Secrets |Toby Cavanaugh|

Chapter 5

We all rushed over to my room and over to my closet. When I opened it, the girls screamed when my makeup bag fell.

"Guys." Aria grabbed a tube of lipstick and faced us, "Check it out."

She opened it and swatched it on her hand before walking over to my mirror and placed her hand next to the message. It was the same color.

...

In chemistry, we had a lab. As I mixed in the sodium borate, Toby spoke.

"Easy. That glass beaker is made of glass."

I smiled, "Maybe you should do it. I've had too much coffee and not enough sleep."

"Big party on a Thursday night?" He asked.

"No. My friends slept over." I answered. "What did you do last night?"

"Sat at the Grill doing homework."

"What a loser."

"That's where you study?" I questioned.

"Got to." Toby replied, "Jenna listens to her lectures loudly, and it messes me up. She doesn't like using headphones at home."

"Why the Grill? It's not exactly quiet there either." I commented.

"It is if you stay late enough. I close the place, like, every night." Toby said.

The lab went on after the bell rang and Toby was playing with the goop we made.

"I didn't think this would take so long." I said.

"I don't mind." Toby replied, "I like being in school when nobody else is."

I looked down at my paper, "Viscosity, elasticity, and tensile strength. Anything else we need to cover?"

"Maybe our noses. This stuff's rank."

He put it near my face and I smelled it.

"Oh, god." I gagged and threw his arm away from me, spilling water on his notebook, "Crap. I'm so sorry."

I grabbed paper towels and his notebook, wiping away the liquid.

"It's fine. It's just water."

I turned the notebook around to wipe it away more when I saw a bunch of drawings,

"Did you draw this? It looks just like the cover of this band, Circus Survive. This is so good." I said.

"You know that band?" Toby questioned.

"My sister's boyfriend works at a bar on South Street. He snuck me into a show." I replied.

"Have you heard of any of their new stuff yet?" Toby asked, "It's totally-"

"Amazing!" I interrupted.

"If you're into them, there's this... other band I should turn you onto. I'll burn you a CD." He said.

I smiled at him, "How 90s of you. Thanks. I should go, don't want to be late for ballet."

I grabbed my bag and my books, "Um, Grace?"

"Yeah?"

"My notebook."

"Oh. Jeez. I really need more sleep." I joked, handing him his notebook.

"Or more coffee. Want to meet up at the Grill later?" Toby asked.

"Sure." I answered before leaving.

"You should really listen to me, Gracie. Leave. Him. Alone."

After ballet practice, I rushed home and showered before changing into a long tan sweater, a pair of skinny jeans, and knee-high brown boots before walking to the Grill. I smiled when I saw Toby through the window. But when I walked in my smile fell.

Hanna, Emily, and Spencer were sitting at a table. I looked between Toby and my friends, and Spencer waved me over. I gave Toby an apologetic look before sitting with the girls.

"What are you doing here?" Spencer asked.

"I, uh-"

"Hey, Hanna had a run-in with Jenna Marshall today." Spencer said.

"You know that dentist office I'm working at?" Hanna started, "Well, I was going in for my shift after school and I was in the elevator. Jenna Marshall was in there. She had the same lipstick Ali wore."

"The exact same color." Emily said.

I looked behind me and watched Toby leave, not paying attention to what the others were saying. We were there for about a half hour when Spencer stood up and grabbed her bag,

"Where are you going?"

"I have an early tennis day with my dad, and I have no idea what I'm going to wear. There, um, may be this boy-" Spencer began.

"Boy! What boy? Details!"

"Well, there's none yet, but I'll keep you guys posted." Spencer said before she began walking way.

The waitress walked up to her, "Are you Grace?"

"Um no, this is Grace." Spencer replied, touching my shoulder.

The waitress put a CD case in front of me, "Someone left this for you."

"Thank you." I replied before she walked away.

I looked down and smiled at the drawing on me on the cover.

"Pretty. Who made that?" Hanna asked.

"Somebody from school." I answered before standing up, "I'll see you guys later?"

Emily and Hanna nodded before I left. I got home and immediately put the CD in my CD player and listened to it as I shopped online for my homecoming dress. I really liked it. I really liked him.

"He's fire and you're ice. And if you don't watch out, he'll burn you, Gracie."