The '68 Camaro Between Kenickie and Me (Pacifica Academy Drama Book 2) Read online

  I slouched in my seat and applauded, but for Bryan’s group. They had been funny.

  “Seriously?” I muttered. “Ella, Quinn and Maddie got third place?”

  I looked at my friends, and their expressions were full of surprise and disappointment. At the total unfairness. Them getting third place also meant Ella might actually be elected the first girl president of our student council in a couple weeks. But none of us would be voting for her.

  “I hate to say this,” Warren said, “but Ella did choose a pretty perfect song. And I knew Bryan Costello and his friends would get something.”

  Okay. I could give Ella Walker that much credit, too. But still—

  “There’s two more places that could also have a tie!” Lexi whispered.

  I swallowed my giggle at her fierceness as I watched Ella, Quinn and Maddie, who’d been sitting in the center section, walk onto the stage to get their ribbon. And I again smiled wickedly from the fact Ella wasn’t smiling about her third place. Or that she’d tied with Bryan’s silly routine. She must’ve really thought she’d get first place, and I rolled my eyes.

  Bryan and his friends, still laughing, dramatically bowed after JFK gave them their ribbon. Which made lots of kids applaud louder.

  All of them stayed on stage while JFK said, “In second place, no tie, we have…our lover boys, J.R., Owen and Shane with ‘I Like Me Better.’”

  Everyone burst into rowdy applause. Including the nine of us. Because they deserved it.

  “I can’t even be mad at them about this,” Kassidy said with a huge grin as she clapped.

  “Yeah,” Warren agreed around a sigh. “I think I’m in love with them now.”

  I giggled as I clapped harder. But as they walked slowly onto the stage, I could tell by their deer-caught-in-headlights expressions they were shocked by the win. They didn’t want the win, either, since they weren’t smiling. In fact, they looked really…guilty.

  “They feel bad,” I said to Kassidy and Warren when their applause died down. And my smile faded a bit at seeing their guilty, confused expressions since they’d earned second place.

  Kassidy nodded. “You’re right. Another reason I can’t be mad at them.”

  Lexi leaned forward. “Guys, there’s still first place! Why can’t it be us?”

  Wow. Warren had been right. This side of Lexi was a little scary.

  I laughed. Because I so didn’t care about winning first place. I’d won way more than some silly trophy or ribbon this week. I just wanted to get the hell out of this auditorium, this school, and be All. Alone. With Shane.

  JFK lifted the microphone to his mouth and said, “And finally our first-place winners, who will get the trophy we had made for the competition, are…”

  Kassidy and Warren, and I’m sure Lexi, took deep breaths.

  “Drew and Crew with ‘Happier.’”

  I glanced at Shane as we walked to his place. He’d decided not to go into work today so we could spend some time alone, talking. Hopefully doing…other stuff, too. Like finally having our second kiss. And a million more after that. So his flat expression made my stomach twist, because I’d put it there. Again. After telling him what happened with Maddie.

  But I’d left out she’d been watching him. Us.

  “Hey.” I gently nudged him. “Stop looking so serious.”

  I waited for him to look at me so I could give him my exaggerated scowl. But he didn’t.

  “I knew something was up with you at lunch,” he grumbled.

  I frowned. “How? I acted totally normal.” Seriously, how did he know me so well?

  “Yeah.” His eyes cut to mine. “But you weren’t glowing.”

  Oh. I guess when it came to him, award-winning performances would never be possible. But I smiled, since I was beyond okay with that.

  “I figured it was because you were nervous about the competition.” He cracked a smile. “You guys were freakin’ awesome, too. I love that band. And song. You looked…incredible up there. And deserved to place. Not—” His flat expression returned. “Natalie, why didn’t you tell me Maddie did that to you? It’s not like her to act like that, either.” He shook his head. “But she’s…pulled away from her real friends the last couple weeks.”

