I resist the urge to blurt out the question, keeping my face neutral. Lord forbid I blurt out the wordsWe’ve kissed. A lot. In fact, we almost kissed after you stormed out of the ice rink and I didn’t tell you. And not just sweet kisses; they were so hot and intense and overwhelming and—
I say none of these things.
Instead, I say, “Let’s not get carried away. He’s in love with Maddie Miller, or have you not noticed?”
“Oh please.” Macy huffs. “She is so basic. How he cannotlike you back when you’ve been sneaking off together is beyond me. You’re spending every spare second painting and decorating. It makes total sense that you’d fall in like with him! Seriously! None of us are blind, you know. Weseewhat’s going on between the two of you.”
“Nothing is going on.”
If it were, Easton would have told Maddie no when she asked him to prom.
My friend rolls her eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t fall out of their sockets. “Maddie Miller is a phase.”
I snort. “Maddie Miller is not a phase, but thank you for saying so. She’s—she’s Maddie Miller.” I groan miserably. “Did you see the crop top she wore to school last week? No one even cared it was against dress code.”
She never gets in trouble!
“She isboring,” Macy fires back. “Stop saying her name so much like she’s the queen of everything. She wishes she were you!Youhave layers. Depth. Maddie is…I don’t know…” She waves her hand as if trying to pluck the right word from the air. “Sparkly cardboard. Nice to look at, butnothingunderneath.”
I want to believe what she’s saying—I really do.
But then I think about Easton’s sickening smile when he looks at her and I want to barf. The way he gave her a ride to school when he doesn’t have a car, when he’s never offered me a ride.
I grab my pillow, moving to sit up. “It’s too late, he’s taking her to prom. This is fate punishing me for blackmailing him.”
My bestie looks like she swallowed a lemon. “So what are we going to do?”
A current of relief goes through me at those words. Even if it feels like the world is against me, Macy is still on my side. I shrug. “I don’t know. Apologize for forcing him into this deal to beginwith?”
“Apologize tohim?” she echoes, skepticism lacing her tone. “Text him and say,Hey, sorry for blackmailing you, have fun at prom with Maddie? And then what? Pretend none of this happened? Pretend you’re not in love with him?”
“Pretty much.” The ache in my chest confirms how much it hurts to admit that. “It’s the least I can do. I dragged him into this mess. If I tell him in no uncertain terms the deal is over, at least he won’t hate me more than he probably already does.”
Macy stares at me as if I’ve sprouted a second head. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? You spent all this time with him, and because he was too chickenshit to tell her no, you’re giving up?”
Giving up?
What am I supposed to do, fight for him?
As if.
“What do you want me to do?” I snap, the tension high. “Crash his prom and declare my undying feelings in front of everyone? Beg him to pick me instead? I am not a pick-me girl, Macy!”
“No one said you were,” she says slowly. “But you’re acting like you’re the villain in this story. Spoiler alert: You’re not.Sheis.”
Her words hit me like gut punch.
Is she right? Has Easton been spending time with me not because he has to but because hewantsto?
I shake my head, trying to dispel the hope creeping in. And the butterflies.
“He did not tell her no—that’sallthat matters. Actions speak louder than words.”
“Well, same goes for you,” she counters. “If you let him go with her, without telling him how you feel, you’ll regret it. Trustme.”
I look down at my hands, twisting the fabric of my pillowcase. Macy’s right—if I don’t say something, I’ll always wonder what could’ve happened. But the thought of putting my heart on the line, knowing he might choose Maddie anyway?
Petrifying.
