"Jenna Hamilton, to the counselor's office."
I rolled my eyes. What did Val want now?
"Is it time for the creepy BFF meeting?" Sadie taunted. I rolled my eyes again at how lame her insults had gotten lately, but didn't say anything. Instead, I focused on getting my stuff and getting the hell out of math, where I'd been falling asleep. I was halfway down the hallway when I saw a familiar head of bottle red hair. Oh God, I thought, taking a deep breath as my heart quickened in anticipation of her voice. It was already scaring me, but it was just warming up. I moved quietly, studying the colorful dress she had on, and her straight hair, which had a wave to it today, like it did the first day back to school. She looked beautiful, but then again, Tamara could wear a paper sack and rock it. Finally, I got close enough for her to hear my footsteps, and she straightened before turning around.
"Oh, J. There you are. I was waiting for you!" The smile on her face threw every ounce of my preparation out of the window, and yet again, it was hard not to stammer.
"You heard the announcement, huh?" She nodded, and I leaned against a locker by the table she was sitting at, trying my best to look at ease. I shook my head, reminding myself to talk to Val about calling my teachers when I needed to get out of class from now on. She leaned forward, and I had to remind myself to stay where I was.
"Is there anything we need to go over before you go in there?" She whispered intently.
"Nope." I said, giving her a tight smile."
"Are you sure you're okay Jenna? You've been acting really weird since the beginning of the year." She gasped. "Do you still feel out of the loop?"
"Nope."
"You'd tell me, right?"
"Of course, T. I tell you everything." It was a complete lie, but she believed it so easily. I hated lying to Tamara, but I could never explain why I was acting weird. Because the truth was, I didn't want to be with Matty or Jake anymore. The fact was, I loved Tamara.
"Why are you doing that? What are you thinking about?" She asked, her panicky tone sending my thoughts back to the present. My palms began to sweat, but it wasn't noticeable yet. There was no way she'd read my mind, that was impossible. But she acted like she had.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your neck. When you're thinking about something that makes you uncomfortable, you rub the left side of your neck with your right hand."
"That's ridiculous." I said, pulling my hand away and starting to walk toward the office. Being interrogated by Val was better than being interrogated by Tamara. "I-"
She narrowed her eyes, following me. "Is there something you're not telling me, Hamilton?"
"Of course not! I have to go."
Her eyes stayed narrowed, telling me she wasn't convinced, but she nodded. "Okay. But you better call me later and tell me what your deal is." With that, she returned her eyebrows to normal and walked off.
"Trust me, T. You don't want to know." I muttered, turning the door to go into the office.