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He makes a face. “Does that mean you want details of my hook ups?”
“God no,” Iris and I say as one.
George laughs, but he’s not deterred. “Well? Was it Battle?”
I pick up a fry, stabbing it in a pool of ketchup. “Does it really matter who it was?”
“Yes,” George and Iris say as one.
“Jinx!”
“Ha! You lose, ’Ris. No talking until I say your name. Which will be in one hour.”
“I’m not playing that tired game, boy.”
“You called ‘jinx.’ That constitutes playing.”
When they get together, Iris and George act like they are still in the fourth grade. I sink further into my chair. Maybe they’ll forget all about me if I refrain from making sudden moves.
No such luck. Iris’s dark eyes home in on me like a hunting hawk’s. “You might as well tell us. Better we know the truth than speculate.”
She has a point.
I swirl my fry.
“Spill it, Anna.”
“It was.”
“Say that again?” George puts his hand to his ear, but he’s grinning wide.
“You heard me.” I’m sure as hell not saying it again. I’m mad that I said it at all. What happened was... I don’t even know how to describe it, but I know it belongs solely to me. And to Baylor. No one else is getting details. At least not on my end. Hell, is he telling his friends? I try not to squirm in my seat.
Iris squeals. “Was it good? What am I talking about? Of course it was. You two are obviously hot for each other. Oh, this is so awesome!”
At the sound of Iris’s enthusiasm, a few eyes glance our way. Suddenly I can’t breathe properly. Iron hands of fear grip my spine, push down on my lungs. My hands go numb.
“Okay, stop.” My tone is deadly serious, and both Iris and George gape. I tried to remain calm but can’t. The cold within me is making me quake. “This goes no further than this table. No one can know. No one. Ever.”
I can’t handle it if people know. I just can’t. Not with the speculation that would arise. Drew Baylor banged that? It’s bad enough that I’ve been waiting for the realization to creep into his eyes, that he’s made a mistake in pursuing me.
A growl works its way up my throat. What the fuck am I talking about? I’m better than this. I’m not some hag. I shouldn’t be ashamed. Cursing myself for my panicked knee-jerk reaction, I press the hot tips of my fingers against my eyelids until stars dance in the darkness. Shit, I haven’t thought this badly of myself since I was fifteen.
And I can’t go there again. Despite the fantastical thoughts of us dating that are running through Baylor’s head, there’s no chance of a girl like me being with a guy like him. I’ve spent too many years and dealt with too much pain while climbing out of that pit of doubt and insecurity for me to be pulled back down now. My overeager libido is just going to have to take a cold shower.
My friends are looking at me as if I’ve grown two heads.
I take an unsteady breath, feeling ridiculous close to crying. “Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” George says, frowning. “But you should already know that.”
A twinge of remorse plucks at my insides, but not enough to make me regret my words.
Iris appears just as thoughtful. “I won’t tell. I wasn’t going to...” She stops as if pinched and looks at me closer. “Oh my God, you did it twice!”
So much for calming her down. And what the hell? Is she psychic?
Iris laughs at the obvious horror in my face. “That hickey is fresh. And I know you hooked up with him during the party. You both went upstairs at the same time. And—” she points an accusatory finger at me “—you both did the walk of shame back down them.”
