My mouth dropped open as Joey moved in close with a pleased smile. He didn’t move close enough to touch me, stopping just shy of my suddenly outstretched arm. I looked down at my hand, trying to figure out when I had put it up. If I inched forward at all, my hand would be pressed against his chest; his well-formed and surprisingly muscular chest. I’d never noticed before. Probably because I hadn’t been this close to him, ever.
“How do you know Joanna?” The words came out of my mouth and I almost laughed at the surprise on his face.
He didn’t back away. “She’s in my Chemistry class and Calculus. We’ve even been partners on a project once. Why?”
I nodded. My brain skittered to other questions I had popping through my thoughts. “Why did you kiss me?”
At that, the spark in his eyes faded a little. “That’s complicated. Can we go somewhere else and talk about that? I’ll explain.”
“Yeah. I don’t know. Apparently kissing is your main form of communication it seems and you just admitted that kissing me is complicated.” I reached out and smacked him. “Everything about you is complicated, Joey. Were you really looking for me specifically? Why?” The questions just kept tumbling out of my mouth and I couldn’t seem to stop them.
Joey sighed. “Somewhere else, Paige. Please.”
I put my hand over my mouth and nodded. After a few seconds of not moving, I spoke through my hand. “Where?”
He let out a loud laugh and gestured further away from my group of obviously eavesdropping friends.
“Paige, are you ok?” I instantly recognized Sarai’s voice, though she didn’t sound very sincere. She probably just wanted to be the first to spread whatever gossip-worthy info I could provide her. “Yep, I’m good.”
Sarai’s gaze skipped over to Joey though she couldn’t see his face, since he angled away from her. When her sharp eyes came back to me, they narrowed. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone. Who’s the lucky guy?”
I faked confusion. “Oh no. I’m not dating anyone. This is Joey McClure. Don’t you recognize him? Though, since I slapped him a few minutes ago I don’t think I’d label him a lucky guy.”
The confusion on her face was genuine. “What?” She shook her head and giggled. “I wasn’t saying that you were dating Joey.”
“Then what are you asking?”
Joey snorted with laughter as he moved to stand behind me. “I know what she’s trying to say.” Sarai narrowed her eyes even more, waiting. So he continued, “Your friend wants to know who you are dating because the only reason I would be kissing you or even talking to you is to break up you and your new secret boyfriend. It couldn’t possibly be for any other reason.”
Sarai snorted. “Now that I think of it, there has to be another reason. Paige hasn’t had a boyfriend since elementary school, and even then she had to bully the poor kid into saying he was her boyfriend.”
I clenched my hands, trying to keep from physically lashing out.
Joey jumped in. “Are you talking about Stuart Print? He wasn’t bullied. The stupid idiot made up the whole story himself when she wouldn’t let him kiss her. And that wasn’t her last boyfriend either.”
Surprise flooded through me as I whirled on Joey. “Would you stop talking?! Do you think I want the whole school to know everything about me? Besides, how would you know who my last boyfriend was?”
His arm went around her shoulders. “I pay attention, Paige. And since you have been a subject of interest, not only to me but to several guys who will remain nameless, I have paid closer attention than I usually do. And I have to say, you are fascinating. Which is how I also know that you don’t currently have a boyfriend. If you did, you would have suckerpunched me before I had a chance to even come close to kissing you.”
Sarai dramatically tossed her hair over her shoulder as she whirled around to go rejoin the rest of our friends without saying another word.
I shoved at Joey with a groan. “I can’t talk right now. Especially now that I know you’ve been stalking me. I have to go find Joanna. She just barely told me about Tanner and how you ruined that relationship when you jumped in out of nowhere.”
“And kissed you.”
Folding my arms, I peered up at him. “Yes, you did. Thanks for that little reminder. Would you like another slap?”
He leaned forward. “Only if I get another kiss out of it.”
“Not happening. We can talk later about whatever it is that is so urgent that you had to…you know.”
“Kiss you?” He supplied.
I scoffed. “A lot later. No more talking right now. Go away.”
“Today though?” He immediately pressed, looking back toward where Sarai was still glancing over at us. “I really do need to talk to you. Tangier Park, after school, next to the swings?”
I poked him in the chest. “Only if you promise to behave.”
He didn’t appear worried at all. Instead he gave a jaunty nod. “I can promise that. I’ll be on my best of the best behavior.”
“Huh.” I took a step back and looked him over. “You must really need to talk to me.”
His laughter reverberated off the walls as he released my shoulders and sauntered away. “Or I find that I really like kissing you.” He called out, shooting Sarai a wink that had the snotty girl sighing at him in a near swoon. “Oh and Paige, I didn’t ruin Joanna’s relationship. If talking to me destroyed what they had, it wasn’t a relationship. It never would have lasted anyways.”
The whole group of girls gasped and I refused to look over at them. Now I was going to have to deal with them gossiping about Joanna on top of them thinking that the infamous Joey liked kissing me.
Instead, I focused on the direction that Joanna had fled and took off to find my hurting best friend, inwardly cursing Joey McClure as I went.
