Chasing Midnight by Courtney King Walker Page B

my old life, we all knew they were into each other but hadn’t done anything about it yet. From the looks of it, it seems as if they’re still on that page.
    The warning bell rings, and I turn my attention back to Liv. Her hair is a whirlwind of blond knots pulled together into some kind of braid. She’s in the middle of describing something with her hands, her metal bracelets tinkling with every movement.
    “You okay, baby?” James asks me, his hand on my back again, his face terrifyingly close to mine. “You’re so quiet today.”
    Breathe.
    I look up, making eye contact with him. It’s strange picking out so much detail in a guy who in the past I only saw from across the hall. As if his looks aren’t enough, he smells of musky aftershave and some kind of sporty shampoo. His dark hair is trimmed close to the scalp, except for right on the top, where it is perfectly styled into some kind of man-hawk, not a piece out of place. His eyes are almost black with a hint of brown in them. I never knew that.
    “Yo, K?” he says, his voice gentle. “Everything okay?”
    “Yeah, I’m fine,” I answer, leaning into him, melting into his body until somebody bumps into me, knocking me away from James and waking me up. The group laughs at something that Morgan said, and I join in to be sure nobody can accuse me of acting too good for them.
    “Let me know as soon as you find out so I can hit the parents up for some ATVs,” James says, turning his attention away from me. I never realized his voice was so low or noticed how his Adam’s apple bobs up and down when he speaks.
    Suddenly Jared and Katie appear behind Liv to join our circle.
    “What up, J-Dawg?” James says to Jared, the two of them meeting at a high five and a shoulder bump. He turns to Tanner. “Somebody got in a sick workout this morning. Show me those guns, T-Slade. Come on, buddy, let’s see what you got!”
    “Hi, James,” Katie squeaks, batting her dark eyes at him until he notices her.
    “KayTee, baby. You’re looking hot today,” he says, scanning her from top to bottom, making the whole group laugh, except for me.
    “Dude, I think we’re on,” Jared announces to the group. “Tuesday night.”
    Tuesday. What are they talking about? I smile and pretend to be as elated as the rest of them.
    “Woo hoo hoooo!” James whistles, sending out another round of high-fives, this time to everyone in the group. Except for me. I lift my hand to meet James but instead of slapping it like he does the rest of them, he grabs it and yanks me toward him. Our faces meet, stifling my breath as he kisses me on the lips. Right there in the hallway. In front of the world.
    It’s my first kiss.
    Nobody seems to notice my body shaking.
    My first kiss.
    Liv turns to me, her eyes narrow. “Where did you disappear to last night?”
    Who, me?
    All eyes are on me now, our circle of friends quiet. I’m still blushing, still trying to recover from being kissed in the hallway by James Odera. Still holding onto the echo of his lips on mine.
    “Yeah, you missed Jared break-dancing,” Morgan says. “It was epic.”
    But my mind isn’t working yet.
    What was the question?
    “Did we bore you? Is that why you left?” Liv asks suggestively as if picking a fight. I blink at her, wondering what she’s getting at. Did I leave the party early? How am I supposed to know? That wasn’t me last night.
    They all stare at me, still waiting for an answer. My eyes pan over each face. I gulp, hoping someone will offer an explanationfor my whereabouts so I don’t have to make something up. Somebody here should be able to vouch for me. Maybe James? Or Brecke? But when I appeal to them for help, even they are quiet. Evidently not a person here knows what Liv is talking about—including me.
    Not knowing what else to do, I make something up, hoping my response will prove too boring for anyone’s suspicion. “I was tired. Just went to bed early,” I say, dumbly, immediately sensing