fantasty kiss, raj say hello [bill gates best books .TXT] 📗

if she knew she’d cause a fuss.
“Layla, don’t play. What time is this thing?”
“Eight thirty.” I admitted.
“In the morn? No, heck no. I hated getting up that early to go to church.”
“But you don’t-”
“Exactly, Layla. Eggs-actly.”
“Really? Eggs?”
“I’m hungry. And don’t change the subject. What’s in it for me?”
Now I smiled. He was my secret weapon. She could look but she couldn’t touch. Besides, hot guys were always going to be Marina’s weakness.
“Mr. Simmons is teaching it and I’m pretty sure there’ll be some really hot Goth guys.”
“Hmm, honey childe!” She moaned. “You know I love me a work in progress.” Again, she slipped into her southern accent she had been perfecting. And perfect it she did. It was eerie how good it was.
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there bright and early. But if you want me to be there you’re going to have to let me off the phone, lady. It’s late.”
I looked at the clock on my bedside table. Yeah, it was going on two in the morning. We’d spent most the night talking about things we hadn’t discussed in what seemed like forever. It was nice to just talk to Marina and not have to lie. I’d forgotten how easy it was to be a teenager with no worries.
Though she, just like everyone else had wanted to know about my test results. I told her just like I’d told Devin and Jack, that the people at the hospital said it would take a minute for the test results. They were a small hospital, after all, and they needed to send most of my test somewhere else. It was normal, they did it every time I came. Certain scans like the one they did on my brain came back immediately, they were always normal.
I didn’t blame her for being concerned and, after she found out I was okay, we went back to talking about what we’d been up to. That was why I loved Marina. She never took anything seriously.
I hung up with her then, heading to bed myself.
I woke in the morning, ready for anything the world could through at me. That is, until I actually arrived at the school. Marina was standing by my locker and instead of the ecstatic, hyperactive girl I was used to, she gazed down at her colorful shoes a bit solemn.
When I reached my locker she took a step to the right, giving me space to open it. She stared at me while I twisted the combination and while I took a notebook out.
“So were you ever going to tell me?” She asked after a moment.
“Tell you what?” I asked closing my locker.
“I thought I was your sister.”
Raising an eyebrow at her I said, “You are. Why would you say that?”
“Because a real sister wouldn’t keep things from me. My sister wouldn’t keep a hu-freaking-mungous secret from me causing me to find out by some pictures a missing freaking teacher sent me.” She took out a manila envelope and thrust it into my chest. “What the hell? Are you nuts?”
I didn’t need to open it. I recognized the envelope as being the one on Miller’s desk the day he showed Devin and I proof.
“What’s going on, Layla? Why does Miller have photos of you and Devin…what the hell are you two doing?
“I was going to tell you.”
“Tell me what? Are you cheating on Jack? Does he know?” My face gave way to the answer. “He doesn’t. Does he?”
I shook my head.
“Oh, Layla. What have you done? I mean he’s your teacher.” She whispered. “He’s old.”
I stared at her for a moment.
“Okay, so he’s not old but he’s still twenty-five, twenty six? That’s illegal isn’t it?”
I nodded. Knowing that if I told her age was just a number her reply would be that a jail cell is just room. This was a big deal.
“No,” I said. “Not me. Him. Which is why no one can find out. I’m eighteen now but if anyone knew what was going on they’d send him away and I couldn’t see him again.”
“What about Jack?” Her eyes filled with worry. For me?
“I don’t know.” I admitted. “I really don’t know. I love him.”
“Which one?”
I hesitated. “Both.”
She sighed. “God, Layla. Only you could get yourself into this situation.”
I shrugged. I’d only been saying that since this whole thing started.
“You have to choose, you know that right?”
I had chosen. I wanted Devin but I couldn’t tell Jack. I couldn’t hurt him.
“You have chosen, haven’t you?” She shook her head. “You have to tell Jack. You have to.”
“I will.” I whispered. “But for now you need to keep this under wraps, okay? This can’t be like my secret about moving. You can’t tell anyone.”
Realization lit her features. “Oh my gawd. The Halloween party? He slept over didn’t he? Did you two…why am I even asking that question? I wouldn’t blame you. He’s smoking hot. How long have you two been…sneaking around?”
I looked behind me to see a couple of students walking our way. When I looked back Marina was figuratively zipping her lips.
We followed the two students to Devin’s room and took a seat.
Throughout the class I couldn’t concentrate because Marina was looking from me to Devin. I was barely making eye contact with him which I knew concerned him. The fact that I was carrying a manila envelope when I entered the class concerned him, too.
He expressed this concern when I came back into the classroom when everyone left. He started for me until Marina came through the door behind me.
“Layla, Marina? Is there something I can I help you two girls with?”
“Cut the nice act, Mr. Sexy. The jig is up.”
Devin stared at me confusingly and I nodded. “Miller sent her these.”
I handed him the packet of photos and, after he looked inside, his eyes blazed with anger.
“So…do you love her?” Marina asked breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Devin sighed and took a seat. “Yeah, I do.”
“You better because you have gotten her into a shitty problem. The both of you have gotten yourselves into a shitty problem and my evil genius brain can’t figure out how to get you out of it. Have you two even thought about the consequences?”
“Jeez, Rina. You sound like your mom.”
“Well someone has to be the adult around here. Because obviously you two are acting like a couple of love strung teenagers.”
“In all fairness, Layla is a teenager…” Devin’s words trailed off as Marina gave him a stern look.
“That didn’t stop you from sleeping with her.”
“Marina,” I snapped. “That’s enough. Don’t be rude.”
“I think I’ve earned the right to be a bit snippy.” She told me. “You’ve been lying to me for how long? A few months probably. You’ve been acting very weird. And don’t think Jack hasn’t noticed. He talks to me when he can’t reach you, Layla. He’s concerned that he’s losing you.”
“He has lost her.” Devin mumbled not helping the situation any.
“I know, and I’m sorry for that. But-wait. He talks to you? Why is he calling you?”
She looked down at her feet. “I don’t see how you can be angry when you’ve been cheating on him for the past few months with your English teacher.”
“Why would I be angry?”
“She kissed him, Layla,” Devin said. “Students talk. It happened a while before I showed up.”
I looked at her. “Is that true?”
“We were drunk it meant nothing. It was just an innocent kiss, unlike the dirty you’ve been pulling.”
I couldn’t be upset with her. It wasn’t like I was any better. I was actually sleeping around with someone else. Jack had simply had one drunken mistake.
“Are you mad?” She asked. I could see the concern in her eyes. We were sister through thick and thin. All the lies definitely had to stop.
“No, I’m not mad. I mean, I should’ve seen it coming, you know? You told me you liked him then he asked me out…”
“No.” She walked over to me and hugged me. “Don’t make it seem like it was your fault. Well yeah, this is your fault, but not that. He liked you, so he asked you out. I was the crappy friend. I’m being a crappy friend right now.”
“Actually I’m the crappy sister. I should have never kept this from you.”
“You’re both crappy sisters, alright.” Devin chimed in. “Can you be trust to keep this a secret or not?”
I looked at Marina pleadingly. “Fine. But this is going to be the hardest thing I’ve had to do since that time I had to tell you that swim suit made you look fat.”
I hugged her, loving how easily she switched back to her old self.

