Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5

With trembling hands I smoothed my hair into place. My glassy eyes scanned my reflection: bareskin, smooth nose, light freckles dotting across my cheeks. I wasn't the most beautiful girl, butI never considered myself unattractive. Perhaps it's not that I'm ugly, but that compared to everyone else I just fade into the background.

Forgettable.

A plain girl.

Sensing the rising sting behind my eyes I shut them tight. This was not the time to cry. I had less than five minutes before class.

The crazy part is none of this was about Kevin. I didn't date him enough to be heartbroken by his betrayal. What hurt is what his actions meant-that I wasn't pretty enough to keep a boyfriend, and that no guy could stay loyal to me when they had the chance to be with someone prettier, like Amy.

Cross was right. Amy and I were on opposite sides of the spectrum. I was 'one of the boys' while she was 'one of the boy's girlfriend'. Guys showered her with attention, while to them I was nothing more than a means to get her. The only boys who didn't play that game were Cross, David, and Theodore, and that was only because they never had to. Their looks keep them in an endless rotation of willing girls.

I could do my eyebrows..

My mom has been begging me for a girls' day. Maybe I'd finally let her drag me to the mall after school.

The faint shadow of peach fuzz on my upper lip solidified it for me. Yes. I needed a reset.

Stepping back from the mirror, I wiped my eyes once more before leaving the bathroom.

I scurried down the corridors with my face straight, unwilling to face anyone's scrutiny. Thankfully, the buzz of the halls didn't mention my slight altercation with Cross, but other juicer gossip that happened last night. I heaved in relief.

Then, to my surprise, waiting at my locker was Kevin. His smile stretched ear-to-ear, but it didn't reach his eyes, they were weighed with guilt.

At least he has a conscious.

"Hey Clara, how was studying yesterday?"

If Amy hadn't told me what happened last night, I would've blamed his jitters on the upcoming test.

"It was great. How was yor night?" I clipped, restraining myself to allow him the chance to come clean.

"It was a cool party, didn't stay there too long.." His voice wavered at the end.

I opened my locker and shuffled books just to see if he'd keep talking.

He didn't.

I closed the locker with a thud. "Aren't you going to tell me what happened at the party last night?"

Kevin visibly stiffened. "Not going to mention kissing

Amy?"

His facade tumbled. "Listen Clara, I didn't mean to. It was a dare, I couldn't do anything about it"

"That's funny." I cut in. "Because according to people there, you had a choice."

He cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry"

"Sorry?" My voice sharpened. "Let me ask you something-did you only ask me to be your girlfriend so you could get closer to Amy?"

Silence.

And yet, it spoke volumes.

Usually guys befriend me to get closer to her, but

this...this was a new one.

I laughed humorlessly. "He was right. You are a dog."

I started down the hall, but Kevin jogged after me, catching my shoulder. "Look, let's not act like either of us was truly in this for a relationship. You like Cross, I like Amy, I thought we were on the same page."

I recoiled in disgust. "What are you talking about? I didn't date you to make Cross jealous. I would never use someone like that."

"You think I didn't see you two in the hallway yesterday? You were practically begging for his attention. If you're doing that I figured I might as well take the opportunity to kiss the girl I want too."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. With his pressed khakis and collared shirt, he looked every bit the organized, well-put together person he was. His neat appearance blindsided me into thinking he was nothing like the others. In reality, he was worse.

Cross didn't hide his true colors, But Kevin? He was

a wolf in sheep's clothing.

But maybe that's what my problem was. I kept attaching personality traits to appearance when I should be judging the fruit. And Kevin's was rotten.

My lips pressed to a hard line. "I'm done with this conversation. Don't talk to me ever again."

This time, Kevin knew not to follow me.