Rebel Wrong

Chapter Five: Awkwardness

Cade didn't sleep too well. She'd like to say it was because Sebastian and his roommate snored too loud or because the floor was completely uncomfortable, but really it was just because she was too busy beating herself up to do any actual sleeping.

The night's events kept replaying in her mind. She'd like to blame everything on Wesley, but she couldn't. He hadn't forced her to go out with him; she had come willingly. He must have taken that as a sign that she was into him. Was she into him?

He was obviously attractive and charming, and he wasn't the worst kisser in the world, but did she want to deal with all the drama that he would bring?

She covered her face with her hands and let out a frustrated sigh. When did her life become so complicated that she was worrying over whether or not she should date her step-brother? She was missing Michigan and Trevor even more now. Back there all she had to worry about was paying bills and keeping her mom alive. She'd take that over this mess any day.

Cade nodded off for a few minutes towards dawn, but she immediately snapped awake when she heard Sebastian moving around in bed. She held still, not even breathing. Her face flushed with color. She was getting flustered and she didn't know why.

It felt like an eternity until Sebastian got out of bed and left the room, probably headed to the bathroom. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until she let out a relieved sigh once the door had closed.

She should probably leave. It wouldn't exactly be a good thing for her reputation to be seen leaving a college dorm at six in the morning, but she figured that the earlier she left, the less people there might be awake to catch her walk of shame. Even though nothing happened everyone would think that something did.

Cade slowly rose to her feet, trying not to wake up Marshall, Sebastian's roommate. She hadn't really talked to him. He was already in bed when Cade had come back wo the dorm. Sebastian had just woken him up long enough to explain that he was going to have a friend stay over. Marshall did nothing more than make an unintelligible grunting noise and then proceeded to go back to sleep.

Cade was halfway down the hallway when a door to her left opened and out stepped Sebastian. She gasped in surprise and took a couple steps back. Thankfully she resisted the urge to wave her hands in front of her face like whenever she walked into cobwebs.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked, giving her a weird look. He didn't seem to notice her completely embarrassing moment.

"I, um, I'm going home," she managed to stutter out. If she was trying to make herself look like an i***t, then she was doing a spectacular job at it.

"You're going to walk?" he asked, frowning.

"I can catch a bus," she shrugged. This was a college campus. There were bound to be a couple bus stops around the place.

"I'm not gonna let you ride the bus. I can give you a ride," Sebastian told her.

Cade couldn't really think of another reason to refuse him. How could she make anyone believe that she would rather take the bus? She just wanted the awkward situation to be over and she knew that she'd still be feeling awkward as long as she was around Sebastian.

"Really, you don't need to do that. I've imposed on you enough as it is," she shook her head at him.

"It's no problem. Really," he assured her. "Come on. Let me get my things and then we'll leave," he waved his hand, encouraging her to follow him.

"Okay," Cade agreed as she reluctantly followed him back to his dorm room.

Cade kept her head down as she walked down the hallway, making sure to stay a few feet behind him. She didn't know why, but she was worried about someone catching her in the dorms. It was an irrational fear. It wasn't as if she knew anyone at the school and it's not like it was a new thing for random girl to spend the night in a guy's dorm. She was becoming way too emotional after moving to California.

"So, I know we just met, but we have already spent the night together and I think I love you," Marshall, confessed to her the second she walked back into the room. He took her hand in his and brought it up to is lips.

"Uh....." Cade pulled her hand from his and took a step away from him.

"Dude, how many times do I have to tell you? That isn't romantic. It creeps girls out," Sebastian sighed as he came in behind Cade.

"What do you know about romance? Your idea of a hot date is taking girls to hospitals," Marshall huffed as he fell back onto his bed.

"What?" Cade looked over her shoulder at Sebastian. That sounded a little creepy to her.

"It's not what it sounds like," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Mr. Smarty Pants over here is pre-med and is aiming to get into med school in the next couple of years," Marshall explained when Cade was still giving them a confused look.

"Wait, I thought you were only eighteen," she said, looking over at Sebastian.

"I am. I skipped kindergarten and went straight to first grade, so I graduated high school when I was seventeen. I'm a sophomore here," he explained, looking a little embarrassed as he spoke.

"He's also taking a s**t ton of extra classes each semester so he can graduate early. This kid loves school more than life itself," Marshall sighed as he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"He's just jealous because he can't even pass Art Appreciation 101," Sebastian said, faking a laugh. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

"Ah, you don't need to be embarrassed," Cade told Sebastian, fighting back a laugh. "Doctors usually get all the chicks," she told him.

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled, still looking embarrassed.

Cade was ready to get out of the awkward situation, so she quickly changed the subject. "Well, we should probably get going. I'm already about eight hours late for curfew," she said, checking the imaginary watch on her wrist.

"Uh yeah, let me get my coat," Sebastian said. He went over his desk and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair.

The twenty minute car ride was spent mostly in silence. He wasn't much of a conversationalist. She was used to constant jabbering from Trevor. Even when she turned the radio up, a non-too-subtle hint that she wanted him to shut up, Trevor would just talk louder so his voice could be heard.

She really missed Trevor. She missed the comfortable and easy feeling she felt while with him. Being with Sebastian definitely wasn't like that. He made her nervous and she felt like she had to watch what she said around him. With Trevor she could be dumb and immature, but with Sebastian she wanted to seem more adult and mature.

Her anxieties increased the closer they got to her dad's house. She was so wrapped up in ties thoughts that she didn't even notice that they had arrived at their destination.

"Are you gonna get in trouble with your parents?" Sebastian asked her, noting her reluctance to get out of the vehicle.

"I only spent the night in a guy's dorm room, why would I get in trouble for that?" she questioned, playing the innocent act.

"Hey, I doubt your parents would think you'd sleep with some guy you just met," he assured her. "I've only known you a few hours and I already know that about you," he grinned over at her.

"Yeah," she sighed, glancing out the window towards the house.

A few hours was also about how long her 'family' had known her and she doubted they were as observant as Sebastian was. She wondered what Wesley had told them, if he had told them anything at all. He could have just played dumb and let her dad think that she had run away.

"Thanks for the ride and the pep talk, Bas," she thanked him, giving him a small smile.

"Bas?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Your name has way too many syllables," she explained. "Plus, Bas sounds so much cooler," she added.

"It's the name of a fish," he said, frowning.

"Which is cooler than a stuck up old name from the 19th century," she reasoned.

"Ah," Sebastian was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to reply to that.

"You get flustered really easily," Cade observed and as if right on cue, Sebastian started to blush. "You're so adorable," she laughed.

"Gee, just what every guy wants to hear from a cute girl; that he's adorable," Sebastian scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You think I'm cute?" Cade inquired, and even though she knew that they were both just joking around, it made her heart beat a little faster when he called her cute.

"I-uh," Sebastian's face was full on tomato red now and Cade couldn't help but to laugh. He really did look adorable.

"Geez, no need to get awkward," Cade said, rolling her eyes. Thankfully his embarrassment was more noticeable than hers.

"I'm not awkward," he quickly denied.

"Okay," she nodded in agreement, trying not to laugh. "I'm going to leave before you get even more embarrassed," she said, getting out of the truck.

"I'm not embarrassed!" he called after her.

"Whatever you say," she laughed as she walked away. "See ya later, Bas," she saluted him before turning back around to walk up the steps to the front porch.

Cade waited for Sebastian's truck to disappear around the corner before she went inside the house. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the ass whooping she knew she was going to receive.