Page 18 of The Charade

That maybe seeing me again face to face for the first time since our breakup was as uncomfortable for her as it was for me?

Either way, I needed to figure out how to avoid speaking to Sofia today. Because from the way she kept glancing in my direction from her seat adjacent to mine, I knew it was coming.

Though I'd rehearsed our initial post-breakup meeting several times in my head while preparing for this school year, I still wasn't ready to have a conversation with her. Even three months later, everything was still too fresh. My heart was still raw from the wire brush she'd scraped across it.

I glanced at the clock above Mrs. Simmons's red hair.

One more minute.

One minute to think of how to avoid the inevitable.

I looked out of the corner of my eye at Sofia. Her thin shoulders rose and fell, like she was taking deep breaths. Her right leg bounced under the table. Her long, delicate fingers flexed and contracted on her lap against the pleats of her skirt.

"Since we just did a quick overview of our class today," Mrs. Simmons voice cut through my thoughts. "Your homework for today's class is to find twenty minutes or so where you can get together with your tablemate and fill out the questionnaire that I have up on our class website."

A few groans sounded around me.

Mrs. Simmons gave her head a quick shake, clucking her tongue. "I suppose I could assign a page of math problems for you to review instead, if the interview isn't to your liking." She ran her gaze over my fellow classmates and me. Then, with a half-smile, she said, "Okay, so the getting-to-know-you interviews, it is. I know a lot of you have been together at this school for several years and feel you know each other pretty well, but I have a feeling that these questions will bring out some things that may surprise you."

The bell rang then, and several students darted out of the classroom like they couldn't get to lunch fast enough.

"Well, I guess today's homework should be simple enough," Ava said from beside me.

"Sounds like it," I agreed, setting my iPad on top of the Statistics textbook Mrs. Simmons had handed out today.

"So should we—" Ava started to say before her attention caught on something beside me that made her eyes go wide.

My heart instantly took off to the races when I realized what, or rather,whohad most likely startled her.

And sure enough, when I craned my neck to the side, I found Sofia standing at the end of our table with her designer backpack slung over her shoulder, her signature perfume filling the air around her.

"Hi Carter," Sofia said in her raspy, alto voice, her cheeks pinker than usual.

"Hello." I swallowed and sat up straighter. "Uh, long time no see."

Long time no see?

Wow, I'd had three months to figure out what I'd say to her when we came face to face and I'd said that?

"Yes, it's been too long." She twisted her gold charm bracelet on her wrist, a nervous tick of hers.

Well, good. I was glad she was nervous.

She continued, "I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch together. Maybe catch up on what's happened since we last saw each other." She cast Ava a quick glance before meeting my gaze again with her dark brown eyes.

"Oh, um—" I gulped, my face suddenly hot as I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

Don't do it, Carter.

Don't do what she wants.

When Ava shifted in her seat beside me, an idea came to mind. "Actually, I already have plans for lunch with Ava today." I gestured at Ava, hoping she'd go along with my lie.

Ava turned to me with a small frown, clearly surprised by these plans I was making for us without her consent.

I widened my eyes at her, hoping to communicate that I really needed her to go along with this plan.

After a few heart-pounding seconds, she pursed her lips together and said, "Yeah, Carter was so sweet to invite me to lunch today since I'm new here. I think it was his way of apologizing for basically ignoring me yesterday when Scarlett introduced us."

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