Authors: Katie Klein
I scan
the gymnasium. “Who?”
“Who do you
think
?”
He’
s standing by the exit at the other end of the gym
, fading into the background
; w
ait
ing by the door as people pass
in and out;
leaning against the wall, hands tucked
deep
inside the pockets of his leather jacket. Even from
a distance
his dark features are striking. He seems
. . . dangerous . . . but not in a scary or
intimidating way. It’s more like he kno
w
s something. Something I don’t. Like he possesses
some secret knowledge a
bout life and living, and if I’ll
only follow him, I might learn a little something, too.
My mouth runs dry, and s
uddenly
I feel
completely transparent. Like
he c
an
see right through me and my campaign to save the poverty-stricken: me and my boring life
and my dull boyfriend. I clear
my throat. “He’
s watching the game,” I inform
Savannah, turning my attention back to the money bag.
“No,” she replies, confident
. “He is
so
checking you out.”
My cheeks flush
with heat—the tem
perature of the room rising rapidly
—and I push
up the sleeves of my pink sweater in an attempt to cool down.
Organize the money
, I tell
myself.
Don’t look,
don’t stare,
just start grouping cash
. I
shift
the fives and tens.
“He’s still staring.”
I glance
up again, and our eyes me
e
t.
That penetrating gaze. I
suck
in a breath. Parker lifts
his head ev
er
so slightly. In fact, I’m not entirely sure I see
it move. I tuck
a few stray hair
s
behind my
ears,
heart smashing against my chest,
then, as I slowly bring my hands down, offer
a tiny wave. A sly smile crosses
hi
s face . . . which, in turn, mak
e
s
me smile.
“I cannot
believe
you,” Savannah says
, her face brightening.
I jump, jolting
back to reality
. “What?”
“
What?
” She shakes her head, then leans
back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest. “
Okay, s
o what’s he
really
like?”
“Who?”
She rolls
her eyes dramatically. “Don’t play idiot with me.”
I continue
organizing our cash by denomination. “I
don’t know,” I say
, shrugging. “He’s nice. He’s smart.”
I glance up at him again, quickly. He’s still there.
“You mean he’s n
ot weird or anything?” she asks
, studying him from a distance. “Because I could totally see body parts in formaldehyde-filled jars as his decoration of choice.”
“No,” I say
, scoffing. “He actually seems very normal. Which is what I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks.”
“Well, maybe you
can introduce me,” she continues
. “Because he’s
kinda
hot.”
“Hey,” a voice interrupts
. “Who’s hot?”
My head jerks
up
. “You are,” I reply
,
forcing a smile
at Blake, who
appeared at our table
without warning. His hairline is damp. Swea
t beads on his forehead and trickle
s
down his cheek.
“Can I get you a towel?” I ask
.
“Nah,” he replies
, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “We still on for pizza t
onight after the game?” he asks
me,
breaths heavy.
I si
t
taller
,
more rigid
. “Um, yeah. I guess.”
“Savannah?” he asks
.
“Who’s going?”
“Don’t know for sure.
Tony, probably. I guess if you see Ashley let her know, too.”
“I don’t
think Ashley’s here,” I muse
, looking around.
I pass the exit sign quickly,
and
somehow miss Parker.
“We can call her on her cell. I don’t think she’s doing anything, And
yeah, if Tony goes I’m in,” says
Savannah.
Blake nods
. “Cool. I’ll catch you after the game.”
The buzzer sounds and Blake i
s off, heading toward center court.
Savannah let
s
out a tiny squeal. “As if this nig
ht could get any better,” she si
ng
s
, nudging me in the arm with her bony elbow. “I get dinner with Tony.”
I smil
e, and, without thinking, look
back
to
the exit. But Parker i
s go
ne. He
’s
disappeared. I scan
the crowd, surveyi
ng the blur of faces. When I do
n’t see him, I bit
e
into
my lower lip
, heart slowing
.
“No way!” Savannah cries
.
“What?” I ask. T
he crowd cheers
wildly.
“You’re
looking
for him!”
A slow burn
creep
s
to my cheeks. “I don’t know what
you’re talking about!” I yell
.
“Come on. You can’t tell me
there’s not something going on between the two of you.
