“I’ve never met anyone like her.”
“My best friend falls in love with my brother. Groundbreaking,” she commented sarcastically.
“I told you. Ari and I are meant to be.”
“June, you’ll have to excuse my brother, he’s crazy. He believes in that whole soulmate bullshit,” she mocked him cynically.
“Do you believe in soulmates, Blaze?” I asked, curious about his point of view.
“I don’t know. Unlike Amelia, I definitely believe that you only find true love once in a lifetime, though.”
Incredible. Out of an entire group of friends, the only person who didn’t believe in love was a girl?
“How about you June?” Brian inquired, catching me off guard.
If they only knew that the extent of my existential ponderings was limited to whether lasagna or pizza was better.
“I don’t know. My parents are divorced. My dad got remarried and had two more kids. So, I don’t really believe that you only find true love once in your life.”
Brian looked crestfallen by what I’d just said, and stared into space.
“Sorry about your parents. But maybe they just weren’t meant to be together,” Blaze commented in an attempt to reassure me.
“Yeah, well, luckily my mom hasn’t met anyone since,” I mumbled.
“Good. Parents are freaky at that age! It makes you want to use earplugs all night,” Amelia joked.
I smiled as my gaze wandered to the park. I managed to make out an off-white cloud in the dark sky illuminated only by streetlamps. Little by little it disappeared, replaced by the outline of a tall blond guy wearing a jacket that showcased his muscular shoulders. He looked like Jackson, the guy who’d picked a fight with Brian in class. But he wasn’t alone. A blond cheerleader and a curly-haired cheerleader stood out from the rest of the group.
And, of course,hewas there too. James. It hadn’t taken me long to realize how easy it would be to fall under his spell.
“Let’s see. June, what do you think?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I asked, feigning confusion.
“What do you think of James Hunter? I’d like the opinion of someone who doesn’t know him,” Blaze continued as Brian theatrically groaned.
“Why do you ask?” I inquired.
“Your opinion of him says a lot about who you are,” Brian interjected.
“June, they just want to know if you’re like all the other girls at school,” Amelia explained, coming to my rescue as she pulled out a vape.
I turned around to look at James. He was objectively hot; what else could I say? That thinking he was just hot wasn’t enough? Brian and Blaze certainly didn’t have such sculpted cheekbones, let alone James’s perfectly tousled hair.
Just looking at his hair made me want to run my fingers through it. I shook my head to expel the thought from my brain. His gaze was biting, almost cruel, and it didn’t seem to suggest anything good.
“Uh.”
I hesitated. Brian was getting impatient. “Well?”
“He’s not really my type. I mean, he’s attractive, but nobody can get by with just their looks in life.”
“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner,” Blaze announced. “You are hereby a member of our group.”
Brian and Amelia were arguing quietly. “You know I hate it when you smoke,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Man, you’re such a downer! I only had one puff.” She groaned in irritation. “June, let’s go walk around.”
