The Kiss

exactly?”
    The only reply Eliza got was her best friend’s snore.

Chapter Nine

    Waking up for class was extremely hard. So hard in fact, that Eliza decided to skip Psychology at eleven and go straight to her English class at two in the afternoon.
    She took longer than usual to get ready, all the time trying to convince herself it had nothing to do with the possibility of seeing Nate at the cafeteria after class.
    Mondays had always been a source of anxiety, since she and Krista had a break between courses at the same time Greg and his buddies did. Eliza refused to let them drive her off, so they’d all inevitably meet at the cafeteria, where she’d have to put up with whatever idiotic behavior Nate would decide to direct her way.
    That specific Monday she couldn’t wait to see him, even though she wouldn’t admit that out loud.
    She just wanted to check his reactions when he saw her, she reasoned. Maybe there would be something to let her know what on earth was on his mind. If his friends started nudging him and laughing at her… Well, she’d probably wish the earth would open up and swallow her whole, but she’d also know that it had all been some kind of game and stop agonizing over it.
    She put on some mascara and finished her light make up with a generous amount of lip gloss, watching her reflection in the mirror. Her hair seemed a bit too wild. Did she have time to wash it and redo it? Nah. Unless she could skip English, too. She shook her head. She’d stop freaking and just go.
    “Kris, I’m out of here. Want me to set the alarm clock for you?” she asked her friend’s still sleeping form. A negative sounding groan indicated Krista had no wish to wake up.
    “Ok, call me if when you’re up. I can bring us a late lunch after class, and you can fill me in on Bill.”
    Krista turned on her back and smiled sweetly at the sound of her boyfriend’s name. The happiness on her face was enough to make Eliza smile as well, all the way to and through class.
    ***
    The smile disappeared from her lips about fifteen minutes into her break. Greg was at his usual table with Bill and Ethan, but Nate was nowhere to be seen. Eliza had at first thought Nate might have been held up in class, but her agitation grew as the minutes ticked by.
    When Greg broke away from his pack and walked toward the door, she quickly jumped out of her seat and rushed after him.
    She caught up with him right outside the men’s room. “Hey!”
    The look on his face when he twirled around to face her was that of a cornered animal. “Eliza?”
    “Where’s your friend?” She had no time for small talk.
    “Who? Nate? Don’t know. He didn’t show up.” He sidestepped her, but Eliza blocked his way into the restroom the moment he did so.
    “So he’s home then?” She gave him a toothy grin, knowing full well she didn’t appear half as cool as she tried to be.
    Greg’s eyes were flicking from her to his surroundings, and he kept shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “I guess,” he mumbled.
    She looked at him expectantly. “Well, where is home ?” And what had she ever seen in him? The way he was avoiding her gaze somehow disgusted her more than all the remarks he’d made at her expense.
    “Listen, Eliza—” He’d taken that tone of voice he’d used on her so often when they’d been together. The one that said, “ Listen to your superiors, little girl .”
    That tone irked her to no end. “No, you listen. I want to talk to Nate, and I want to do so now. I don’t know what he’s up to, but I swear to God, if I find out you’re in on it—”
    She hadn’t realized she had raised her voice until he took a step back and flinched.
    “Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?” She closed the distance between them to poke his shoulder with one finger. “I’m not gonna knee you in the… there again.” She indicated his groin with a vague gesture.
    “That’s not—I’m not afraid of you .” He squared his shoulders and looked down at her, making their height difference all the more noticeable.
    “That’s not the feeling I get.” Remembering their talk the previous night, she added, “Maybe I should start telling people how you and Nate—”
    “No.” He grabbed both her shoulders, but let go almost immediately and looked around once again.
    “What’s going on with you?” His behavior was so weird it wasn’t even funny. Well, maybe a little funny. She wanted to yell boo and see if he tried to