Danika keeps going, opening the driver’s door of her car.I pause next to Jonathan, not sure what to do.I look from him to Danika, then back to him.“I should—”
“Stay,” Danika tells me.“I’ll be fine.Stay with Jonathan.I’ll come by tomorrow.”
“Are you—”
“I’m sure,” she answers before I can ask.
“Danika!”Oren calls to her, his arms thrown in the air like he doesn’t understand what upset her.“Where are you going?”
She slams the door and backs out as soon as the car starts.
“What the hell?!”Oren exclaims.
Livvy leans against the doorframe, twirling her lollipop in her mouth, looking on in quiet amusement.“Well, boys, c’mon in.I have plenty to drink.”
Darren walks up the steps, encouraging Oren to join him with a hand on his shoulder.Oren tears his eyes from Danika’s taillights and enters the house with an audible huff.
Livvy waits for Jonathan to follow.She doesn’t bother looking at me.Jonathan turns away from her and takes my hand.I don’t look back as we walk down her driveway, but I know she’s watching with that stupid lollipop filling her cheek.
Jonathan and I are left alone in the driveway.The sudden silence is deafening.
“Wanna walk, or is it too cold?”Jonathan asks.
If it’s cold, my body can’t tell right now.“We can walk.”My words come out in a raspy whisper.I clear my throat.“It’s not too bad.”I’m still trying to shake off the tension.
“How did you do tonight?”Jonathan asks, lifting my bag off my shoulder and setting it in the back of Darren’s truck at the end of the driveway.
“Good,” I answer vaguely.
“Standing-ovation good?”he asks, his mouth quirking.
“Loud-clap good,” I explain, smiling back, too embarrassed to admit the truth.He eyes the bracelet, questioning.“Collin.It’s rock candy.He’s getting more creative.”I hold it up.“Taste it.”
I raise it to his mouth.He takes my hand and inspects the candy bracelet.Instead of tasting the watermelon-flavored jewelry, he kisses the back of my hand.His lips linger on my skin as our eyes meet.Heat rushes to my cheeks.
Jonathan wraps his arm around my shoulders and holds me against him as we walk along the sidewalk, in the opposite direction of my house.“I didn’t forget, you know.”
“What?”I was so relieved to see him at the door that I almost forgot why I wanted to leave to begin with.
“Your recital.I didn’t forget.I just wanted to give it to you in person… tonight.”He releases me long enough to produce a Ring Pop from his jacket pocket.Heat rushes into my cheeks with both embarrassment that I doubted him and elation that he wanted to give this to me himself.
He rips open the wrapper with his teeth.I laugh at the absurdity of it when I could have just as easily opened it, but he shakes his head when I offer.He removes the ring and lets the wrapper fall.I grab it before it can hit the ground and stuff it in my pocket.
“Thanks,” he says.His mouth quirks with apology.I hold out my hand to take the ring.He flips my palm over and eases the ring onto my index finger, his eyes flipping up to meet mine.“Maybe someday, you’ll let me see you light that stage on fire.”
I smile abashedly.“Maybe.”The ring feels heavy on my hand, weighted by the gesture of Jonathan slipping it on my finger—more significant than just the friendly tradition.I force myself not to overthink it.
“Wow.I’ve never seen these colors before.”I admire the turquoise ring that fades to clear at the top.
“It’s called starburst.I thought it looked cool.”
“Thank you.”I reach up on my toes to kiss him.He pulls me in tight, making the kiss a little more than the intended peck.He pulls back a little, keeping me close to peer into my eyes.“Did it upset you that we showed up at your girls’ night?”
I shake my head.“I was getting ready to leave anyway.Livvy isn’t… I don’t get her.It was really uncomfortable, being in that house.”
“I thought it was weird when you said you were staying over at her place.You two don’t seem like the right combination.”
I scrunch my face, trying to puzzle that out.“I guess.I try so hard not to judge people.But… I feel like causing chaos seems to excite her.”
