Chapter 22: The Wrong Guy

Kay’s car is sitting in my driveway, and I can’t help but smile at the thought of seeing my best friend again.

I swing open my door to find a fuming Kaylee shooting me a ~you’re fucking dead~ look. Trust me, it’s a scary one.

I rack my brain for anything that could have set her off, but I come up empty.

“Dude, did you even check the time?”

All I can do is flash her a toothy grin.

“I was over at Asher’s.”

I shove a water bottle into her hand.

“You went jogging with him at eight this morning, and now it’s five in the evening.” She gives me a pointed look.

“We were just playing cards and eating pizza.”

Her mouth drops open before morphing into a smirk.

“You sure you guys are just friends? You spend every free second you have with him.”

“What? No, I don’t! I’ve been at your place the past few days,” I argue, trying to kick off my shoes.

“Because Asher wasn’t home,” she retorts.

I offer her a sheepish grin while wrestling with the knot on my left Converse.

“Don’t worry, I’m still on the hunt for his mystery girl, a.k.a. me.” I point at myself, rolling my eyes at the thought.

“You’re joking, right? He’s ~still~ not over that?” She furrows her brow.

“Nope, and I’m running out of time. I have no idea what to do.”

“I really don’t get it. Why are you doing what he wants? Just say no.”

Her words stop me in my tracks.

~Shit.~

~Why didn’t I tell Kay about his threat again?~

~Oh, right.~

She doesn’t know about my late-night wanderings and why I take them. One hint and she’d dig up the rest, then force me to spill the truth.

The truth I’m running from, the one I still can’t accept.

I gasp as a certain memory flashes through my mind.

“Hey! Earth to Addalynn.” A hand waving in front of my face snaps me out of my daze.

“Huh, what?” I look up at her, only to see her leaning in.

~What the hell is she up to now?~

I’m about to ask her what she’s doing when she slaps her palm on my forehead.

“Kaylee!” I yelp.

“What? I think you have a fever. You look a little dizzy.”

I give her a deadpan look. She pokes my forehead and I swat her hand away.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got Asher fever again?” She wiggles her eyebrows and I lift my foot to kick her.

“There’s no such thing as Asher fever,” I mutter, shooting her a small glare in embarrassment.

“Oh, yes there is. This is the face you make when it hits,” she says, mimicking my supposed “Asher fever face.” I can’t help but laugh as she pulls another ridiculous expression.

“I do not make those faces,” I deny.

“Are you kidding me? You totally do. Oh, and then there’s the ‘OMG, Asher, I need you to take me against the wall’ look.”

My mouth falls open.

She presses herself against the wall, slightly lifting one leg against it.

“OMG, Asher, I want you!” she whines, throwing her head back and winking at me.

“Kay, you better run because you’re dead. D. E. A. D.” I try to grab her but she slips away, darting into the house.

“KAYLEE!” I shout, chasing after her.

“It’s worse than a werewolf in heat,” she cackles. I pounce on her and we both tumble onto the marble floor. I start tickling her and she squirms under my grip.

“Okay, okay, stop! Sorry!” she cries out, and I grin.

“Nah, this is what you get.” A minute later, I stand up, deciding that’s enough.

For today.

I smirk down at Kay, who’s struggling to catch her breath.

“I hate you!”

“Nah, you love me!” I correct her.

She gets up.

“Seriously, why did you agree to find her yourself when you knew it would be impossible without exposing yourself and your feelings?”

“No reason. I’m just doing it to spend time with him.”

Kaylee facepalms.

“He likes you. Why else would he be spending so much time with you? Even Blake and Gabe were complaining that he’s”—she makes air quotes—“‘always busy’ these days.”

“No, no, he likes the girl he kissed at the party. He likes her. If he liked me, he wouldn’t have made me look for her.”

Kaylee groans.

“That girl is you, idiot. Just tell him the truth.”

“No way!” I shake my head, moving past her. I hear her curse behind me.

“I can’t with you these days. I think I prefer the Addy that was stalking Asher all the time.”

I spin around to face her again. “You do not!”

“Okay, okay, fine, I love you both equally. Now forget about Asher and your crush on him. Do you even know why I’m here?” She puts her hand on her hip.

“Because you missed me?” I suggest.

“You wish. Because you have a date with Xander”—she glances at her wristwatch—“in two hours.”

My eyes go wide.

“Shit! I totally forgot. And it’s not a date, by the way, we’re just going as friends.” I wag my finger in her face.

Kay swats my finger away.

“Naturally, you forgot, just like the one a fortnight ago. I had to cover for you, told him you were under the weather. And then, you had the audacity to ask him what he meant when he asked if you were feeling better the following Monday.”

In my defense, Asher had walked in right at that moment, and I completely forgot that Kaylee had covered for me, saying I was sick all weekend. In reality, I’d spent the entire time with Asher, devouring a dozen Inkitt books.

“And don’t feed me that line. We both know he sees you as more than just a friend. He can’t take his eyes off you whenever you open your mouth. You need to tell him the truth before he gets hurt, Addy.”

“Nah, don’t sweat it, he doesn’t have feelings for me,” I brush her off, heading towards my room.

“You can be so oblivious sometimes, honestly.”

“I didn’t mean to agree to a date with Xander. I accidentally said yes while I was busy ogling Asher.”

I flop onto my bed, facing her.

Kaylee’s mouth drops open at my confession, but she quickly recovers and smacks me on the head.

“Ouch, what was that for?” I complain, and she groans in response.

“Don’t lead the poor guy on.”

I give her a guilty smile and nod in agreement.

“Got it.” Kay rolls her eyes before collapsing onto my bed.

“What are you watching now?”

“Just rewatching ~My Secret Romance~.”

She winks at me and I burst into laughter.

~Typical Kay~.

“Alright, let’s get you ready for bowling!”

I whine in protest, but she drags me over to the chair, ready to work her magic.

~Do I even have a choice?~