  The concern in his voice, combined with what he’d said, tugged my heart. Because I now understood that whatever Maddie was going through outside of school meant she needed and deserved to be surrounded by her real friends.

  “I hate hearing she’s doing that.” I clasped his left hand and laced our fingers together. “And I didn’t tell you because I knew it would upset you.” I smiled. “Telling you might’ve affected your incredible performance today, Kenickie.” I squeezed his hand. “You guys really deserved first place.”

  He, not smiling, stared straight ahead. “But we weren’t supposed to be incredible enough to place. That wasn’t the point.”

  “Shane…” I practically groaned. Because I needed and wanted the real Shane right now. “Me, Kassidy, Meg, Warren, Lexi—all of us—know that. I promise it’s fine.” Another truth hit and I said, “At some point, being in the competition became…something I had to do. I don’t care that we didn’t place or win.” Sharing that truth with him made me give him a blinding smile.

  “I get it, Sunshine,” he murmured. Without looking at me.

  Okay. We needed to wrap this up and get back on the same page of finally being alone together for the first time since early Sunday morning on the way to my grandparents’ house.

  “And the whole thing with Maddie—”

  “Do you want me to talk to her? I mean…we’re obviously not friends anymore. But I’ll talk to her on Monday if you want me to.”

  “No!” I said, and too sharply. But we wasn’t listening. “I hate hearing you’re not friends, but don’t blame her. Because she was…mostly under the influence of Ella Walker.” But saying that made his flat expression become dark.

  “Yeah,” he muttered. “And when all of us were walking off the stage there at the end, I caught Ella off to the right with Maddie and Quinn.” He glanced at me. “I couldn’t hear what she was saying to them, but she looked pissed.”

  I cringed, imagining the nasty things she must’ve said, mostly to Maddie. Ella had probably blamed her for their rough performance and third-place win. Which tugged my heart even more. But Maddie had made her choices. Hopefully she’d find her way back to her real friends after seeing the real Ella. And Quinn. Who’d probably done nothing to defend her.

  I pushed those images from my mind, then stopped walking, which made him stop.

  Time to pull a Shane-worthy subject change.

  I closed the tiny gap between us, slowly hooked my arms behind his neck and unleashed my wicked smile. “Kenickie, we’re about to be all alone, at your place, for at least a couple hours.” I guided his head down to mine. “Let’s try a new topic. Something like—”

  “No.” He leaned back, his eyes filled with sadness and…guilt. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  Silence filled the small space between us. Then sirens started going off in my head as I became very aware of how he was leaning so far back I had to tighten my hands to keep them folded behind his—I removed my arms from around his neck and stepped backward.

  What the hell was going on here? With him?

  I lifted my chin. “What does that mean?”

  His shoulders fell with frustration. “That didn’t come out right.” He cleared his throat. Which so wasn’t a good sign. “I’ve been…trying to tell you something for a week. But the timing’s been…wrong. And I’ve hardly seen you. It’s another reason I…took this afternoon off.”

  The sirens in my head became louder.

  Apparently, he’d planned on more talking than…other stuff.

  “I don’t want to do this now, but I have to because of what Maddie and...Ella did to you.”

  It sounded like he’d said those last few words through his teeth.

  “I’ve also—�
� He looked at me and his eyes softened. “Fallen for you. And I’m sick of secrets.”

  Okay. He’d fallen for me.

  My neck, shoulders and back gradually relaxed as I allowed his confession to sink into my head…my heart…my soul. And I wanted to leap into his arms. Then kiss him. Until we couldn’t breathe. But what kind of secret did he have that would upset him this much? And even after saying something so unbelievably amazing? Maybe he needed to hear what I felt for him?

  I smiled. “Would it make you feel better if I told you I…feel the same way about you?”

  He smiled, too, but it didn’t reach his eyes. That were more gray than hypnotic blue.

  “Yes…and no. Because I’m afraid what I’m going to say might…make you mad. At me.”

  The warning sirens returned as my smile eased back into a frown.

