Mila’s head comes up off the couch. “To the game?”
Lucy says softly, “Yeah. I’m going. It would be nice if you guys came.”
“Melly and Mila. You’re coming, right?” Gianna asks.
The cookie is halfway to my mouth. I lower the cookie and look at Mila. Mila knows right away why I’m hesitating. I haven’t gone to one of his games in person in years. Watching it on a screen while I’m falling asleep has been my routine for the past two years. I don’t know if Blue will want me there. I don’t want him to feel crowded.
“I don’t know,” I say finally.
Lucy is watching Mila and me. She looks down at her phone and tucks it under her legs. “You guys should come.” She raises an eyebrow. “Melly?”
I look at her, confused. I don’t know why she’s pinpointing me.
She gives me a half smile. “I don’t think Blue would mind.”
Gianna and Mara make a shocked face.
“Um, what?” Gianna scoffs.
Mara’s eyes dart to mine. “You’d better start talking. Did something happen on Halloween?”
I glance at Penelope and then look down. I say to Lucy, “Did he say something?”
Mila makes a sound. I already know she doesn’t want any of this to feed my ‘delusion’.
Mila answers Mara for me. “We’ve all known each other since we were kids.”
Mara’s brows raise. “Oh.”
Lucy waits for her turn to speak. “We came home from the diner, and he saw his hoodie near the front door.”
I blush, waiting to hear what else Lucy has to say.
“You’re not going to believe this,” she raises one brow. “But the guys called a house meeting and sat him down. At first, he refused to talk about you.”
Mila looks surprised. Gianna and Mara are gawking.
“Blue Golding does not date,” Gianna says.
Mara shakes her head. “No, not at all. The guys joked last year that they thought he was gay.”
I swallow. “Did he?” I ask Lucy. “Did he talk about me?”
She nods. “He tried to leave a few times, and Stanley kept forcing him to sit back down. The second time he stood up, Stan told him that you broke up with your boyfriend.”
Mila interjects, “What did he say?”
Lucy looks at her. “He sat back down and demanded to know what else Melly said.”
Mila looks at me. I stare back. We’re both looking at each other with the same question. Because it doesn’t make sense. This whole situation sounds exactly like something Blue wouldn’t do.
“You guys can’t say anything, okay?” Lucy says. She looks at each of us. “Promise me? It stays between us.” She points. “If it gets out, I won’t trust any of you again.”
Mara puffs out a sarcastic laugh. “We’re not going to tell anyone. Now, continue the story because we’re all dying to know why the boys at Hawthorne would call a fucking house meeting over this.” Mara shoots me a glance. “Right?”
I nod. Mila nods too.
Gianna waves her hand as in to hurry up. Penelope is the only normal one in this room.
