“Why did you do that? You can’t just run off and disappear.” I barely recognize my own voice, full of worry and frustration as I turn to face her.
And there she is. Blue sweater. Big, poofy ponytail. The only thing missing right now is her gorgeous smile and laugh, and it’s all because of me.
Mallory grips my wrist and yanks me away from the prying eyes. “Don’t snap at me, Gray. I told you I needed insulin.”
Her pretty brown eyes are usually lit with fire, and my frustration vanishes when I notice their softened glow. Flecks of gold and worry twinkle throughout, and my heart heaves at the sight.
“Are you okay?” she asks, releasing my wrist.
It truly seems like she cares about how I feel, and it’s scary how badly I want her to.
“Yeah. I just…” I trail off, rubbing the tingling area where her fingers were. There’s no way to explain what’s going through my head without telling her about my dad, how the Brain Bowl could end, and how I want more than a win this semester.
“We should eat,” she says, saving me from embarrassing myself. “You look pale and I’m starving.”
I search for Cade and Shay in the crowd. This is the longest amount of time we’ve spent together alone, and for some reason we aren’t fighting. We might even be having fun. I’m not going to mess this up.
“I saw you eyeing those kids’ fried Oreos. Do you want some?”
“Sure do,” she says, leading the way to the food trucks. “I almost snatched theirs.”
Once in line, we stand silently beside each other. Mallory fiddles with the rainbow medical ID bracelet on her wrist while I pick at a seam on her stuffed animal. I want to break the silence and say something, but nothing seems right.
“Nice weather we’re having.”
“Do you want to see the puzzle I finished last night?”
“Can you see us being more than people who compete against each other?”
It’s not until Mallory checks her phone for the fifth time that I finally think of something not stupid to say.
“Is everything okay?”
Even with our tense relationship, getting Mallory to talk has always been easy. She’s a lot like my favorite puzzles. With a lot of patience, I caneventually crack even the most complex ones. My shoulders relax when she locks her phone and tucks it away.
“I guess I wasn’t expecting to not see them tonight. Shay and I always start on the roller coasters and end the night with our fried feast and people watch.”
The line moves forward without her noticing, so I place my hand on her upper back and guide her forward. “It’s okay to be upset, Ed. You weren’t expecting me to crash your fun.”
“It’s not that. I thought the three… well, four of us, would spend tonight together. Not split up. Them and us.” She straightens, shaking the disappointment out of her voice with a laugh. “But it’s fine. I love them both, and if they continue being friends with benefits, or whatever the hell they are, it could become a regular thing.”
I hadn’t even thought of that. How often would we end up pulled together and possibly isolated? While I may not mind it, she would.
She pulls on my sleeve, yanking me to the window and out of my head. “What do you want, Gray?”
Corn dog.“Why?”
“It’s faster if we’re on one ticket. And will you split an order of fried Oreos with me?”
Of course.“I can wait, Eddie.”
“Jeez, you’re so stubborn. Fine, I’ll pick for you.” She leans into the tiny window, not needing to get up on her tiptoes like the woman before her. “Hi! Can I please get a turkey leg, one order of fried Oreos, two large waters, and… a corn dog.” Red and blue lights illuminate her smirk when she looks back at me.
Mind reader.
The employee reads out the total, and I push my arm through the window to set cash on top of Mallory’s card. Worried eyes bounce betweenus before the woman at the register cautiously reaches for the bill and pushes Mallory’s card back to her.
She whirls around, placing a hand on her hip. “Stop paying for my stuff, Gray.”
