He grimaces. “It’s not your fault we couldn’t bring home the win. Percussion is feeling defeated right now, but we’ll bounce back. I bet some of us will even have a good time learning your guard choreography.”
Relief floods through me. “Max, listen, I’ve been thinking and…what if we told our sections about us now? Tonight. I don’t want to keep us a secret anymore.”
He leans back. “You want to tell them?”
“Yeah, I do.” I take his hands in mine. “Aren’t you sick of trying to pretend we don’t care about each other? I know the guard will be shocked, but they’ll get over it.”
“Max?” someone asks. “What’s going on?”
Max jerks his hands from mine. We both turn to find a small group of Glen Vale percussion members walking toward us. At the front are Jamila, who plays the snare drum with Felix, and Niko, a cymbal player. Behind them are a few other percussion players. Thankfully, Brody isn’t with them.
Max takes a small step away from me. It’s probably not more than a few inches, but it might as well be a mile. “Hey guys, what’s up?” he asks casually.
“We were coming to look for you,” Niko says slowly. “Jamila’s mom suggested we grab milkshakes to make up for this horrible competition and we wanted you to come.” He frowns and glances between me and Max. “Or are you already busy?”
“Not busy. Just congratulating Hazel on winning ourbet.”
The others look less than impressed at that statement. Jamila gives Niko some side-eye and crosses her arms over her chest. “Yeah, we saw. That was quite the congratulations.”
“Don’t be a sore loser,” I snap.
“All right, everyone calm down,” Max says. “Hazel and I go way back. We’re old friends.”
“Huh,” Niko replies. “Because I could have sworn I was picking up on someothervibes.”
More band members join the fray, probably curious about why we’re all standing around. I see Felix and Li, and Nova’s there wearing a stony expression.
“What’s the holdup? Are we going or not?” Brody’s loud, grating voice cuts through the group. He pushes his way to the front and rolls his eyes. “Are you seriously wasting precious time talking to Hazel? Let’sgo.”
“Who are the toilet cleaners now, Brody?” I smile maliciously. “I bet it must be so hard knowing you lost. Although, to be fair, you do already have a lot of experience with being a loser.” I know I’m not helping matters, but I can’t resist rubbing it injusta bit.
Brody turns his glare on me, but Niko interrupts. “Actually, I don’t think Max is going to hang out with us tonight after all,” he tells Brody. “He’s already got a date.”
A few people snicker. My heart speeds as I turn to Max. I lift my eyebrows slightly, urging him to rip off the Band-Aid and tell them. It’s his section, so I’m not going to do that for him, but it’s clear that the time for secrets has passed. They’ve already guessed anyway.
But rather than pulling me close and announcing his feelings, he’s quiet. Tense.Tell them,I think desperately.Say the words.
Yes, I’m dating Hazel.
Yes, I care about her.
She’s important to me.
Max clears his throat, his eyes wide and harried. He looks to his section and then back at me. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, and then he turns so he’s fully facing them.
He shakes his head derisively. “Are you kidding? Me andHazel? Of course we don’t have a date. I was just trying to be the bigger person and congratulate her—something the rest of you could stand to do more of.”
I fall back a step.
“The bigger person?” Brody says with a snort. “Please. I know you still have that equipment shed key.”
The shock of the words is so sudden that I really think I might be sick. He has the key that I thought I’d lost? I turn to him. “What the hell? Max?”
He pales and waves his hands in front of his face. “It’s not like that. We were never really going to do anything.”
A few percussion players scoff, as if they beg to differ with his version of events, but he rounds on them. “Not. Now.I’m not getting milkshakes tonight, so you can head out.” He turns to me. “Hazel, don’t freak out, just listen to me.”
The others linger, probably hoping to see us blow up in a huge fight, but my jaw is clenched too tightly to say a word. Felix ushers his section away with a nervous glance back at us. Only when we’re alone again do I have the strength to say something.