  He released a quick sigh. “Ella and Quinn were the ones who got your club shut down.”

  Chapter 34

  Wait…what did he say?

  I stared at him as he concentrated on kicking a raised portion in the sidewalk with the toe of his shoe.

  No. He didn’t just say what I thought I’d—

  “I…overheard them in the T-Rex’s class,” he mumbled, still looking down. “Talking about…leaving typed messages about the club in the student council suggestion box…when Mr. Yates wasn’t around. So he wouldn’t know it was only the two of them.”

  Oh…my God.

  But of course it’d been Ella. Fucking. Walker. She’d always hated me being in the club. Blamed the club for my change into the real Natalie, who she also hated. But Quinn? She’d always seemed more accepting of the club and my club—my friends. And other kids in school. That’s why we’d always called her the “nice one” of our little group. Or former group.

  The fact they’d typed the notes, probably to avoid Mr. Yates noticing the notes were coming from the same handwriting, felt like an additional blow. And my breath left me at one thought—they’d gone to a lot of trouble to get my club shut down.

  Betrayal and rage then filled my blood and went straight to my eyes.

  I now understood the phrase “seeing red.”

  I blinked Shane into focus and narrowed my eyes. He'd known about this. But for how long? Maybe he’d only known for a week. He’d said something about trying to tell me—

  “I knew it,” he muttered. “I can tell by the way you’re looking at me you’re pissed.”

  “And feeling a little betrayed. Not much.” I took two steps backward, which put me almost on the sidewalk’s curb. “How long have you known?”

  He flinched.

  Another really bad sign. But I closed my eyes, willing him to say—

  “Do you remember that day I...fell off the grid? When I never answered your trivia question for me?”

  Oh…shit.

  I opened my eyes.

  His face had turned crimson. He was also kicking the sidewalk again.

  How could he have held onto this for over three weeks? And after I’d told him a week ago we’d been shut down—oh. That’s why he reacted the way he did.

  I started walking—more like marching—away from him. “How could you wait so long to tell me this?” I snapped at him. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “Okay,” he said, following me. “I fucked up. And I tried to tell you—would you wait.” He managed to clasp my right hand and stopped us.

  I pulled my hand from his, crossed my arms and kept my eyes on the ground.

  “I tried telling you last week at community service. But you…” He sighed.

  Okay. Fine. I hadn’t exactly been in a talking mood that horrible day. But him telling me a week ago was still a couple weeks too late.

  “I should’ve told you anyway,” he finished. “I should’ve told you right after I found out. Because if I had…you probably wouldn’t have ended up at that fucking party with them.”

  I looked up, and our eyes snapped together.

  “Natalie, I’m so sorry.”

  The guilt radiating from his eyes and face deflated me. My shoulders fell forward, and my arms fell to my sides. And my anger with him evaporated. But confusion held on tight.

  “Shane, I understand why you didn’t tell me last Saturday.” I leaned forward. “And what happened with that asshole and my really bad choices weren’t your fault. Okay?”

  He didn’t say a word or move. Until, finally, giving me a slight, curt nod. Though he clearly didn’t agree with me. But I couldn’t focus on that right now.

  I shook my head. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me right away.”

  He lifted his shoulders. “I didn’t think you’d believe me.”

  I squinted at him. “Why?”

  He frowned. “They were supposed to be your best friends and you were so…defensive of them. And didn’t know me very well.” He went back to kicking the sidewalk. “I also didn’t want to…piss you off. Right as we were…you know.”

  Maybe he had a small point about me not believing him. Then again, the week before spring break had been the beginning of the end of my friendship with Ella Walker.

  “I might have surprised you,” I quietly said. “And if you’d told me three weeks ago all of us could’ve gone to Mr. Yates and—”

  “I did go to Mr. Yates. That day.”

  My eyes widened.

  He’d gone to Mr. Yates about this? Really? Like he said, we hadn’t known each other very well…three weeks ago. Only three weeks?

