(16) Matchmaker

"Makennah Thomas, you're needed in the office."

Ears perking up at the sound of her name, Makennah lifted her head from the notes she was taking in history class.

"You're dismissed, Makennah," Mr. Timmons said, waving his hand and motioning for Makennah to leave so that he could return to teaching his class.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Not because she was requested in the office. But because it was Theo doing the requesting.

In the hallway after the door closed behind her, Makennah crossed her arms over her chest. "What's going on?"

"We have some spying to do," Theo whispered in the dead hallway. Whispering, she wasn't sure why. Not a soul in sight.

"I'm not needed in the office?" She asked.

"Definitely not. We'll get you back before the period ends." Theo cupped her elbow and whisked her down the hallway, leading her on paths she had never travelled before.

"How is this even happening? I'm so confused." Once again, a normal day skewed off course by Theodore Alexander Rose III.

"I'm an office aid. Since I'm a senior and met a lot of my requirements early, I have three free periods and I work for the office during that time," Theo explained, while checking behind them to ensure no one saw them or was following.

"So then....where are we going?" Theo guided her around a corner and dropped his hand from her elbow, trusting that she would follow. Which she did.

Theo shoved one hand through his hair and ruffled the slightly wavy ends of his hair which were getting a little long since the first time she met him. She kind of like it though. His mussed hair aged him a little, made him look kind of manly and rough.

"I saw Cassandra sneak out of class and head this way. The assistant coach has his free period right now. I checked his schedule."

Her heart rate spiked at this information. The possibility of catching Cassandra in the act sounded pretty darn good right about now considering all of the sneaking around that had occurred without fruition of evidence.

"You think...?" She started but couldn't finish. She worked her legs harder to keep up with Theo's quick pace.

"Oh yeah." Turning his head, he smirked down at her but kept his pace. "Today is the day, baby."

"Where do you think she went?" Suddenly, Makennah was whispering too.

"I was thinking we should check the theatre again. Might be a common meeting place," Theo suggested.

Their steps slowed considerably when they neared the main entrance to the theatre which had one door propped open like always. Inside, darkness swathed the theatre and concealed the rows of seats that declined to the theatre stage. She eyed Theo and waited for his next move.

What if she was inside? What would they do?

"Do you have your phone in case she's in there?" Makennah asked, peeking over at Theo who leaned against the wall beside her.

"Yes, ma'am, now peek inside." Pointing to the open door, he nudged Makennah forward and patiently waited behind her in the hallway.

"I don't think they're in there. Last time," Makennah gulped. "They were a little...noisy."

With keen interest, Theo raised his eyebrows. "Cassandra? A freak? Didn't see that coming."

Makennah shot him a look and eased forward. "Not like that. They were just...getting it on, ya know," she whispered.

"Oh I know," Theo smirked. "I know exactly what you mean."

She rolled her eyes and stepped in the doorway. "Okay, Mr. Player. Cool down." Without waiting for his response, her upper body leaned into the auditorium of the theatre and cleared the doorway so that she could pear inside and spy around for any illegal couples making out in the dark. "I don't see anything."

He paused and held up his finger. "First of all, I'm not a player. Second of all, let's check the back of the theatre before we move on."

"Not a player?" She sneered. She didn't really know and couldn't base any accusations on facts; however, Makennah wouldn't be the least be surprised if he was. Firstly, he was too good looking, charming, and disarming. Second, she heard the whispers of girls talking about Theo, noticing him walk down the hallway, giggling at him if Theo smiled in their direction. She wasn't dumb. Theo was hot stuff and could easily land any girl he set his sights on.

"You're not being very nice." In all seriousness, Theo frowned before he circled around her and entered the dark theatre.

"Hey wait!" She called our to him quietly. "I can't see and I don't know where I'm going!"

