Falling - On the Banks of Lake Saint Clare (Falling - Book One) (5 page)

“Oh, no she didn’t,”
Abbie
whispered.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the murder.

“Well Erica,” she said, moving closer, “if Miss Thang wants to take over this meeting, then she can have at it. But she’s literally not using my notes Daddy gave me.” She glared at me, “You think you are so great, let
’
s just see.”

No one moved or said anything for what seemed like forever.

Erica cleared her throat and I took the hint and finished the meeting. Hailey left and never returned for the rest of practice, but showed up the next day as if nothing had happened.

I watched Hailey walk up to Michael, standing super close to him. I felt my heart hurt. They looked like a couple. She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked him up and down. I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t quit watching. It was like a car wreck that I knew would disgust me but had to look anyway.

I heard
Abbie
still rambling about her curfew. She noticed I wasn’t paying attention and turned around. She saw me watching Michael and Hailey.

“Hailey has a thing for Michael. I hear his mom is a teacher and Hailey has all over her Facebook that they are soul mates. In fact, she even changed her profile name to FutureHaileyWilliams.”

“Wow,” is all I could say.

“He’s only lived here for 3 weeks and I bet she’s already sleeping with him,”
Abbie
said, not knowing how much her words hurt.”

“Ok!” I heard Hailey yell as Michael walked away from her, “Text me!”

He said something to Derek and made his way to the lobby. I looked down, not wanting to see his face. I was so hurt and I didn’t know why. I didn’t even know the guy but it felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest.

“Could we sit here?” I heard a deep voice beside me.

I looked up and saw Michael and Derek standing beside our table.

“Sure,” I smiled, shocked and at a loss for words.

“What about Hai
ley,”
Abbie
practically yelled.

Michael sat down beside me while Derek stood waiting for
Abbie
to scoot over.

I kicked her under the table and gestured for her to move.

“I don’t know what’s going on there,” he said. “She thinks we are a couple I’ve heard.”

“Well she’s very popular,”
Abbie
added as if trying to sell her to Michael.

“Does that matter here?” Derek asked.

“Yes. A lot!”
Abbie
said with a hint of jealousy. “I’m
Abbie
,” she held her hand out to shake. Why? No clue.

“Hmmm,” Michael said, moving a bit closer to me. I could feel his leg touching mine. My heart was pounding in my chest harder and harder. “Get your act together, Alex,” I said to myself. “He’s only a guy.”

I tried to read his mind. Tried to figure out why he was sitting beside me and assumed he wanted to talk about my dad and baseball. Maybe needed to know the schedule? Was trying to get a hold of my dad?

He set a frappe’ in front of me, “Here, I got you this. I asked the guy at the counter what you were drinking. I heard that’s what guys do at a bar to impress a girl,” he smiled. “Where do you stand on the topic of popularity, since it is of such importance?”
H
e asked, looking into my eyes.

“Where do I stand?” I asked confused.

“How popular are you?” He asked.

“I don’t think at all,” I blushed. “I’m just around. Just here.”

He kept looking at me. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to answer. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

Abbie
hoarded in on our conversation, “Alex is much liked. And everyone knows her, so in a sense she is very popular. But she’s not the bragger popular. Kind of a secret popular.”

Secret popular?
I gave her a warning glare, “I know people I go to school with is all. And the baseball team, of course. I’m not on a popularity crusade.” Gads, I sounded like a geek.

Michael smiled,
his crooked smile,
showing his beautiful straight white teeth.

“You have perfect teeth. I kind of have a tooth thing.” Please Alex, please stop saying stupid things.

I felt my phone vibrate and saw a text from Erica’s mom….

Jennifer:
I will be there to get you girls in 15 minutes. I am not dressed to come in and get you, so be watching.

Michael leaned over, pretending to read my phone. “Was that Brad?” He asked.

“Why would Brad be texting me?”

“He told me the other day at the ball park to stay clear of you. That you two have an understanding.”

“He said that?” I asked, “You have got to be kidding.”

“Nope, I blew it off. I wanted to find out for myself. So, is there any truth to that?”

“
None,” I said, wanting to instantly find Brad and tell him to leave me alone. “If anything, I avoid him every chance I get.”

I looked out the window and saw Brad standing with the group of jocks. He saw me look and waved. Then I could see his face darken when he saw Michael beside me. I looked away. I wasn’t scared
,
but uneasy seeing him look that way at me.

“It was Erica’s Mom. She will be here in 15 minutes to pick us up.”

“And Erica is?” Michael asked.

“She’s our friend. She was at the party the other night. If you see me, you usually see Erica. Her and
Kaitlyn
went to the ball park,” I said
,
while texting Erica to get back.

“There are no games tonight,” Michael said, taking a bite of his hamburger.

“I’m sure they are making out or doing something.”

“Awe. Gotcha. So
Abbie
, tell me about Alex. Apparently she doesn’t want to brag about herself.”

“Let me think,” she looked up. “Oh! She’s adopted. Just found out a few months ago.”
             
“Really?” Michael looked at me sympathetically.

“No interesting story there,” I said, not really wanting our first conversation to be about me being adopted.
             
