Free Me & My Invisible Guy by Sarah Jeffrey Page A

of getting in over my head. Afraid that I couldn’t handle a real relationship.
    “He called you, you dope. He wants to see you. Embrace it.”
    I followed Tess into the mall but was slowly working myself into a panic. Last night was as close to perfect as I could imagine. Seeing him again was likely to screw up everything.

    The mall was filled with kids from our high school, and the food court was packed. Tess managed to snag a table. She held it while I went to buy our food.
    “Hey, Mallory.”
    I turned to see Jason O’Neill holding a fountain drink as if he was posing for a photo shoot.
    “Hi, Jason.” I turned my attention to the menu board above me, but Jason sidled up and leaned in close.
    “Go out with me.”
    I laughed. I mean, I couldn’t help myself. “Thanks, Jace, but I can’t.”
    “I heard you were available. C’mon. You won’t regret it.” He slipped a hand onto my hip and tried to pull me closer.
    Is he serious? I pulled away. “Excuse me. Personal space.” I walked away and heard him call me a nasty name behind my back.
    “I think you better go get the food,” I said to Tess.
    “What did O’Neill want?”
    “A hot date, apparently. Which is not gonna be me.”
    “Jason’s such a skeeze.”
    Tess left to get the food, and I tried to gather my thoughts. Jason was already hitting on some other girl in front of Taco Bell, and I felt like I still had his slime on me. I glanced around, hoping to spot Liam, but either he wasn’t there yet or I couldn’t see him.
    Tess came back with a tray and set it between us. “Lexi’s here.”
    “No.” I followed Tess’s subtle pointing to see Lexi at a table with a couple of other girls. Why was she always showing up and ruining things?
    “And Liam, too.” Tess nodded behind me, and I turned to see Liam hovering at the edge of the food court, looking around. He saw Lexi first. She was waving at him. But when he didn’t move, she jumped from her seat and maneuvered her way through the chairs and tables over to his side.
    I groaned.
    “Just wait,” Tess said. “He’ll find you.”
    Liam and Lexi talked for less than a second before she looped her arm through his and practically dragged him toward her table. I stared at him, trying to send mental messages to turn around and see me. Liam stood at Lexi’s table; but despite her pulling out a chair, he didn’t sit. He glanced around again and this time caught my eye. He held up one finger in a wait signal.
    “See, he’s coming,” Tess said.
    Another eternity later, Liam finally extricated himself from Lexi’s table and came to ours and sat down beside me.
    “Hey, guys. Sorry about that.” He turned to me. “Everything okay?”
    I nodded, but Tess was still staring at Lexi. “She just won’t leave you alone, will she?” Tess said, with a lot more boldness than I could ever muster.
    Liam shrugged and looked… maybe embarrassed?
    “What’s her problem, anyway?” Tess wasn’t about to let him off the hook. Go, Tess.
    Liam sat back and took a fry from my plate. “She thinks ya’ll are a bad influence.”
    I thought it was so cute the way he said “ya’ll” that the actual words didn’t register in my head until Tess pounced.
    “Excuse me? And since when was she elected the keeper of your conscience?”
    “I guess she’s worried.”
    “What did she say?” Tess demanded.
    Liam squirmed.
    Tess pointed at him. “Spill it.”
    Liam looked at me for help, but since I wanted to know, too, I wasn’t about to bail him out.
    “She just said that… you’re killing me here.”
    Tess frowned at him.
    “Fine.” Liam threw his hands up in the air. “She just went on and on about how you have a reputation and that I might be tempted to… you know… if I continue to see you. She thinks that I need a girl…”
    “Like her?” I asked.
    “Who’s going to respect my beliefs,” he finished.
    Tess and I sat there for a long second. Even without saying it out loud, I knew what he