“Angie…” he whispers, his lips settling on my neck, on that spot right below my ear that makes me shudder. “I think I’m in love with you.”
My breath catches in my throat the same way my heart catches in my rib cage. I twist around until I’m straddling his lap, and my hands are locked behind his neck. “I love you too, Ten.”
Except I don’t think it… I know it. I fell in love with him long before we even started dating, which I’ll never admit. Or maybe I will. I’m surprising myself with the number of things I’m doing that I would never have dreamed myself capable of.
He splays his hands on my waist and then dips his face toward mine, touches my lips to his, crushes my heart to his.
54
Win Some, Lose Some
Whoever claimed happiness can’t last was right.
After the two greatest weeks of my life, the absolute worst one begins. It’s the morning of Mona Stone’s contest announcement. Which isn’t the reason it’s the worst. I’m excited to find out who she picked. It’s the worst because of the name that appears on my Twitter feed.
I read it. Blink. Read it again.
Sometimes, the mind can play tricks on you. Show you what you want to see. Or what you don’t want to see.
The name of the winner blurs, then sharpens.
I whip my gaze toward Ten, who’s leaning against the locker next to mine, theonlyperson not clutching a phone, just as the hallway erupts with noise.
And I mean erupts like a volcano erupts—shrieks, claps, and whistles spew and overtake the entire school.
Ten frowns, while I feel like crying.
Wrong.Iamcrying.
The PA system squeals, and then Mrs. Larue’s voice blasts through the school, adding to the mounting chaos. “In the words of the Buddha,One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life canchange the world. Dear Angela, from all the faculty at Reedwood. We. Are. Proud!”
Ten’s gaze goes a little wider and his mouth a little softer, but his jaw, like the winner’s name—myname—sharpens.
He backs up from me, and then his feet eat up the hallway in long strides.
I try to go after him, but he’s fast, and people keep coming at me, keep sayingCongratsorI knew she’d choose you, which they couldn’t possibly have known, because one, they most likely have never heard me sing, and two, I didn’t submit my song.
I try to get through the fence of bodies, but they keep coming. So many of them. My back rams into the cold, hard metal wall of lockers.
“Yo, back the hell up! Don’t you see you’re freaking her out?” Jasper yells, which gets some people’s attention.
Brad gets the others’ attention. He shoves them back, and then Laney and Rae are by my side and rescuing me from the mob. They tow me into the girls’ bathroom, kicking out two girls fixing their makeup.
“I don’t know whether to hug you or scream at you right now.” Rae’s voice is so shrill it reverberates in my skull.
“Did you tell us you weren’t competing so we wouldn’t get our hopes up?” Laney asks.
Sobs rack my body, make me crumple to the floor.
Rae crouches in front of me. “Hon, talk to us.”
“I d-d-didn’t…”
“You didn’t what?” Laney asks gently. “Submit your song?”
I nod so hard my head feels as though it’s going to unscrew itself from my body.
My friends become smudges of color—blonde, black, peach, and sky blue. I can see them talking, but I can’t hear them over the buzzing in my ears.
