“I’m sorry, what was that?”
I spread my index and middle fingers, and her legs scoot closer toward me. And again, I keep my hands on my face and say, “August.”
A few seconds pass by until I hear a snort. I uncover my eyes.
Ellie looks amused. A little bit too amused for my liking. Why isn’t she yelling? Why isn’t she scolding me? Oh god, she must think this is some joke I’ve come up with.
My hands fall onto my lap as my body slumps. “Why are you laughing?”
“I’m not dumb, Ry.”
“I didn’t say that!” I throw my arms up in defense.
“Then why are you surprised at my reaction?”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I hear footsteps come up from behind me.
“What’s going on?” Addie asks.
“Riley likes August.” Ellie gets up from the table and goes to the fridge, grabbing more snacks.
I gasp and scoff at the same time while my mouth hangs wide open. “Ellie, you can’t just tell people.”
“I already knew that,” Hailey says.
I drop my hand on the table, making athudsound, and deadpan. “Seriously?” I turn to Addie.
She picks at the cheese and crackers Ellie places on the table. “Oh, yeah, I knew that.”
Hailey pops a cheese cube in her mouth. “I can’t believe it took this long for you to kiss.”
“How are you guys not freaking out?” I’m so confused. All my nerves melt away instantly, but they’re replaced with bewilderment. Shaking my head, I turn to Ellie, who sits down next to me. “Hold on. This doesn’t bother you? You’re not freaked out that I kissed your brother?”
Ellie grimaces. Well, at least she gave me one of the reactions I was waiting for. “I mean, it’s fucking weird, but you do you. I can’t tell you what to do.”
Am I in the Twilight Zone?
“Okay.” I drag out the word. “I’m still confused. Why is this no surprise to you guys?”
Ellie sucks in air through her teeth and scrunches her nose. Oh god, what now? My leg starts to bounce; I’m too antsy to sit still. I stand up and start to pace slowly around the kitchen when Ellie finally speaks.
“Okay, you can’t get mad at me.” She puts her hands up.
I narrow my eyes. “What did you do?”
She purses her lips. “I may have overheard you guys the night August told you he liked you.”
“What?” Hailey and Addie say in unison.
“Whoa, hold on,” Addie says, raising one hand. “When did this happen? Why didn’t we know?”
I look at Addie. “Well, how did you know about how I felt?”
“Riley,” Hailey says with a bored expression. “We see the way you undress him with your eyes. Don’t act innocent.”
“And you bite your lip every time he’s around,” Addie says. “What’s with that?”
“I do not!” I stomp my foot. “Wait.” I point to Ellie. “What do you mean you were there that night? That was like—twelve years ago. And you’re now just telling me this?”
