Free Building on Lies by T. Banny

voice. “Didn’t you get my text?”
    “ I did, but all it said was you couldn’t meet me right after school. What are you doing at the mall?”
    “ I’m just buying stuff," I said hesitantly, not wanting to tell him what I was really shopping for.
    “ Nellie, I really want us to talk," he said. “How long are you going to be?”
    “ I don’t know," I admitted. I could see Ro heading toward me with her dress. “Chan, I’ll call you back”.
    I hung up before he could respond. I really didn’t want to have a conversation with him with Ro right there.
    “ Who were you talking to?" she asked, putting the dress on a chair.
    “ Just Chan. I told him I’d call him back," I answered. “So, what do you think of these?” I held up the jeweled pumps.
    “ Those are cute, but the jewels on them don’t really match," she said.
    We tried on a few pair of shoes, and I was just about to narrow it down between a pair of gold heels or black stilettos when my phone rang .It was Channing, again.
    “ Ro, I’ve got to take this call," I told her.
    “ Sure, go ahead.” Ro went back to holding up some shoes against her dress.
    I walked out of the boutique and sat down at a bench nearby. I dialed Chan’s number, and he picked up on the first ring.
“ Hey, it’s me," I said, softly. “ I was in the middle of buying something, that’s why I hung up on you before”.
    “ Do you think I can see you like in an hour or so?" he asked. “ I can meet you in downtown Egg Cove, if you want”.
    “ Um, no. I’m not in my car. I’m with Ro, and Tommy and Joaquim," I told him.
    “ Joaquim? The guy I saw you with this morning?"he asked, and I could tell he was angry. “The nothing serious guy?”
    “ Channing, come on. Why are you sounding like that?" I said.
    “ Nellie, the guy looked like he wanted to tongue you down in the hallway. Sorry, but he didn’t look like a nothing serious guy to me," he snapped.
    “ We can talk about this when we see each other. I really don’t feel like this is something we should talk about over the phone," I said, trying to sound reasonable.
    “ Yeah, well, when can we see each other? Seems like you’re too busy," he said, impatiently.
    “ Channing! Seriously, are you giving me attitude?" I demanded. “ Because I don’t think its fair”.
    I didn’t hear his reply because I noticed Joaquim standing nearby, an iced coffee in his hand. He looked at me strangely. I gave him a super bright smile, unsure of how much he’d heard.
    “ Nellie? Are you there?" Channing asked.
    “ Um, yeah. I am. Sorry about that," I mumbled.
    “ Just give me a call when you get home," he snapped, and hung up.
    I put my phone in my bag. Joaquim handed me the coffee.
    “ Were you on the phone with Channing Sutton?" Joaquim asked, looking puzzled.
    As good as I am at lying, I had to tell the truth. There weren’t too many guys named Channing in our town.
    “ Yeah. He was just calling about the paper," I replied hurriedly, taking a sip of the coffee. I could barely taste it. I didn’t like the way Chan sounded when he hung up with me.
    “ Wow, it must be a pretty important paper if he’s calling you on your cell and hounding you in the lunch room," Joaquim said, rolling his eyes.
    “ He’s just one of those straight A students," I said, using Samantha’s words.
    “ Yeah, but still. Dude needs to get a grip," Joaquim said. “ So, any luck with the dress?”
    I nodded. “ I found a really pretty one. And some awesome shoes. So, now all we have to do is find your matching tux”.
    “ Are you feeling better?" he asked. “ Because I know you had a headache. We can leave my tux for another time. I’m just happy you found your dress”.
    “ Could we? I mean, if you don’t mind?” I knew Ro wouldn’t be pleased, but I wanted to talk to Channing so badly.
    “ Yeah, it’s fine.” Joaquim said, and again, I felt bad for fooling him. He really was a sweet guy, and he deserved to crush on someone who