I gaped at her for a moment, my mouth hanging open in a stupid stare. She looked at me expectantly. I was preparing myself to tell a lie, concocting a scheme in my head, when suddenly Glen rushed up to our table.

            “Spencer, I have a note for you.” He panted. Had he just run over here? Beads of sweat clung to his face. He shoved it hastily into my hand on the table.

            “Who is it from?”  I asked, my eyes focused intently on his.

            “Aiden… I was a little surprised. Haven’t heard of you two talking in a while. You holding out on me, Spence? Straightening out?” He said it jokingly, but it didn’t stop me puking in my mouth.

            “Jesus Glen, don’t even joke about that. Ew.” Okay, time to process. Aiden? Why would he be sending me a note? He’s just about the last person I wanted to hear from. “Did you read it?” I asked Glen quickly.

            “Naturally” He flashed me a toothy smile. “Thought you two might be meeting under the bleachers or something” He said teasingly. Gross. I looked at Avery and rolled my eyes. For once she looked almost… annoyed. Seeing her expression, I grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. She offered me a lame smile that her eyes didn’t follow at all, but I’d take it.

            “Thanks, Glen” I said sarcastically. “You may go”

            “YES, DRILL SARGEANT!” He replied loudly, saluting me. I would have laughed at the Forrest Gump quote if not for the curious circumstances. I wanted desperately to know what was inside this letter, but I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted Avery to know. I had to get out of here.

            “Avery, I just remembered that I’ve got to do my… uh… lab report. Aiden is my partner. Can we continue our conversation later?” It frightened me how easily these lies escaped my lips.

She nodded, her eyes falling. My guilt stung once more, as I prepared to leave her alone again, but I needed to know what was inside this letter. The suspense built quickly in my chest, pressing hard against my ribcage. I gathered up my things, throwing my sushi back in the box to eat later. Sushi can’t be wasted. I looked up at Avery once more before leaving. My eyes met the top of her auburn head, glowing in the sunlight. I hated that I couldn’t see her face. Taking my hand, I gently pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, then lifted her chin. I leaned in slowly and kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment. She looked up at me with tired eyes and the corners of her lips turned up weakly.