“Yeah? What is it? Why do you look so serious all of a sudden?” I hadn’t meant to say that, but now that I’d said it, there was no way of going back.
“Promise not to get mad.” I felt sick to my stomach. He kissed my nose and wrapped his arm around me. “I won’t get mad at you.”
“I kinda told my dad about your dad.”
“And?”
“My dad’s the head of the program that reached out to your dad,” I said the words in a rush, and the relief mixed with fear of rejection was a whole new experience for me.
“Are you serious?” I couldn’t tell from his face if he was upset or not, so I just nodded my head.
“That’s fucking awesome, baby. You did that for me?” Why did he look so surprised?
“Watch your language.”
“You’re such a girl.” He grinned and kissed my temple. I was so excited that he wasn’t yelling mad that I all but jumped up and down on my seat.
“So, you’re not mad?”
“Mad? Why the hell would I be mad that you want to save my dad?”
The relief made my shoulders droop as I felt all the tension I’d been carrying around leave me. The smile on his face and in his eyes more than made up for all the angst I’d been feeling since making that call to dad. Maybe this just going with my gut thing was the way to go after all.
That thing that’s been beating inside me since my first taste of freedom took a bow, and I felt surer of myself. There was so much I wanted to say, but not wanting to get ahead of myself, I held back. “Did you really think I would be mad at you over this? Why?”
“I don’t know; it just seems kind of invasive. But I couldn’t not do it, not when I knew it could help.”
That secret smile on his face gave me pause. He looked at me as if he knew something I didn’t. “What?”
“Nothing, I was just thinking that my lucky streak is still going strong.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He inclined his head in the direction of the others at the table that I’d all but forgotten.
I seem to be coming down with something because each time he looked at me with that smile on his face, I wanted to tell him everything. I think I started to, but as if reading my thoughts, Jessica kicked me under the table. “Ouch!” I looked at her questioningly, and she just slightly shook her head. I’d forgotten how well she knew me.
CODY
Whew, I hid my relief very well as we joined the other conversations going on at the table. When Steve had told me about his slip-up earlier, I’d wanted to bash his head in. The whole idea of having the team take turns watching over her when I couldn’t was so she wouldn’t know that anything was afoot. But it doesn’t look like she’d caught on.
Now, as if I wasn’t already falling hard and fast, she tells me that she was the one who was essentially giving my dad a second chance at life. I don’t even know if this thing with her dad was going to work, but it was better than sitting around waiting for him to die. I’m not sure why she’d expected me to be mad, though. I guess people with money can afford to put on those kinds of airs, me; I don’t care who it is; if they can save my dad, I’m all for it.
I’d already told mom about her; now, I had even more reason to like this girl. She’s so selfless, something I’d noticed about her before this. Selfless, sheltered, and sweet. That’s why I can’t let Susie hurt her again.
As if I’d conjured her with my thoughts, I spied Susie walking into the cafeteria just minutes later. She had the same group of girls with her as always, and from the way they glared at our table, I knew she was still on her shit. I got closer to Lisa as if trying to protect her from the venomous glares and was thankful that she was too busy talking to her girls to notice.
LISA
“Did you see that?” Jess hissed across the table in a whisper. Not only had I seen it, but I’d felt it too. Cody’s whole body had gone cold as ice, and the arm he had so casually thrown along the back of my chair had stiffened enough for me to notice the change.
The fact that his friends were now all wearing scowls and trying hard not to look in the direction of the newcomers was also a dead giveaway. But which of the girls in that group was the one to bring about the change?