Suddenly, his fingers curled around her wrist and used his grip as momentum to propel her into the dark. She refrained from squealing in surprise. Theo's fingers traced down her wrist and palm to lace together with her fingers. Holding her hand loosely yet possessively, Makennah was able to walk in the dark even though she couldn't see a darn thing and trust that Theo wouldn't lead her astray.

Her heart kicked into overdrive with the adrenaline of sneaking around while she was supposed to be in class and holding Theo's hand for the very first time. She wondered if he was feeling kind of weird about it - weird in a good way - but figured he didn't. Every single time she thought she was done feeling like this, Theo did something a little off or different from a normal friendship routine and she went and started feeling special again.

"There's stairs right here," Theo whispered close to her ear, pulling her forward so that she could feel the stairs.

"Are we going on stage?" Sensing with the tip of her toe, Makennah awkwardly found the first step and mounted the staircase.

"Yeah, we're going in the back. They might be behind the curtain or in the dressing rooms."

"Will the rooms be locked?"

"To be honest, I don't know." The two of them lost contact as they climbed the stairs, but just as quickly as his hand disappeared, it came back with a soft touch to hold her hand again.

Did normal teenager friends hold hands? Did normal teenage friends get excited to hold hands? Did normal teenage friends have to like each other in order to hold hands?

So many questions swirling in her head that she wasn't listening to Theo. All of her thoughts and nerves and senses singled out the most important thing at that moment and focused solely on that - Theo was holding her hand.

Immediately after class, it was her intention to run straight to Grace's locker and wait for her there in order to give her the low down and get her advice. Maybe they were right. Maybe Theo was into her.

Was she into him?

Unexpectedly pausing, Makennah smacked into Theo's back as they swished behind the curtain on stage. Theo pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight.

"If they were back here, we would see them. I don't think they're here. I have one other place we can check."

"Why didn't we use the flashlight before?" That's what she was really focused on.

The light went out and Makennah was back to using all of her other senses to feel around for Theo and walk in the dark. "Because," he paused. "Didn't want to lead them onto us or let them know we were here."

Or he wanted to hold her hand.

No. That's silly. They weren't twelve.

Makennah shook her head to clear the thoughts from her mind. Only one thing deserved her attention right now and that was Cassandra and the coach cheating. Possibly at that exact moment.

"Gotta hurry. Class is almost over."

Heading into the light, Makennah was able to see and therefore didn't need Theo's guidance. His long stride far outpaced her and she had to jog to keep up.

"His office?" She asked.

Theo nodded and dodge out the doorway of the theatre and turned right. "Risky but they don't seem to be caring about taking risks," he sneered.

When they reached the office, the door was closed. Raising his eyebrows in curiosity, Theo lifted a finger and pressed it to his lips. Makennah rolled her eyes. Duh, she would be quiet. They couldn't ruin this opportunity.

Leaning forward, Theo tuned his ear to press against the wood. He shook his head as if he didn't hear anything. Hesitantly, Theo placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed lightly. The doorknob stopped, engaged by the lock.

Pointing to the bottom of the door, she brought his attention to the light that seeped through the bottom and splayed on the floor. Quiet, yet it seemed someone was inside.

Theo cocked his head and thought for a moment. All of a sudden there was a shuffling on the other side of the door and the both of them panicked. Swooping Makennah into his arms, Theo curled around the hallway and flattened her into a corner to make themselves as small as possible. Theo covered her with his body and positioned his back to the doorway in case it were to open.

Just in case, Makennah pulled out her phone. She squeezed her arms between Theo and herself and opened up the camera. Makennah arranged the phone so that the camera peeked through the space between Theo's arm and side. Bending her head, she focused on the screen to see if anyone was coming, considering Theo's large body blocked her view.

"Someone's coming," he whispered. Well he had better hearing than she did because she didn't hear anything.

Indeed, Theo was right.

Two seconds later, Little sweetheart conniving cheating Cassandra exited the hallway and turned the opposite direction of them towards the classrooms. Of course, Makennah snapped dozens of photos of all angles of Cassandra.