  Chapter Forty Seven

There was no sleep to be had last night. Not only was Marina constantly texting me about details of Devin and my relationship but my stomach was upset again and I wasn’t sure why.
But it didn’t stop me from getting out of bed so I could attended Devin’s class. It was pretty early, a little before eight so I was a bit surprised when the doorbell rang throughout the house.
I descended the stairs in my pajamas and slippers to answer the door but before I could make it halfway, a voice I hadn’t heard in weeks made me stop in my tracks.
“Mrs.…Bungah?” Jack’s father asked Rebecca.
“Yes. Can I help you officer?” She asked a bit hesitant.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion but I need to ask you a few questions, may I?”
It was a moment before she answered. “Um, yeah, sure. Come in.”
I snuck back up the stairs before they could see me as they headed to the living room. I stayed hidden behind the wall until I was certain it was okay to sneak back down.
“Coffee?” Rebecca asked.
“No, thank you. I just need to ask you a few questions about your relationship with a Larry Miller.”
Rebecca sighed.
“Is it true that you two were sexually involved?”
I nearly choked on my own spit. I put a hand to my mouth to stifle my shock.
“Yes, I assume my husband told you.”
My father knew she was cheating on him with Miller? Oh, god.
“Yes, he is no longer a suspect in his disappearance…”
“But I am.” It wasn’t a question.
“I am not saying that. I just want to get your side of the story. Did you love him?”
“God, no.” She laughed, then sighed. “I just…he was looking for a good time. At the time…so was I. It was a time that Abiden was working all the time. I felt like he wasn’t…he wasn’t there for me.”
“Do you still feel that way?”
“No, we’re working things out. He knows that I had a slip up a few times. But we’re working things out.”
“Can you tell me where you were the third weekend of November? We estimate that to be about the time Miller went missing.”
She thought for a moment. “I’m positive that was the weekend my step daughter was out of town. Abiden and I took that time to work on our marriage. We fought that Saturday but Sunday we went to a marriage counselor here in town.”
“Just making sure your story’s add up.”
“Do you mind if I ask if there are any leads? I know what we did was wrong but I wouldn’t want him dead, neither would my husband.”
“No, none at the moment. It’s a bit like he just disappeared into