Page 16 of The Wrong Prom Date

It wasn’t until I entered the cafeteria that I realized exactly how terrifying that notion was. Until now, I’d only had encounters with small gatherings of other students. I’d passed them in the hall and sat in small groups of them in classrooms. But the cafeteria was a whole new level of frightening, and the moment I walked into the room, every head seemed to turn to me.

“It’s Liam!” the girls at the table closest to me squealed.

I blanched and looked around for an escape. The girls were already jumping up from their table, and I knew I only had seconds before I was surrounded. Normally, I had bodyguards when I was out in public, and they were more than capable of dealing with crowding fans. I wasn’t used to handling them on my own. One or two were fine, but a dozen or more was another thing altogether.

Just as the girls were about to reach me, a large figure appeared at my side. “You’re about to get mauled, you know that, right?”

I let out a breath of relief as I recognized Tanner. “Occupational hazard,” I said, making him laugh.

The girls closed in but hung back slightly as they glanced at Tanner. It looked like they were ready and willing to accost me when I was alone, but slightly less inclined when I had backup.

“Hey, Liam,” the girl who stood slightly out front of the others said to me as she fluttered her eyelashes in a flirtatious way. There was always one that was bolder than the rest of the pack. “Will you take a photo with me?”

“Amber, Amber, Amber,” Tanner said with a slow shake of his head. “Are you really going to bother him for a photo at lunch?”

“Well, yeah,” she said, beginning to blush. “What’s it to you, Tanner?”

She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him. I, on the other hand, thought I’d found a new hero.

Tanner tutted. “If you leave this conversation learning only one thing, it’s that you should never interrupt a guy when he’s on a mission to get food. Come on, Liam, let’s get you in the lunch line before you waste away before our eyes.”

I quickly followed after him, more than happy to have an excuse to leave. As we walked across the room, I found it interesting that everyone we passed greeted Tanner with a smile. People genuinely seemed happy to see him, and given what I knew about the guy in the short time since I’d met him, I could see why. He had an easy, honest air about him that made him hard not to like.

“And I thought I had it bad,” Tanner said, glancing over his shoulder at me as we fell into line for food.

I lifted an eyebrow at him, confused at what he was implying.

“I’m joking,” he explained, when he saw my expression. “The girls back there. Is it always like that?”

“Oh, right.” I shook my head. “I don’t spend a lot of time in public, so not normally.”

“Still, pretty crazy,” he said. “I can see why you’re afraid of the corridors.”

I scuffed my shoe across the ground as I shrugged. My life was far from normal, and being in this school only seemed to be highlighting that fact for me. I was actually jealous as I looked around the room at the students. They all seemed so carefree as they laughed with their friends. I’d spent my entire life in the spotlight, and I wondered what it would be like to be in the shadows for a while. To be invisible.

“So, the food here’s not all that great,” Tanner said, drawing my attention once more. “I recommend avoiding the mystery meat dish and selecting one of the options that actually looks like what it’s supposed to be.”

I saw him pointing at a strange brown sludge, and I assumed that was the mystery meat he was talking about. I decided to follow Tanner’s advice. Pizza wasn’t exactly allowed in my strict diet, and I was sure my trainer would punish me for it later, but I was starving, so it would have to do.

Tanner took me over to a table and introduced me to everyone sitting there. I didn’t remember any of their names, except for a guy named Cole, but only because Tanner gripped his shoulder and announced him as his best friend. Cole rolled his eyes at his friend but held out his hand to shake mine.

“So, you made it halfway through the day,” he said in greeting.

“Looks like it,” I replied, returning his easy grin as I released his hand. “Not sure I’m still in one piece though.”

Tanner and Cole both laughed. “It should get easier once the initial excitement dies down a little,” Cole said.

I hoped he was right, but even if he was, who knew how long that might take.

“So, why Lincoln High?” Tanner asked.

“I think there must have been a fan of yourTrue Lovecontest in the studio,” I replied. “They were the ones who made the decision.”

Tanner laughed and nudged Cole in the side. “Dude, even people in Hollywood watched you make an idiot out of yourself.”

“You were in the contest?” I asked him.

Cole nodded. “I guess so. I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out though. I got the girl, didn’t I?” His gaze seemed to drift across the room as he spoke, and a subtle smile lifted his lips as he stared at a brunette who was sitting at another table chatting with her friends. She seemed to sense him watching her and looked over. The moment their eyes collided, his smile widened into a grin, and he winked, making her blush.

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