Deceitful (Rules of Deception 1)

My eyes met with a pair of olive green ones at the end of the room and the face they belonged to immediately rang a bell. It was Ryan. I hadn’t even seen him come in. He must have been among the late arrivers who filed into the room behind Mrs. Coleman. He had dark brown shaggy hair that brushed his ears. His face was unreadable. A girl with a cute bob that framed her oval face tried to get his attention but he ignored her. I turned around, stunned by the intensity of his gaze.

I jumped when Ana’s voice pressed against my ear. “Girl, he’s so not over you. Before you were attacked, he tried to get you back by making you jealous with other girls. Such a jerk.”

I was sure the note wasn’t the last I’d hear from Ryan.

I tried to focus on Mrs. Coleman, in case she asked me a question. Most teachers would probably cut me some slack because I’d gone through so much but Mrs. Coleman seemed to be the unrelenting type.

Boredom turned out to be my biggest problem during class. Linda and Ronald really had been worried about nothing. I definitely wouldn’t overexert myself.

The sensation started with a light prickling in my neck and slowly raised the hairs on my arms. Someone was watching me. That’s one of the things you learned to notice during your training at the FEA. A gaze could be something physical, something solid if you focused hard enough to detect it.

I turned around. The blond boy with the hunched shoulders sat two rows behind, his focus squarely on me. When our eyes met, he looked down and pretended to scribble on his notepad. His irises were watery blue. They had the same unsettling vibe as Kate’s eyes. I remembered his face from the yearbook: Phil Faulkner. He stared intently at his writing as if his life depended on it. I faced the front of the classroom, not sure what to make of him.

Mrs. Coleman had her back turned to the class and was writing something on the chalkboard.

I leaned over to Ana, deciding to play the amnesia card. “What’s his deal? Why is he staring at me like that?”

She threw a glance over her shoulder, then turned to me. “Who, you mean Phil?” I gave a nod. Ana rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started. He’s such a dork. The guy’s hopelessly in love with you, probably since kindergarten. After you broke up with Ryan, he came to your house and told you he was sorry and that he was there for you if you needed someone to talk to. Who does that? I can’t believe he’d ever think he’d actually have a chance with you.” She snorted.

The sound earned her a glare from Mrs. Coleman.

I glanced over my shoulder once more to get another glimpse at Phil’s eyes, but his head was bowed.

I wanted to ask why Madison had broken up with Ryan. If one person must have known, it was her best friend. But biology really wasn’t the place to do it.

The lesson dragged on till infinity. I fidgeted with my pens, looked around the room, shifted on the uncomfortable plastic chair. It had been too long since I last attended school. Sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher lecture wasn’t what I was used to. I even missed the morning runs and push-ups. Hell, even taking a swim with a straightjacket would have been an improvement over this.

The moment the bell rang, I stuffed my books into my backpack and jumped out of my chair.

“Whoa, you can’t wait to get out of here, can you?” Ana asked, scurrying behind me.

I slowed. I should have waited for her and not stormed out of the classroom but the walls had started to close in on me.

“Sorry, I just needed to move. I hate sitting still for too long.” Ana eyed me carefully as if what I’d said was out of character. We walked through the crowded halls toward our next class. I felt a twinge of nervousness, but quickly convinced myself that it wasn’t enough to make her suspicious.

“Is it because you were confined to bed for so long?” Ana asked. I stopped in the doorway to our next class.

“Yes, I guess that’s why. I just feel like there’s too little time to spend it sitting around doing nothing.” A heavy silence spread between us, but then Ana’s face lit up.

“Don’t let Mrs. Coleman hear that.”

“Have you noticed anything strange about Phil?” I asked, not able to get over the way he’d looked at me.

“Why?” she asked. “Do you remember something?”

I shook my head. “It’s just . . . his eyes, they creep me out.”

“They creep out everyone. Rumor has it that he’s got a cataract.”

Creepy eyes didn’t make someone a suspect. But I decided I’d keep an eye on him anyway.