The school day ended and I was ready to go home.
I walked through the hallways, weaving through groups of students who were laughing and talking. I kept my head down because I didn't want to talk to anyone. Charlotte was already gone with Miles. Luke was probably at practice or something. I just wanted to get home, eat something, and maybe read a book.
I headed toward the parking lot because it was a shortcut to the street that led to my house. But as I got closer, I saw a group of guys standing near one of the cars. They were laughing and talking loudly. And in the middle of them, I saw a familiar face.
Cade.
He was leaning against a black car with his arms crossed. He had that same dark jacket on and his curly hair was falling into his eyes. A few other guys stood around him. One of them was Kyle. Another was Ryan. And there were two other guys I didn't recognize.
I stopped walking.
I haven't talked to Cade in a few days. Not since that weird moment in the hallway when he gave me that flower and said I was the prettiest girl in school. Since then, I've seen him around but he always seemed busy. Always surrounded by people. Always looking like he had somewhere else to be.
And then there was the gang stuff. Charlotte told me about it. Other people whispered about it too. I didn't want to believe it but the way he carried himself, the way people looked at him, the way he always had guys around him like he was some kind of leader—it made sense.
I decided to sneak away before he saw me.
I turned around slowly, trying to act like I was heading back toward the building. But I only took two steps before I heard his voice.
"Kathy."
I froze.
"Crap," I whispered under my breath.
I turned around slowly. Cade was walking toward me now. His friends were watching but they stayed by the car. He had that smirk on his face like he already knew he caught me.
"Where are you going?" he asked when he got closer.
"Home," I said.
"You were sneaking away from me."
"No, I wasn't."
"Yes, you were."
I sighed. "Okay, fine. I was."
He laughed a little. "Why?"
"I don't know. I just didn't want to bother you. You look busy."
He glanced back at his friends. Then he looked at me again. "They can wait."
I didn't know what to say. He was staring at me like he was trying to figure something out.
"You've been avoiding me," he said.
"No, I haven't."
"You have. You haven't talked to me in days."
"You've been busy."
He tilted his head. "So you noticed I've been busy."
I felt my face heat up. "That's not what I meant."
He smiled. "Sure it wasn't."
I crossed my arms. "What do you want, Cade?"
He looked at me for a moment. Then he said, "Come with me."
"What?"
"Come with me. I want to show you something."
I looked at his friends. They were still standing by the car, talking and laughing. Then I looked back at Cade.
"I don't know," I said. "I was going to go home."
"It won't take long. I promise."
I hesitated. Part of me wanted to say no and just walk away. But another part of me was curious. Curious about what he wanted to show me. Curious about why he was being so nice.
"Fine," I said. "But if you try anything, I'll scream."
He laughed. "I wouldn't dream of it."
He turned and walked back toward his car. His friends saw him coming and they started to move. One of them—Kyle—gave me a little wave and smiled. I waved back.
Cade opened the passenger door for me. "After you."
I looked at him for a second. Then I got in.