Free Undercover Justice by Laura DeLanoy Page B

distracted me.”
    “Does that have anything to do with why you thought Kent and Jed were fighting outside?”
    “Kent came out and caught Jed trying to...um… kiss me,” I said clearing my throat.
    “What!” Charlotte squealed.
    Not one to kiss and tell, I shrugged and said, “Sometimes Kent can be over protective.”
    “At least you have a brother who can look out for you,” Charlotte said wistfully. She was an only child whose parent weren’t home much. They were always at work, trying to make ends meet.
    “That’s true,” I admitted. If I were being truthful, I would also admit that I was a tiny bit relieved that Kent had interrupted us. Even though I tried to pretend otherwise, Jed was a little intimidating.
    Just then, Gabby pulled up. Relieved to have something else to focus on, I walked over to meet her. Introducing Charlotte, I said,” Do you mind if she comes with us?”
    “Of course not. Hi! I’m Gabby, it’s nice to meet you,” she said sticking out her hand for Charlotte. “I think we have a class together, don’t we?”
    “You’re right, we have P.E. together,” Charlotte said smiling, shaking her hand.
    “Ugh!” They both said in unison.
    Laughing, we all got into Gabby’s car. Sitting back, I concentrated on forgetting all about room 35, the warning note, and my growing attraction to Jedediah Greyson.
     
    Chapter 7
     
    We were giggling so hard at something Gabby said, that I wasn’t watching where I was walking as we entered the mall. Knocking into Charlotte, I stumbled. Catching myself, I happened to look behind us. I saw a man slowly walking towards us. He was wearing a dark baseball cap with a black windbreaker over blue jeans. Very normal, common clothing, but something about him seemed familiar. Shrugging, I turned back to my friends.
    “Do you want to hit Macy’s first?” Gabby asked.
    “Sure. I think it’s over to the right,” I said pointing. As expected, the mall was pretty crowded. Being the only mall with major department stores in the tri-county area, it was a big hangout for this area’s teenagers.
    Making our way toward Macy’s, we paused to window shop as we went. Stopping at a kiosk that sold sunglasses, we took turns trying on the latest styles.
    “Those look great on you,” I told Charlotte, as she tried on a pair of white-framed glasses. “You should get them.”
    Discreetly checking the price tag, she put them back on the glass shelf. “I don’t think these are quite right. I’m going to keep looking.”
    Not letting on that I saw her check the price, I quickly agreed. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is blessed with money like my family. I take for granted that I can buy almost anything I want. I guess you could say I am spoiled. I can admit it. I’m a sucker for clothes and purses and let’s not forget shoes.
    I can remember being little, and Kent would come into my room, look in my walk-in closet filled with clothes and shoes, and then go look in his walk-in closet. He would stare at his almost empty closet, with only one side taken up with clothes and a few pair of shoes and just shake his head.
    As my grandmother, who came from the era when leaving the house meant you were stylishly dressed, from your head to your toes, always says, ‘When you get dressed, dress to impress.’ To her it didn’t matter if you were just going to the post office. You still needed to be “put together”. What if you ran into someone you knew?
    After having that ingrained in my head from the time I could dress myself, I think it had become more of a habit, than trying to impress anyone. Frankly, I don’t care if someone sees me wearing my comfy’s. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Who doesn’t want to look good?
    Walking into Macy’s, we headed for the formal dress section. As we rode up the escalator, I glanced in the overhead mirror that reflected part of the shoes and purse section on the lower level.
    A man was watching us from the