I'm in hot pursuit.

But not by any crazy fanboys or an angry cleaner for spilling a drink on the floor earlier. Instead, it's my very annoying best friend who wants to play cupid between this unpopular girl (aka me) and one of the popular boys in school.

That's how I hide away in the teachers' lounge. Earlier on, I snuck past the security door by following a teacher in and crawling under a desk. Fifteen minutes have passed since I sat here. I've been silently praising myself for successfully hiding from Avery and the disastrous double date she has planned for us all.

This calls for a celebration, so I grab a jar from the desk, toss aside the lid and stuff a cookie into my mouth. I'm happily chomping away until a pair of leather Oxford shoes click across the floor and someone stops in front of my hiding spot.

Oh shucks.

So much for trying to stay hidden.

Miss Campbell, one of the coolest teachers I've ever known, stares at me in disbelief. Rocking in a black blazer, white shirt, and skinny pants, she crosses her arms and lifts one of her perfectly trimmed brows.

"Delia? What are you doing underneath my desk?"

I shoot her a grin. "Sorry, Miss Campbell. It's an emergency."

"Emergency?" She frowns. "Did you get into a fight again?"

Mind you, don't be mistaken by her words. I'm not a delinquent. I'm a very courteous and studious student who has attended some boxing classes. Sometimes—just sometimes—when I encounter a bunch of rude high schoolers who are trying to hit on my best friend by grabbing her butt, I let loose a little and teach them a lesson.

Let's just say that such moments rarely end well.

"It's nothing like that." I explain to the fuming teacher before me. "Avery is trying to get me into trouble, so I'm hiding out here until she stops looking for me."

Her shoulders shag in relief. "Thank goodness. But how did you get in here? How did you get past the other teachers?"

I shrug. "I've my ways."

"Seriously, Delia?" she sighs. "Nothing can stop you. If you weren't my baby cousin, I would have given you a week of detention right away for sneaking into our office."

We may have a ten years of age gap between us, but we're as close as actual sisters. As much as she loves to impose her authority over me as a teacher, I still get away with certain things.

Like this moment, for instance.

"But you won't, right?" I grin up at her. "You know how bad Mom frets over me whenever I get into trouble."

"Precisely. That's why you should stop acting like an eight-year-old kid when you're already seventeen. In fact, almost eighteen."

I scowl. "But there's no fun in that, is there? High school should be enjoyable. Not just having us burying our heads in books and dumping knowledge on us like we're some sort of landfill."

She shakes her head at me in defeat. "You always feel a need to talk back, don't you?"

"But Miss Campbell–"

"Sheesh, stop calling me that when we're alone. It feels as if you're mocking me."

"Well..." A knowing smile grows on my lips. "Who was the one who chastised me the last time when I called her by her first name? 'Whenever we're on the school property, I'm your teacher. Call me Miss Campbell, not Maddie–''"

My cousin rolls her eyes and pinches my nose, ignoring my yelp of pain. "Enough. Now, can you get out from under the desk—Cordelia Walters! Is that a cookie I see in your hands? From my secret stash?"

"Yeah," I answer in between bites, my voice lacking remorse and embarrassment. For good measure, I hold out her precious glass jar and make a show of stuffing another cookie into my mouth happily. "This is flipping good! Did you bake them yourself? I like this very much. Hazelnut chocolate flavor? My favorite!"

Maddie has officially given up. She retrieves her cookie jar from me and grabs a piece for herself. Biting onto it, she sinks into her cushioned chair and grabs her slim tablet from the desk.

I crawl out from under the table, stand and dust crumbs off my hands just as a robot vacuum glides across the carpeted floor to clean up my mess. I glimpse the headline news that she's reading and peer over her shoulder to read out of curiosity.

On the headline of News Center Maine read 'BREAKING NEWS: ANOTHER EXPLOSION AT WORLD SOLUTIONS' RESEARCH FACILITY IN CAPE COD BAY, MASSACHUSETTS. EIGHT CASUALTIES.' There's live footage of ambulances leaving the scene and the charred walls of the building. Debris floats across the nearby water.

Maddie continues flicking through the world news, letting out a sigh as each one gets more depressing.

"SHORTAGE OF SEAFOOD SUPPLIES."

"AT LEAST 200 PLASTIC PIECES FOUND IN A DEAD SEAGULL'S BODY."

"MORE ISLANDS ARE SINKING."

My heart wrenches at the sight. I feel sorry for the lost lives, but something else perturbs me. The waters are already losing their natural colors, and it's getting worse as time passes. Especially with the ongoing pollution.

Someday the entire ecosystem will collapse.

***

Maddie eventually kicks me out of her office, leaving me stranded in the hallway. Before I can plan my next move, I'm seized by my arm and dragged towards the school's entrance. I glance towards my abductor, only to be slapped in the face by her auburn ponytail.

"Gotcha, chica!"

I groan at the voice. "Avery, please. Spare me this once."

"Not happening." She snorts. "Do you know how hard it was to get Spencer to come along with us?"

Spencer Wright, the star quarterback. He's got everything—the looks, the money, the brains and the killer smile. Basically, more than half of the school is in love with him. Avery is currently dating one of his close friends, Leo Scott.

I give an unladylike snort. Third-wheeling is hard enough, and now this?

"Why did you even bother doing this? I'm perfectly fine. I was intending to head home and curl up on my sofa with a bowl of Mac & Cheese and watch Netflix."

She glances back at me, her lips pressed together to form an apologetic expression. "Why? Because you're my best friend. I feel bad that you can't hang out properly with me because Leo's around all the time. And I know Spencer's your crush. We're going to kill two birds with one stone with this double date!"

Exasperation colors my tone. "Not my crush! He's just an eye candy! Do you know the difference between them?!"

"Nope. They sound the same to me."

"They aren't! When I meant that he's just an eye candy, it's because of his looks! A crush is someone more than that, which includes his personality—"

"I'm still not convinced, chica. I saw you watching him often."

"Because he has nice biceps!"

"Ah-hah! There you go!"

"I–" Frustrated, I let out a loud groan and throw up my hands. "Never mind."

We step into the parking lot and head for Leo's sleek Volvo. It's easy to spot the boys, especially with their bulky muscles, towering heights and handsome faces. While Avery is 5"4 and I'm 5"6, we practically look like dwarves just standing beside them. What on earth did their mothers feed them when they were babies?

"Babe!" Leo hugs my best friend before giving me a friendly smile. "Hey, Delia. How's it going?"

He says that every single time we meet, and my mouth automatically forms a standard response. "Great."

My eyes wander over to where Spencer's standing by the car behind Leo. "Hey, Avery. Hey, Delia. It's so nice of you girls to invite me along."

"Of course," Avery chirps happily. I don't miss the way my best friend's gaze glides over to me with a knowing grin. It makes me want to facepalm. "The more the merrier, right, Delia?"

She nudges me in the ribs, but I remain quiet and return a polite nod to avoid embarrassing myself. Spencer may be just eye candy, but it's hard not to be a stuttering mess when he gives me his full attention.

Leo waves us over to his car. "What're we waiting for? Let's go!"

Buckling up our seatbelts, we leave the school's compound. As Avery and the boys discuss the songs to play on the stereo, I glance out of the window to enjoy the view of the vibrant shop houses and the crash of waves against the shores in the distance.

Let's hope that by the end of this double date, a truckload of embarrassment won't run me over.

❤️