"It was her," she informed Theo. "She's gone."

But Theo didn't move away. He hunched his shoulders over her, protecting her from view and reached for her phone. "Good photos."

"But it's circumstantial evidence. We didn't catch her doing anything," Makennah admitted sadly.

He nodded. "You're right."

"But it's a step in the right direction. Now we know she's daring enough to visit his office and lock the door during the day."

Theo slipped her phone back into her hand. "Maybe we should try talking to Matt again."

"Do you think he'll listen?" She asked carefully. After all, Theo obviously knew Matt better than she did.

The bell rang signaling the period was over. All over the building, classroom doors opened and students spilled out into the hallways. Teachers stood beside their classrooms and chatted with other teachers for the four minute class break before the bell rang again.

Slowly, Theo opened his shoulder and motioned for Makennah to exit their little secret corner and return to class. Without answering her question, Theo walked away and Makennah followed.

"What if we try talking to Cassandra?"

"Still no evidence," he answered.

"I have a feeling the truth would be all over her face if we confronted her about it."

Theo shrugged. "Maybe. I'd like to have more evidence first. And if Matt still doesn't listen, then we can talk to Cassandra."

"We should tread lightly."

"Whys that?"

"Cassandra is cheating but she isn't the one who would suffer. I don't know her parents but what would they do if they found out she was sleeping with a teacher. He could go to jail...prison even, if they press charges. That's no reason to stop the truth from coming out, but should we give them a chance to rectify this situation and stop seeing one another?" It was a long shot, but Makennah didn't want to uproot everyone's lives when it really wasn't her business or job to do so. Overall, she tried to avoid drama as best she could.

"I guess we just don't have enough information to make a decision," Theo said. He stopped at his locker which they approached first.

"This is really annoying." Makennah tucked her phone into her jeans which she wasn't supposed to have on her during school hours.

"I'll talk to Matt. Just see where he's at. I'll even apologize for bringing it up to him....try to get on his good side," Theo ducked his head to speak to her but his eyes roamed the hall, eyeing other students.

Standing so close to him, Makennah had to tilt her head back to see him properly. She felt small, but once again protected. Was he trying to make her feel that way? He had a way of inserting himself into her private space and staying there without being invited. Yet, she didn't ever push him away.

"Do you...want me to be there?" She offered. She didn't mean it at all. Her entire body revolted at the idea. Yet, she owed Theo....for something. She wasn't sure what.

For the first time, Theo smiled and his seriousness faded away. "No. I know you don't want to do that."

She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't realize that she was holding her breath. "Oh thank God."

Theo chuckled under his breath, grabbed his books from his locker and spun Makennah around. His hand lingered on her hip for a split second. "Get to class, Kennah. I'll text you after I talk to him."

"See ya." She tossed her hand up in a tiny wave and headed for class.

She really needed to get him out of her head. She was looking forward to that text too much.

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"Meredith, walk with me to the car."

Since Meredith had cheerleading practice after school, they happened to all be done with their after school activities at the same time. The football team, soccer team, volleyball team, cheerleading squad, track team, cross country runners, and band members scheduled their practices all at the same time since there was enough space for everyone to do so. The second Makennah's practice ended, she hunted down Meredith and stole her away from her cheerleading friends.

"Why? What's up?"

"I like your company. Is that so bad?"

Her eyebrows shot up in question at Makennah's tone. "I'm a very enticing individual to have around, I know. But you're acting weird."

"Nick has no steady lady friend in his life right now. I did some recon with Jonah and he filled me in."

"Who's Jonah?" Meredith asked suspiciously.

"No time for that," Makennah whispered under her breath, while whisking Meredith away to the parking lot with quick feet. This had to be timed perfectly.

"What the heck is going on?" Meredith kept up but she was dragging a little so Makennah looped her arm through Meredith's and continued dashing for the Jeep parked near the stadium.

