Page 35 of The Friend Scheme
The game finally starts. It feels like the most intense of all our fights so far. But the whole time, I’m thinking about him having a crush on Link.
The fight ends, with him just winning. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to winning so far.
“Nice work,” he says. “You nearly had me.”
A fluttery feeling fills my stomach.
Eddie barks, and then runs over to the door. I freeze.
No.
No no no no no.
This can’t be happening.
But it is.
Headlights flash in through the windows at the front of the house.
Someone’s home.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“What’s wrong?” asks Jason.
My mind is racing, trying to come up with a plan to get out of this.
I look at the coffee table, and see the remnants of our hangout. Two empty, but clearly used, glasses are sitting on it. I’ll need to hide one of them. And, obviously, think about something to do with the hot tall guy currently sitting beside me.
“Someone’s here,” I say as I turn off the TV. I stand up and grab one of the cups. “Follow me.”
“What?”
“We have our deal,” I say. “Unless you want to find out who I am, you need to come with me. Please.”
“Oh, shit, okay.”
He stands up. He’s not moving fast enough, so I take hold of his wrist and run him through the house to my room. I look around. Under the bed won’t work, it’s too obvious. I have a window, but it has a bolted-in, bulletproof metal fly screen. Nobody is coming in or out of it.
I realize I’m still hanging on to his wrist.
I let go. As I do, I glance at my closet. It’s perfect.
Jason crosses his arms and tilts his head up. “Really?”
“I’m so sorry. It won’t be for long. I’ll think of something, just, hide.”
I open the sliding door, and then push aside some of my clothes.Because Jason is so tall, it’s going to be cramped, but it’ll have to do.
He frowns.
But then he steps inside, bowing his head to do so. “I hope you appreciate the irony of this. I come out to you, and then you shove me right back in a closet.”
He grins.
I wish I could find this amusing, but I’m way too freaked to find anything funny right now.
“I’m really sorry,” I whisper. “I thought they wouldn’t come home, I swear.”
