacher, deciding that it was worth it to slip out of class and investigate.

Quickly, I put my supplies away and grabbed the camera from my bag, my chest tightening with excitement and anticipation as I tip-toed through the halls, following the sing-song echo of Gwyn's voice.

"Yeah, I'm on my way, silly.  See you soon."  Her laugh faded, leaving only the clip-clop of heels against the tile floor.

If she were to see me, I could always use the 'bathroom card', but I kept a safe distance just to be careful.  My heart sunk once she disappeared from my sight, but as I crept around the corner,  I caught a glimpse of her platinum hair in the sunshine of the courtyard.