  It didn’t seem possible so much of me and my life had changed in such a short time.

  “I told him the notes he was getting about your club were bullshit. I didn’t use that word,” he swiftly added, “but…he didn’t believe me. Or didn’t want to. And all of that’s why I had…such a bad day. And didn’t text you back.”

  I stayed silent as I let his words sink into my overloaded brain.

  It was nice he’d gone to Mr. Yates. But I couldn’t let go of the feeling if he’d told me sooner, the entire club could’ve gone to the student council advisor and talked to him.

  “Thank you for going to Mr. Yates,” I said. “But I wish you would’ve told me sooner.”

  Because how could Mr. Yates have ignored all of us saying the same thing? About my former, evil best friends. And I still couldn’t believe Ella had talked Quinn into helping her with the nasty mission. Or maybe I could believe it. Quinn had always been the true follower.

  Though none of this was my fault, the guilty weight returned to my shoulders. For my “so-called best friends” getting the club shut down.

  So-called best friends.

  How many times had Shane called them that? Because he’d known the truth about them. Which he should’ve told me three weeks ago. But maybe I should’ve seen their evilness. And would I have believed him then?

  “I feel so stupid right now,” I mumbled.

  “Natalie, you trusted them,” he quietly said. “You’re supposed to trust your friends.”

  I nodded-shrugged. I then remembered Shane showing up at our Thursday meeting with J.R. and Owen. And he’d fallen off the grid Wednesday.

  Had all this been the real reason he’d—I looked over at him. I had to know.

  “Is this why you were in the competition with J.R. and Owen? Because of…guilt?”

  Hurt hit his eyes. “No. I mean, I know it might look that way, but…no. I was supposed to be in it with Drew and Liam and those guys. But J.R. and Owen were talking in class that Thursday morning about not being able to be with you guys and—” He straightened. “I did it for the same reasons as J.R. and Owen.”

  I looked away. Though he had seemed and sounded sincere.

  Still, another question appeared in my mind.

  How had this perfect week with him—almost perfect day—ended like this?

  Shit.

  My defensive armor came up. I folded my arms tight across my chest. “Since we’re done talking, which you said was the reason you took
off work, I…want to go home.”

  He’d planned on taking me when his mom or dad got home from work. But this awesome and honest talk had definitely killed the excitement of being alone with him.

  “Natalie…” He sounded and looked defeated. “I can’t take you home until—”

  “It’s fine.” I pulled my phone from my back jeans pocket and faced the direction we’d come from. “I’ll call my grandma and wait for her at school.”

  Had I been almost bouncing alongside him minutes earlier? Trying to cheer him up?

  And the whole time he’d known this conversation was coming. Probably another reason why he’d held onto his dark mood so tightly.

  My stupidity tripled in size and strength. But I had to give him credit for being a great actor today. Because I hadn’t seen any of this coming. Especially after their…performance.

  “You can’t be serious.” He stepped toward me. “My place is really close.”

  “I told you it’s fine,” I said, going around him.

  “Okay. Then I’m coming with you.”

  “No.” I stopped to look at him over my shoulder. “I know you’re feeling guilty about what happened last Saturday night. About all of this.” I sighed. “But I’m sick of secrets and drama. And I just want to be alone right now. To…process.”

  His expression went back to flat.

  “I’ll see you later.” I turned and headed in the direction of school.

  I trembled at the thought of this newest…thing…coming between us.

  Last time it had been the shock from Maddie’s texts to Shane I never should’ve seen. And a combo of Ella and Quinn and fear of school gossip. Fear of harsh judgment.

  I’d slowly shaken off the fear of gossip and judgment. Just by being around him. Being around my real friends. And my everything was lighter because of letting go of all that crap.

  But we couldn’t seem to go very long without drama blowing up between us.

  Chapter 35

  “Sweetheart?”

  I slid my eyes from my bulletin board to Grams, standing in my bedroom doorway.