“Yeah, but the rules changed again. Are you okay that you lost to Taylor?”
Ella closes the lid of her laptop and turns to face me. “I think you’re looking at this the wrong way. I might not have gotten valedictorian, but at least I still beat you.”
I put a hand to my chest. “Ouch.”
She smiles then shrugs. “Second place isn’t bad.”
I grin back at her. “No, it is not, Madam Salutatorian.”
“What about you? Are you upset?”
“Upset that my amazing girlfriend also happens to be a genius? Not at all. I’m so proud of you.”
“So, everything is okay between us?”
“More than okay. Everything is great.” The words areempty platitudes. I really am happy. But I’m also feeling weirdly uncomfortable sitting in the auditorium as everyone whispers about what just happened. I grab my backpack. “Wanna get out of here? Go celebrate over coffee?”
Ella looks around the room. “Right now? Dr. Freck is still talking, and we still have the rest of the school day.”
I shrug. “What’s Dr. Freck going to do? Take away Citrus Scholar from us?”
Ella stares at me for a moment before she grins and grabs her backpack. “Fine. Let’s go.”
I take her hand, ignoring Lily and Hardy’s protests as we side-shuffle out of our row. We don’t sign out as we leave campus, and Ella jumps in the passenger seat of my truck like it’s second nature.
Now that we’re away from everyone else, I feel like I can breathe a little better. I wonder if that’s true for her too. Even though I already asked her, turn to her and ask again. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know how badly you wanted Citrus Scholar.”
Ella nods. “I did, but plans change. You know that. I don’t need Citrus Scholar to go to University of Florida. And I don’t need to win to prove that I’m worthy. I know that I am. Losing to Taylor doesn’t change anything.”
I reach out and grab her hand, so thankful to be here with her.
This outcome might not have been what either of us expected, but in a strange way, I’m glad neither of us won. As much as I want to think that I wouldn't hold it againsther, I worry that I might have resented her. And I fear she might have resented me. Now that we know someone else will get the scholarship, Ella and I have one less thing we need to figure out as we navigate the future. And I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
But for now? I’m just happy to play hooky and spend as much time with her as possible.
23
MOST LIKELY TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER
I searchfor my cap trying not to bump into any of my classmates as they all do the same thing. It’s no easy task finding it on the ground of the auditorium. All the rows of seats make it difficult to maneuver, not to mention the fact that some caps have slipped under them.
Eventually, I see the one with a stained-glass rose and my name painted on the top. I pick it up and wipe the dirt off. Everyone thinks I picked this design because I worked on the school musical this year, but it’s actually an homage to the moment I first knew I was falling for Connor. He had the same idea of wanting to put something instrumental to our relationship on his cap and painted a peach on his—a throwback to when we spilled fruit all over the kitchen at MASE. I told him that there was no way that he knew he liked me back then, but more importantly, that everyone was going to think he painted the universal symbol for butt on his cap. He said he didn’t care.=
Of course, he doesn’t.
“Ah!” Lily pulls me into a bear hug. “Your speech was so good. I got a little misty-eyed when you talked about not forgetting our past as we move into the future.”
“It wasn’t too heavy-handed?” I ask when she releases me.
“Are you asking if it was obvious it was about your family?”
I nod.
She takes the cap out of my hands and places it on top of my head. “Maybe, but wasn’t that the point? Learning to live with the life you’ve been given? Everyone here knows about what happened with your dad. Now they know that you’re not letting it affect your life. I thought it was perfect.”
I adjust my cap so it’s not slipping into my face. “Thanks.”
Connor comes up from behind and lifts me into the air. He pulls me out into the aisle and spins me once, knocking my cap back off, before setting me down. “You owe me a meal from McDonald’s, and you should know I’m going to order a large.”