You are totally
not
yourself lately,
a
nd everyone knows it. So d
oes
any of
this craziness that’s been going
on
have anything to do with the fact that you might have a
thing
for Parker Whalen?” she asks
dryly
,
voice lower.
I scoff. “What? Savannah. No.” I sha
k
e my head rapi
dly, as if I can’t believe she
even suggest
ed
such a thing.
But then I
wonder. . . .
She leans
back in her chair. “I’m just saying it’s weird: y
ou hanging out with Parker,
not paying any attention to Blake. . . .”
“Of course I’m paying attention to Blake.
He’s my
boyfriend
,” I confirm, though even this feels
strange, suddenly. T
his wor
d coming from my lips. I must have
the word “guilty” tattooed on my forehead. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.
Savannah shakes
her head. “Well, let’s just say that lately it looks like you’re more interested in spending time wit
h Parker Whalen than Blake.
A
nd forgive me if I’m wrong
, but I thought boyfriends were priority.”
“They are,” I assure
her, unable to meet her gaze.
“I mean, the boy is ho
t, I swear he is,” she continues
, not listening. “Let’s just try not to make it obvious we’re watching for him everywhere we go, k?”
I let out a sarcastic laugh
, holding my chin high
. “It’s one project, Savannah. One.”
“And
projects end, right?” she urges
.
“Exactly,” I reply
, forcing a
nother
smile
, my cheeks flaming
from so much dishonesty
. “It’s a non-issue.”
“God, my parents are
gonna
ki
l
l
me,” Savannah mutters
, checking
the time on her cell
. Blake opens
the door to Guido’s, ushering me, Tony, and Savannah out into the
frosty
,
night air.
“I thought you were going to talk to
them about your curfew,” I say as Blake
sidles
up
next to me, wrapp
ing his
arm around my shoulder and draw
ing me close
r
. “You know, since you’re a senior and going off to college soon
,
anyway.”
Even in the
street light,
weak and diffused,
I c
an
tell she’s
rolling
her
eyes. “Enough, Jaden. Not all of us are good enough for Harvard. Besides, they just pull their whole ‘there’s nothing to do after eleven that won’t get you into trouble
anyway’ crap
. Ugh.” She groans
. “And my car’s still at school.”
Tony moves
closer, shifting. S
huffling his feet.
He opens
his mouth to speak, the
n
clamps
it
shut
. He clears his throat and tries
again.
“You know,” he says
. “It’s on my way. I can
. . . I don’t know. D
rop you off
, maybe
?
”
Savannah’s eyes light up.
She twists a tiny section of her hair, wrapping it around her fingers.
“Really?” she asks
, star
ing at him in surprise. I split a smile
from Tony to Savannah, then back to Tony aga
in, trying to
decide
if he’s being polite, or if this i
s
the “in” Savannah has
been waiting for. “You would do that?”
He nods
. “Sure,
”
he says, confident
.
A tiny giggle escapes
. “That would be
excellent
!”
I suppress my laughter
, knowing Savannah could walk through her front door at four in the morning and be met with World War Three,
and it wo
uld
n’t matter—not when Tony i
s offering a ride . . . and a chance for some alone time.
Tony heads
over to
his red pickup truck and opens
the
passenger door. Savannah grabs my hand, squeezing it, and gi
ve
s
a little squeal.
“Have fun,” I tell
her
.
She adjusts
her p
urse
, hiking it further up
her shoulder
,
and hurries ove
r to Tony. In a matter of moments
the truck i
s cranked,
th
e radio blasting. Savannah waves as she and Tony pull
out of the parking lot.
“S
he’s in heaven
right no
w,” I say
, waving back,
m
y warm breath turning
to smoke in the
cool
air.
“What?” Blake asks
, closing in on me.
“Come on.
It’s obvious she’s crushing on him.”
He snickers
. “It was obvious to everyone but Tony.”
“Until when?”
“Until one of the guys nearly beat him down in practice the other day saying if he didn’t ask her out someone else would.”
I wrap
my arms tighter around my chest, trying to keep the heat
in. For the first time I notice
stars twinkling
overhead. A
nd to my left .
. . the moon. “Hey,” I say
, marveling. “The stars are out.”