Chapter 4

I was sitting in history class the next day bored out of my mind when I heard my name. " Hey, hey. Cassie. Over here".

I looked up hearing the hushed voice and looked around the classroom seeing what I had ten minutes ago. A room full of teenagers, everyone's head bent as they read the few chapters the teacher had told us to read. Shrugging I bent my head back over the page and continued reading.

"Psst. Cassie!", this said a little louder and more urgently.

Again I looked around the room, only this time I spied Marley peeking in the classroom doorway waving to me. I raised an enquiring eyebrow in her direction. What do you want? Her eyes narrowed and she crooked a finger in my direction. Get your ass over here it said. Sighing I raised my hand.

"Yes miss Black. What can I do for you?", Mr. Robins asked in a bored tone.

Well good to know he's as bored with this crap as we are. " Can I get a hall pass? I need to go to the bathroom."

"Sure. Don't take too long though, you'll want to be here when I assign the homework at the end of class".

I calmly made my way out of the classroom and into the hallway. I found Marley standing against a locker halfway down the hall impatiently tapping her foot.

"Holy Christ you take long. Are you deaf? I called your name like fifty times". " Sorry. I was reading my chapters and I have to really concentrate to actually remember that junk", I replied with a sheepish smile.

Immediately accepting my apology she started excitedly talking away. "Okay so I was in science and guess who's in my class?", she asked me with a triumphant grin on her face.

I shrugged wondering what could be so important that she had to drag me out of class.

"Matt that's who, and guess who he wanted to talk about allll class", her voice rising and coming dangerously close to a squeal.

I felt my face heat and my heart skip a beat. Oh. My. God. He likes me! I thought that maybe he was just being friendly to the new girl but why else would he ask about me? Trying not to give too much away I shrugged sending a silent, so?

" Don't even try to hide it. It was totally obvious you were interested yesterday at lunch. We saw the way you were smiling at him and you were pink the entire time the guys were at the table".

Realizing that I couldn't avoid it I gave in, " okay so maybe I like him. He's cute and he was really nice to me.". I started warming up to my subject bouncing in place, " plus his eyes are gorgeous and I think its sweet that he watches his nephew for his sister all the time."

Grinning at me Marley rolled her eyes, "anyways, so he was asking what you were like, where your from, and he even said he thought it was cute how shy you were. Oh yeah! He also made me promise that I would definitely get you to the bowling alley on Friday so he could spend more time with you", she said while wriggling her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Laughing out loud I gave her a light shove, " whatever. Any who I gotta get back to class or Mr. Robins is going to give me shit".

"Dude if he gives you any problems just make sure to pull your shirt down a bit and show a little cleavage. Mr. Robins is a total skeeve. Everyone knows that he has a reason for standing behind the girls when answering a question or whatever. She jerked her shirt down so the tops of her breasts were now visible, fluttered her eye lashes and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, " Oh gawd. Mr. Robins I am sorry I took so long it won't happen again, I promise".

"Okay eww. One, flirting with a teacher is like flirting with your friends dad. Wrong and illegal. Two, I am way to shy for that bull-poop."

She choked on her laughter trying to keep the empty hallway quite. Pointing at me and still shaking with silent laughter, " you are such a prude Cassie. Mr. Robins is in his early thirties for Christ's sake. You act like I just told you to proposition him," shaking her head in amusement she sent me a wry glance.

Psht. I am not a prude. My entire family was very big into keeping the younger generation well informed and up-to-date on the entire topic of sex, much to my embarrassment. I was just saving myself from future awkwardness.

"I'm going back to class before I miss the assigned homework the teacher warned me about. Thanks for being all double-oh-seven for me", and smiling to myself I headed back to class.

* * * * *

The rest of the week went pretty smoothly except for one incident where I tripped over someone's backpack and almost killed myself. Laugh, but I am not kidding. With my body and brain not on speaking terms it can be deadly. As I fell over the evil backpack I managed hit the side of my head on a desk. Let me tell you that hurt like a bitch. Thankfully it was nowhere near my face so all I had to show for it was a lump that hurt when I had to wash my hair and a scar for life when the entire class was in an uproar because of my "hilarious" clumsiness. High school kids are so insensitive.

I started to get caught up in all my classes thanks to the girls help and weirdly enough I was becoming really good friends with Grant. My shyness usually keeps me tense around guys my age but his understanding smile and unusually kind eyes put me at ease.

It was Friday afternoon and I had just gotten home from school when the phone rang. Rushing to kick my shoes off I raced into the living room to grab the phone. Out of breath I yanked it out of the cradle, "hello?".

"Hey its Mika. We wanted to call and make sure that your still allowed to go to the bowling alley tonight."

"Yeah, yeah. Its totally fine. My grandmother is going to drop me off on her way to bingo", seriously she's addicted. I mean its like her crack. If she doesn't go she has mood swings and when she does she's floating on cloud nine until her next fix.

Both Mika and Marley had met my grandmother on more than one occasion and understood. "Cool, well we'll probably get there before you so just head to lane two and that's where you'll find us." I could hear giggling in the background, "oh, and we'll make sure that we commandeer Matt until you get there. See you soon chika. Bye".

I managed a mumbled "bye" before I heard the dial tone buzzing through. Well, tonight should be fun those two are crazy but always entertaining. Wait did they say they were going to grab Matt until I got there? Shit I think they did. If they do that everyone will completely see through them, realize I like him and make a big deal out of it and I will be tomato red for a week. I immediately tried calling first one cell then the other hoping to catch them. Not getting a response I laid the phone down and slide to the floor feeling defeated.

Okay so here were my options. Stay home avoid calls from the girls all night asking where I am and deal with scolding's and their disappointment next week or suck it up get ready go do the bowling thing, try to act as nonchalantly as possible and pray that people won't tease me too badly for having the fabulous duo steal Matt for a good chunk of the night. I hung my head considering my options. Deciding that after a long first week I just wanted to have fun with my friends and whatever else happens, happens. Plus what kind of a whack job would I be if I turned down spending time with a guy as sweet and cute as Matt?