“She’s captain of the cheer squad. Pissed Hailey off like you wouldn’t believe.”

“How’d you get that honor,” he asked, sounding interested.

“I got the highest score at tryouts. It’s always been the rule that the highest score gets captain, but I think it is going to the school board. Hailey swears her score was higher and is really making it difficult on everyone on the squad. We can’t ever get anything accomplished because she has to announce me as
Captain Cheater
and then go into a long explanation about how she deserved it more. I was going to step down so it wouldn’t be such an ordeal, but my mom said for me to follow through and fight for what I earned.”

“Smart mom.”

“
It’s
just not fair to the squad though. We waste at least thirty minutes a day listening to her.”

“Hmmm,” he said, but I couldn’t tell if he was agreeing with me or just understood what I was saying.”

“Anything else?” He asked, looking at
Abbie
.

“She’s made straight A’s her entire life.”

“So,” Michael interrupted, “I’m sitting next to a perfect girl, eh?”

I was so embarrassed. “I’m not perfect.”

“Well your looks are perfect and as far as I can tell your personality is perfect.”

I started looking out the window, not knowing if he was teasing me or being sincere. He could tell I was uncomfortable.

“Hey,” he smiled, “I wasn’t trying to upset you. I just wanted to know
more
about you.”

I looked in his eyes, the sparkle in them made me want to look at him forever.

“Hey Alex, let’s go!!! I heard Erica yelling. “Jennifer’s here!”

“You have to go?” Michael asked, sounding disappointed

“Afraid so,” I shrugged.

He stood up
to
let me out.

“Hey,” he moved in front of me. “Add me to Facebook when you get home.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes,” he laughed. “Add me.”

“Ok. See ya later! Thanks for the drink,” I smiled, picking it up. I opened the door and waved to him. I got out to the car and
climbed
into the back seat. I looked
out
the window and he was still watching me. I smiled and waved again. He winked, the same wink he did at the ballpark.

I slumped in the car and sighed. “Oh my lord that guy is
so
hot.”

Erica grabbed my arm. “I can’t wait to tell you something!”

“Owe,” I said, jerking my arm away. “Stop hurting me!”

She started belting out the song on the radio, forcing Jennifer to turn it up louder, making her sing louder. It was the
always-
never-ending-car-ride
-music
battle. I touched my leg, remembering how it felt when his leg was touching it
and smiled
.

Chapter 5

“Could I use the laptop?” I asked when we got to Erica’s house.

“Sure,” Erica sang, “It’s on my bed. But hurry back I have to tell you something!”

I went into her room
,
walked back into the
kitchen,
and started watching her fix us our snack for the night as I logged onto her computer. She was, if anything, the best hostess ever. She loved waiting on me when I came over
which was all the time since we lived across the street from each other
. Ever since we were in second grade, she played waitress and never grew out of it.

“You’re getting pot luck today,
me
BFF,” she smiled. I watched her toss her crutches on the floor and hop around the kitchen.

“Dang, you are in a good mood.”

“What ever do you mean?” she asked in the worst fake southern belle accent I ever heard.

I started logging onto my Facebook, hoping that I would be able to find the right Michael Williams. “Michael Williams is a popular name.”

“Yep,” she agreed. I don’t think she even heard what I said.

“Are you sure you don’t want help?” I asked, seeing her almost fall.

“It’s all good. Oh! I get my walking cast on Monday. That will be such a blessing. My pits are killing me.”

“So what’s your wonderful news?” I asked, scrolling down, trying to find the right Michael Williams.

I was starting to get frustrated when I saw a friend request pop up, seeing that it was him.

I accepted and looked at his wall.

Most amazing 30 min I ever had
. Under it Hailey had hit the like button.

“Crap.” I said, getting ready to shut it off when my
instant message box
opened up.

Michael: Hey you

Alex: Hi, You home already?

Michael: Left rite after u

Erica set a plate of Stovetop stuffing and barbeque potato chips in front of me. “You find him?” She asked, looking over my shoulder. “Tell him to hang on a few. I gotta tell you my news.”

Alex: Can you give me a few minutes. I’m eating and Erica needs to tell me something. I can’t double task. See, I’m not perfect.

Michael: sure, I gotta shower. 15 min?

Alex: that’ll work

“Ok, so what happened?” I asked, taking a bite of my food.

“Let’s just say I am not a virgin anymore.”

“Are you serious? For real?” I didn’t know what to think. I was curious
,
but also had mixed feelings “Who?
Matt
?”

“Yes
Matt
,” she acted like it was a stupid question. For all I knew she had walked out of Dairy Lane, dumped
Matt
for a cuter guy
,
and did it.

“Wow, do you feel different, I mean, like older? What
was it like? Was it romantic?”

“Well,” she said, “
l
et’s cut to the chase.
Matt
is a dumb ass.”

“Really?” I asked sarcastically.

“Very funny,” she laughed.

“So anyway,” she continued, “
w
e started walking to the ball park. I kept hearing
Kaitlyn
and Lee talking behind us which was annoying as hell. Kardashian this
,
Kardashian that. So we decided to let them go ahead of us and then we lost them all together.
Matt
suggested we go up in the press box and see if they were up there.”