I kissed the Golden boy

Chapter 10 - Afraid

"I'm not going to school. I don't want to go to school." I sat behind a vanity table in my bedroom and kept telling myself, staring at the mirror.
What if he had said something to his friends? Everyone would laugh at me. They will tease me for months. Even after I leave for New York, they would talk about it. And mom would find out.
"Juliet." My mom opens the door, peeking in. "Why aren't you ready for school."
I stand up, turn and sigh.
"I'm not going to school today," I say and slip between the covers in my bed.
"Don't be silly. Get ready."
She tells me and leaves my bedroom door open after she exits.
I snuggle deeper into my pillows and pull the duvet over my head.
Why in the hell did I kiss him? If I'd punch him instead, I wouldn't feel that bad right now. Ok, people would ask me about it, they'd even tease me but it would be ok. It would be tolerable.
"Juliet!" My mom yells from downstairs and I take a deep breath, calming my nerves.
Ok, maybe he hasn't told anyone. Maybe he was actually a decent guy and kept it a secret.
I kick off the duvet and head into my bathroom. Quickly, I brush my teeth and set my hair into a ponytail. After I grab some jeans and a long sleeved shirt from my closet, I get dressed.
"Juliet!" My mom yells louder this time.
"I'm coming. Jeez..." I yell back and grab my books and my phone, shoving them into my bag.
I skip breakfast because when I look at the time, I am already late for the first period. As much as I hate to, I ask my mom to drop me off at school.
When I enter the lobby, Matt is standing by my locker, typing away on his phone.
For a second he lifts his eyes and notices me walking toward him.
I had exactly two minutes before the first period will start, so I grab his shoulder and push him aside, opening my locker.
"Someone is in a bad mood today." He smirks, leaning with his hand against the locker next to mine.
"I'm already late for class." I take the books I need and slam the locker shut.
"What happened with you and Decker at the party?" He asked when I brushed past him and headed toward the classroom.
"Nothing."
""Then why were you in the closet with him?" He caught up and walked beside me.
"He dragged me into it," I said, not wanting to lie to him. He was my best friend. We didn't lie to each other. Never.
"It was because of Tiffany? Wasn't it?"
He whispered and I stop.
"I know they broke up."
He said.
"Jason told me that you went to look for me. You went upstairs? Didn't you?"
He added and then I remembered the moment in the cafeteria when Decker asked if he could talk to Matt. The only reason a door was unlocked on the second floor was that Decker had asked a key.
"That's why you told me in the cafeteria that I'll see why Decker had a chat with you. You already knew that they were going to break up."
Matt avoided my gaze.
"Yes." He answered, looking elsewhere besides me. For his sake, the bell rang.
"Let's talk later. I'm late for class."
I said, brushing past him.

As I was afraid, Decker was already sitting in the classroom, talking to his friends. I walked straight to my seat and sat down, focusing my eyes on the chalkboard. Since our teacher hadn't arrived yet, the room was buzzing from teenagers talking about their weekend.
Behind me, Decker and Kyle were laughing about a funny video someone had shown them.
Nobody came to talk to me, no one noticed me. It seemed that no one knew about me and Decker and I thanked God silently.
"Everyone, sit down." Our chemistry teacher strolled into the room, holding a small cardboard box.
Everybody settled on their seats and Decker took his place behind me. I heard him chuckle, felt my chair shaken and then him laughing again.
I ignored it and focused on our teacher talking about the assignment. Decker nudged my chair again, but I gripped my table, knuckles turning white from the pressure. He snorted as if he had yet not to get my attention and hit it harder.
"What?" I turned, whispering.
He shook his head.
"Nothing."
"Oh, please. You are trying to get my attention. Why?"
He shook his head again, like he didn't know what I was talking about and leaned against the back of his chair, his long legs stretched out.
I turned back in my seat and closed my eyes.
So this was the pay I got for what I did in the closet? He continued to annoy me with his legs tapping against my seat, then making fun of my hair with his friends and snorting whenever I answered the questions our teacher asked me.
I was proud how I kept my irritation under control, just trying to ignore his remarks about the way I looked, what I said and why. Before chemistry was over, I was exhausted and I still had a whole day ahead of me.
After chemistry, I didn't see Decker for the rest of the day. Matt told me that Jordan had to go to practice since the Champions games weren't far away. Because of the team was short by one player, boys had to practice twice as hard. Especially, since Jason had been thrown out from the team and he was Crazy Monkeys best quarterback.
When the bell rang into the lunch break, everybody entered the cafeteria. I looked around frantically, searching for Matt. He wasn't in our table and neither was he outside.
When I tried to call him, he pushed decline after two rings.
He never did that. He always picked up the phone when I called him.
I sat down to our table and started eating my food. I was half done when Matt tapped me on my shoulder and placed his tray with food beside me.
"Where were you?" I asked him, taking a bite from my sandwich.
"I was talking to Decker." He said, pouring his coke into a glass and then took a small sip.
"That's why you didn't answer my call?"
He nodded, digging into his own food. I wiped my hands with a paper napkin and turned on my seat.
"Please tell me that you didn't tell Jason about me and Decker."
He shakes his head, chewing a french fry. After he swallows he squints his eyes at me.
"What?" I narrow my eyes at him, questioning if there is something wrong.
"You kissed him?"
My eyes widen and I turn away from him.
"No." I keep eating my food.
"You did. I knew it. You had that face on you like you had done something you had no intention to." He laughs and I stop chewing.
"I have a facial expression that says I did something I wasn't supposed to do?"
I speak, my mouth full.
"Of course you do. Everyone does." Matt drinks his coke. "And he told me."
I gasp. Decker told Matt that I kissed him? Why would he tell Matt?
"Relax. It's not a big deal. These things happen."
"No, they don't," I bury my face in my hands, ashamed," but he wouldn't shut up. I had to do something."
"You could have done anything else, but you decided to kiss him?"
Matt asks me that, raising his voice.
"Shut up. Someone might hear you."
I look around us, but everyone seems to be too busy shoveling food in their faces.
"Why did Decker tell you that I kissed you?" I ask, finally relaxing again.
"People think that we don't talk much but we do. We are brothers. He asked me if I knew why you did that, but I was speechless." Matt said, continuing to finish his lunch.
Matt sticks a fork into a chicken nugget and stares right in front of him.
"I'm still kind of speechless." He shakes his head, confused and eats his nugget, chewing loudly.
"I guess soon the whole school will know that. I will be the laughing stock for the rest of this year." I sigh in frustration and play with my food on the plate.
"I don't think so. He's not that kind of a person who would share this with everyone." Matt puts his arm on my shoulder and squeezes it gently.
"Forget about it."
"How can I just forget about it? I have to stare his face every day." I place my fork and knife down, somehow not feeling very hungry anymore.
"We only have a couple of months until graduation. Then you will be on a plane to New York. He will go in Lyre and get himself another girl. The end."
I look at Matt and he is smiling. He always knew how to make me feel better.
"You are right. I just hope that Tiffany doesn't plan on killing me soon. She saw us together and Decker said that she got the wrong impression."
"If she tries anything, I will protect you with my life," Matt whispers to me sweetly.
I put my hand on my heart.

"I am touched. You'd voluntarily get yourself  killed by the Queen Bitch of King Valley?"

"If you say this that way, it doesn't sound that good."

I nod in agreement.

The bell rings, signaling that our lunch is over. Everyone, including us, head to class. Matt makes fun of me all the way down the hallway, making smooching faces. I slap his head from behind and he rubs it. "What was that for?"

"For teasing me. Keep it up and you might end on the coroners table sooner than you can say, please don't." I point my finger at him.