“You’re going to find out I’m a boring person.” She grabbed his hand and tugged the door open.
It wasn’t long before Blue took the lead. They left the main campus and ran toward his car.
She couldn’t stop laughing as he helped her into the car.
He turned over the ignition, and within a matter of seconds, they were out of the parking lot, heading toward the edge of town, in the direction of the mall.
She didn’t care where they were going. Winding down the window, she looked out and laughed. “Oh, my. I can’t believe I just did that.”
“Being a rebel suits you. You should do it more often.”
“Not a chance,” she said, chuckling. “I can see why people enjoy doing this though. It’s such a rush, and crazy.”
He laughed right along with her.
Blue pulled up into the mall, finding a parking space. She shoved her bag into the back of the car and climbed out. “So, what do people do when they’ve cut class?”
“Usually, they make out,” Blue said. “But I figure we could head to the food court. Grab some snacks, walk around a bit. We don’t want to make you too much of a rebel on your first day.”
“You’ve got that right.” They headed toward the mall and Blue reached out, taking her hand. She was tempted to tell him not to, but then decided against it. She didn’t see a problem holding his hand. There was no reason to pull away.
That very morning, at school, she’d gotten through the finger-pointing and all the whispers. It kind of helped that Blue seemed to constantly have a smile on his face. It thrilled her greatly.
They got some burgers and spent the entire afternoon wandering the mall. To most, it might have been a boring way to spend the afternoon hanging out, but to Laylah, it was perfect.
Her cell phone was constantly vibrating with calls from Becky and John. She ignored it.
By four o’clock, though, she knew she wasn’t going to have much choice but to go home. As she climbed back into the car, her heart rate kicked up.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“What?”
“When you skip school, you shouldn’t look like you regret it,” he said.
“I don’t regret it.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. She’d let it down a little while ago as the ponytail had felt like it was tugging a little too much. “I enjoyed today.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“My parents. They’re going to be home and, well, I guess I don’t want to have the conversation with them. They’re going to judge.”
He kissed her knuckles. “I’ll come in with you.”
“You will?”
“How hard can it be?”
Chapter Six
“You know, I thought you were a good guy, Blue,” he said.
“I am. I mean … I don’t even know how it happened today.” He was about to spill the beans on creating a false girl just so he could get Laylah to kiss him. That wouldn’t help his cause and so, he kept silent. “I’m sorry. It will never happen again.”
Her father folded his arms, leaning against the edge of his desk, staring at him. “What’s your deal here?”
“My deal?”
“I know kids your age. I was once a guy your age. What do you want with my daughter?” he asked. “My wife has already told me about your previous reputation. Spare me the lies and the details. My girl isn’t someone to be toyed and played with. What’s your true intention with her?”