Cecily.
My heart stops.
And then pounds in my ears.
I watch her laugh and smile with… is that Marina? Interesting. They look like their best friends.
I can’t peel my eyes off of Ce. She’s beautiful as always, but I think I may have forgotten how much in the past two weeks. I’ve kept my head down, got my grades back up, not warming the fucking bench because of missing assignments anymore.
Cecily almost looks my way, so I turn back to Scott, who’s talking nonstop about tonight’s game. He’s been in a mood lately. Westley nods at me like he knows what I’m thinking. Then he looks over at Cecily and takes a swig of his drink.
I look over my shoulder again. Cecily is wearing boots that hide underneath her skirt and a shimmery long-sleeve top I’ve never seen before. Her hair is curled, and it takes everything in me not to walk over to her. Her shirt catches the light, and I hate that I’m noticing shit like that now.
Scott says, “You gonna say hi to her or just stare at her all night?”
I shake my head. “Don’t be a dick.”
“I invited her here for you.”
“You? You invited her?”
“And her friends.” He stares at me. “Don’t need to thank me or anything.”
I lean forward. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Come on, man. We can all see it.”
I glare at him and then say, “See what?”
Rocky chuckles as he hits Westley’s shoulder. Westley laughs while drinking his beer.
“Do you think you were like this over Viv?”
I scoff, not hearing the point. Viv and I were different. That was easy, surface-level.
Scott says, “No, so tonight’s your last shot. If you don’t talk to her, I will.”
I shake my head. “She would never go for you.”
Scott stares. “Wanna bet?”
The challenge in his voice pisses me off more than it should. I down the rest of my drink and say, “Leave her the fuck alone.” And then I stand up to grab myself another beer.
“Cecily!” I hear Scott yell over the crowd.
Fucking prick.
Her eyes look over at Scott, and then she stills when she sees me. My feet stop moving when her eyes catch mine, bright and full of questions. And then she smiles at Scott. I turn around and see him waving his hand, calling her over to him.
Cecily follows Marina and two other girls. Her friends are talking amongst themselves, but she’s focused on me. I can’t find my words, so I do the only thing that feels right. I reach for her and catch her hand. The skin-on-skin contact instantly sends a shiver down my spine. I don’t let go of her as her friends keep walking.
“Moo?”
Her expression softens.
I look at her hand in mine. “Can we talk?”
“I’m with my friends, Dylan.”
