Page 54 of Here's to Yesterday

I stop dead in my tracks on my path back to the table, because sitting at my table, the one I’m sharing with Tucker, isClarissa.

And she’s touching him. Toomuch.

My hands clench into fists of their own accord, my eyes fall into slits, and my breathing speeds up. My feet also apparently start moving on their own, because I’m suddenly standing at the edge of the table, glaring holes intoClarissa.

I try to see how stupid I’m being, but I can’t look past how close she’s sitting to him, or how she’sstilltouching him, or how she’s letting her boobs hang out more than usual, making sure they’re in front of his face. I try to tell myself that it’ssonot my place to be upset. I try to breathe through my unjustifiedanger.

But, as usual, I don’t pay any attention tomyself.

“Can I help you?” she says in that annoying, childlike voice she has, looking down her nose atme.

I stand up straight and hold my head up high, giving me false confidence for what I’m about to do. “Yeah, you can. You’re in my seat. I’d like you tomove.”

Clarissa—a person who is used to Meek Maura and typically gets away with talking down to me—startles at my reply. She quickly recovers and sneers at me, “No. I was herefirst.”

Tucker’s chuckle is the only thing that catches my attention. He scoots himself far away from Clarissa and smirks atme.

“Actually,” he says to her while still staring at me, “my girl Maura was herefirst.”

Clarissa snorts unattractively. “Yourgirl? Thought you had a boyfriend. Already screwing around with his brother, I see. That didn’t take youlong.”

“I-I…I…”

“Why’s it matter? Jealous?” Tucker remarks, turning the attention from me tohim.

Clarissa rolls her eyes and tosses her hair over her shoulder as she gets up off my stool. As she walks by, in true mean girl fashion, I hear her say, “Slut.”

Pot, meetkettle.

I ignore her and take my seat, still holding on to my falsebravery.

I feel rather than hear Tucker startlaughing.

“What?” He starts laughing harder. I let out an exasperated breath. “Are you laughing atme?”

“Yes. No,” he answers between gulps of air. “I’m laughing athercallingyouaslut.”

“Well, I get that that’s the no part. What’s theyes?”

“You were jealous,” hesays.

I scoff and attempt to joke, “Nah. Didn’t want you catching anything you couldn’t washoff.”

“And I’m ChrisHemsworth.”

“I wish,” Imurmur.

“And I heard that. You were jealous. It was written all over yourface.”

Most girls would act coy and try to play the jealousy off as something else. But what Tucker said sits with me in an unpleasantway.

Was my jealousy truly that noticeable? Were my feelingsthaton display? When people see me and Tucker together, do they think we’re dating? Do the people I know think I’m cheating on Tanner? Is what I have with Tucker that tangible?AmI aslut?

“Hey,” he says, pulling me out of my daze. Reaching over, Tucker runs his fingertip over my eyebrow, attempting to smooth it out. “You’re scowling. Stop it. What did I say to causeit?”

“Is the way you make me feel that transparent? Am I a cheater? It’s not physical, but is this cheating? Do people think I’m bouncing from Tanner’s bed toyours?”

Tucker sighs and scrubs his hands over his face. “I can’t answer any of that, Maura. It’s all going to make me feel like shit,” he tells me sullenly, hiding behind hishands.

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