On the Outside (Caught Inside #3) by S. Briones Lim Page A

that for the first time in a long time I’d listen to my gut. Gripping the fiberglass board under my arms, I spun around to head back to the parking lot. “Yeah, we’ll just fib and say I went in for a while. Xavier will never know the difference.”
    Ignoring the feelings of guilt that seemed to waken in my core, I stomped my way toward the tiny sedan that I’d finally rented. Having my “chauffeur” gone for a few weeks really did put a damper on my routine. As I struggled to secure my board onto the racks, I threw another nervous glance at the ocean and sighed.
    “Why do I feel so guilty about this?” For some reason I couldn’t shake off the feeling that my actions would have some dire repercussions. It was as if I felt I was fooling Xavier and that karma would soon bite me in the ass. “No, you’re just being stupid, Harper. Just go home and rest. You’re already scared enough as it is to meet his sister. Don’t want to add an injury to the bill. Besides, if you did get injured, then you’ll lose your role in the movie. Can’t make Old Robbie mad again, can you?”
    “Hey! Are you talking to yourself?” a male voice called out above the loud howl of the wind.
    My cheeks blushed as I looked up, embarrassed to find a boy a few years younger than me scratching his head in confusion. I gripped at the collar of my wetsuit and laughed half-heartedly. “Uh, yeah. I do it when I’m thinking hard about something.”
    The boy, who was decked out in a multi-colored wetsuit, shrugged his shoulders but still gazed at me as if I were an alien. “Just thought you were talking to me, but I don’t even know you and that’d be weird.”
    Can’t have any more weirdness, can I? I’d hate for the media to get wind of a Harper Montgomery Now Insane headline.
    I forced a smile. “No, I wasn’t talking to you. Have a nice day.”
    “Whatever.”
    Shaking my head, I retreated into my car, ready to get the hell off of the beach and back home.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 17
     
     
    Seriously, why was time such a bitch? I spent all day pacing around, trying to ignore the nervousness bubbling in my stomach. By the time evening came I was more than ready to meet with them, having already changed my outfit three times. Finally deciding on a simple combination of jeans, a long sleeved black shirt, and boots, I headed out the door before I could change my mind about my outfit one last time, though I knew I’d be hella early.
    “You will arrive at your destination in twenty-five minutes.”
    I sat in my car and cringed at the GPS. “Twenty-five minutes? I didn’t think I’d be that early!”
    I was about ready to jump out of my car and head back home when I realized something—being early was better than fidgeting in my apartment, albeit not by much. Picking the lesser of two evils, I placed the car in reverse and found myself halfway regretting that I’d turned down Xavier’s invitation to catch a ride with him and his sister. Given that our history of small talk wasn’t a good one—not to mention not knowing whether his sister was anything like him—I decided to forego the risk of an awkward car ride in the middle of California traffic. Who knew whether our dinner was going to include minutes of uncomfortable silence as it was.
    Speaking of California traffic, there was actually none at all! It was a miracle, and not one that I wanted. I arrived a full ten minutes ahead of the GPS prediction, which made me a full hour early for our dinner.
    “Well, you can down a glass or two of wine inside. It might actually calm you down a bit,” I mumbled to myself as I handed my keys to the valet. After garnering another weird look from the young man, I snapped, “Yeah, I talk to myself. So what? Don’t Californians ever do so?”
    The valet held up his hands in mock surrender and jumped into my car, driving off before I could get in another word.
    “Take that! Good job, Harper. Why thanks, good on you