Page 38 of Jinxed
‘I’ll be there!’ I say, with a relieved grin.
‘Let’s meet there at seven.’
‘I’d better be getting to class,’ says Ashley. ‘Don’t want to risk a detention.’
‘Me too – I have been fallingwaybehind in History class,’ I say.
Tobias’s serious face returns. ‘Goodplan. Let’s all go. See you guys tomorrow.’
As I leave the gym, Jinx’s paw lights up.
>>Got an incoming message from Tobias Washington. Want to read it now?
My throat instantly goes dry as I wonder what I’ve done wrong.Um... yes!
I stand outside the classroom door as I wait for the message to appear on Jinx’s back. When it does, my jaw drops.
TOBIAS: Hey Lacey, meant to say – I have something for you to thank you for letting us use your place yesterday. Can you meet me at my house tomorrow before BakuBeats? I’ll ping you the address.
My heartbeat hammering in my ears, I compose a quick reply.
LACEY: Yeah should work.
TOBIAS: Great, see you there at five?
LACEY: Sure
The address comes through. I can’t believe it. Tobias lives on Companioneers Crescent. I’m about tosee what my dream life looks like, up close and personal.
>>And maybe get up close and personal with a certain resident?
‘Jinx!’ I say out loud, a blush rising in my cheeks. I grimace at him. I forgot he’s constantly monitoring me – not just my heart rate but the quickness of my breathing, my internal body temperature – so he can seeexactlywhat looking at Tobias does to me.
>>I’ve composed a message to Zora Layeni to send when we are outside the restricted communication zone. Want to read it?
I frown.A message to Zora... why?
But then I gasp. I don’t need him to answer that question. It’s just hit me. Tomorrow is Saturday: the day I was supposed to be hanging out with Zora. I’m going to have to disappoint her all over again.
I am officially the worst friend in the world.
THANKFULLY, AFTER FINDING OUT THAT the reason I was ditching out on ourOuterlandsstreaming session was because of an invite from Tobias Washington, Zora is excited for me, not mad. She definitelyapproves of Tobias, especially after I explained to her about the mix-up on the bridge. It’s much easier to hold a grudge against Carter than Tobias (whose outrageous good looks probably helped to change Zora’s mind).
‘You do know this is a date, right?’ she says. She’s lying on her stomach on my bed, her legs kicked up in the air, her chin propped up in her hands. Linus plays us a ‘Getting Ready’dance mix – his speakers surprisingly loud and clear for such a little baku.
‘It’s not a date, it’s a team outing.’ I run a brush through my unruly dark hair, trying to shape it into something remotely resembling a cool hairstyle. This is where having a beetle baku might have come in handy – I could’ve downloaded a tutorial from the internet and run a program for the beetle to do my hair forme. Jinx is too big for that – but besides, he wouldn’t deign to do something as mundane as my hair in the first place.
‘But you’re going to his house first.’
‘Well, yes. But that’s because he wants to give me something.’
Zora waggles her eyebrows and I throw my hairbrush at her.
‘Honestly, he doesn’t have any interest in me that way.’
‘And how do you know that?’
I shrug. I pull down a denimshirt from a hanger inside my closet and throw it on over a white vest.