As she had already spied, Nick was leaning against the Jeep with his phone in his hand. He handsomely ran his fingers through his hair and crossed one ankle over the other. Nick always made it to the car first because he never showered after practice unlike his brother who usually did if he had time.

Which left Nick all alone.

And coincidentally set up the perfect run in with her fave - and single- gal pal Meredith.

She couldn't have planned it better if she tried.

"Yeah so I was wondering," she started as they neared the vehicle. She talked louder than usual to get Nick's attention. Noticing her voice, he lifted his head and his eyes moved instantly to Meredith who was looking particularly cute in her black Nike shorts and school tank top. "Oh shoot!" Makennah stopped dead in her tracks.

Meredith started to catch on. Her eyes went wide and she mentally pleaded with Makennah not to do this right now.

Makennah threw up her hands. "I totally forgot my book bag. I was so distracted. Wait here!"

Before Meredith could complain, Makennah sprinted off towards the soccer field where she purposefully disposed of her bookbag in order to give herself an excuse to return to the field and leave Meredith and Nick alone.

As she ran away, she couldn't help the smile that sprung on her lips. Her resistance was weak so she glanced over her shoulder and saw the two engaging in conversation. Both of them were smiling and talking causally. Bingo.

As she neared the field, Matt exited the boys football locker room and nearly collided with Makennah. "Yo, you ready to go?" He asked, holding onto her arm when she lost her balance.

"I have to get my bag. Will you wait here for me?" She asked. She didn't want Matt to interrupt the master plan she had working.

"I'll just meet you at the car."

"No!" She said a little too quickly.

Matt cocked his head and studied her. "What's up, Mack?"

Her shoulders slumped in defeat. But maybe having Matt on her side would be a good idea. "Listen I'm trying to set up my friend Meredith with Nick. I just got them talking. Look." With her head, she nodded in the direction of the Jeep.

A small smile quirked on Matt's lips. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh yeah, I know her. She's cute. Does Nick like her?"

Makennah shrugged. "Not totally sure on that yet. Meredith likes him though." As an after thought, she mentioned, "Don't tell anyone I said that."

Her heart warmed up when Matt smiled at her genuinely. He hadn't smiled at her since they met practically. The worry and guilt she carried around that she had upset Matt started to recede at his shining smile. "No worries. Your secret is safe with me. You're playing matchmaker then?"

"Kind of," She didn't want to admit to anything. Privacy was her shield.

Matt chuckled. "Nice."

Makennah was just happy that he was talking to her. It had been too long. He never talked to her anymore. Whenever they were around one another, it was only in groups of other people so he only chatted with those other individuals.

Once she retrieved her bag, Matt and Makennah wandered over slowly to the Jeep where Meredith and Nick lingered in conversation. Matt and Makennah shared a smile before interrupting their talk.

"As I was saying," Makennah jumped right back in as if nothing had happened. "Come over soon? Sleepover?"

"That was your question?" Meredith raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah! You in or what?" Makennah nudged Meredith with her elbow. This was all planned. She wanted Nick to know that Meredith would be popping up in his life again soon. At his house. In his territory.

"Sure! I'll text you!" Meredith's gaze slid to Nick. She wiggled her fingers in a cute goodbye gesture. "See ya later, guys."

Nick nodded his head at her and opened up the door. His hand lingered on the door handle as he waited for Meredith to walk away. A smirk loitered on his face as he climbed in the car. Again, Matt and Makennah shared a look as they piled into the Jeep.

"So who was that?" Matt asked casually.

"Her name is Meredith," Nick admitted but didn't say anything else.

"She's cute."

Nick nodded. "Yeah she is." After a second, he added, "She is." As if he were still thinking about her.

Matt caught her gaze in the rear view mirror and smiled at her. She couldn't decide what she was happier about - her reunion with Matt or the successful pairing of Nick and Meredith.

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A pretty long chapter! It's unedited but I hope you enjoy!

What do you think? Are Meredith and Nick a good match? Would you like to see more of them?

Xoxo

W. Carolina