“I give up.” I groan into my arm. “It’s too late.”
“It’snottoo late.”
But that wasn’t Tammy’s voice. I lift my head to find Rose coming toward us.
“Where the heck have you been?” I blurt.
Rose rolls her eyes, her tall suede boots emphasizing each step she takes until she stops at the table. “Joe and I were interviewing students, remember? He’s such a great interviewer, by the way.” She practically swoons when she says this. “And he said I have amazing skills, too, which I already knew, but it’s nice to hear.”
I adjust my hat with my good arm as my broken arm flares with pain. I wince, then say, “So, what, are you two dating now or something?”
Rose flushes. “If youmustknow, I admitted that I’m into him and asked when he was going to ask me out. Obviously, we’d make a cute couple.”
“Oh, Rose, that’s so exciting!” Tammy squeaks. “So you’re a couple now?”
Her blush deepens. “Not exactly.” She clears her throat. “He got all blustery and awkward and started apologizing, so then I jumped to the next best conclusion. I mean, he’s so nice and good-looking. Gentle, respectful, with amazing hair and great fashion sense—”
I release an aggravated sigh, because I don’t want to hear about how great Joe is right now. “Get to the point.”
Rose narrows her eyes at me. “So I said, ‘You’re gay, aren’t you?’”
“Joe’sgay?” Tammy and I gasp in unison.
Wow, talk about a plot twist.
“That’s the thing—he’s not!” she confirms. “This is what I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time,geez. If you really don’t want to lose Sara Lin, you need to stop her right now.”
I raise my brows. “What are youtalkingabout?”
“Joe told me he already likes someone else. Another girl, he said,” Rose continues, a wash of insecurity creasing across her forehead. “And I was like,Well, you need to be more careful and direct with your feelings, Joe! If you keep treating all these girls the same, how are they supposed to know if you like them or not?” She crosses her arms. “And he told me I was right! That heshouldbe more direct. And then he decided he would confess to her—tonight.”
Unease shifts in my stomach. “Well, who’s he confessing to?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Patrick, Joe’s going to confess his feelings for Sara.” Irritation flicks behind her eyes. “And you know what? It’s probably good Sara’s left the booth. Joe thinks she’s still here, so it’ll be the first place he looks. Which means one of us needs to go find her and stall her before he turns up. And it would be perfect if you use that time to tell her how you feel, Patrick. That way you can keep her mind off Joe.”
I launch to my feet, slamming a palm on the table to stabilize myself. “Stop saying all this like I’m working with you! I’m not going along with your evil master plan to split them up. I already told you, I’m not doingany of thisfor you.”
Rose’s lips puff into a pout, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinizes me. “Whatever, Patrick. The thing is, whichever way you look at it, it doesn’t matter. We both want the same thing in the end.”
Tammy rises to her feet, then gives me an encouraging nod.I take a deep breath. Okay. It’s official. Joe has a crush on Sara. So if I’m going to explore something deeper than friendship with her, I need to tell her that my feelings have changed. And I have to do ittonight. No regrets, no mistakes.
I glance around, wondering if Vicky’s going to show up with my water. I really don’t want to ditch her, but I’m running out of time. It’s fine, I decide. She’ll text me to figure out where I’ve gone, and then I can tell her everything. Because she was right all along, wasn’t she? I needed to figure out my feelings toward Sara before she fully moved on.
“Hurry,” Rose snaps. “You guys go that way, and I’ll go this way.”
I grasp Tammy’s hand with my good hand. “Fine,” I say, already moving away from Rose. “Text me as soon as you find her.”
And as we tear down the rows of booths, I find myself hoping I’m not too late.
FORTY
Sara
Above us, the night sky is full of twinkling stars that poke against its dark contrast. Students weave around us, racing toward a booth that offers a cornhole game. I slide my hands into the pocket of my camel-colored cardigan, and tuck them into balls to keep them warm. The temperature’s dipped only slightly, but it’s enough to send a slight chill through me.
Oliver and I have been speed walking in silence for at least a minute. He’s let me take the lead, following along behind me as I scan the crowd, hoping to find Joe’s tall head among the sea of bodies.
“So you’re not going to tell me what this whole bet thing is about?”
