“There are papers written about you.”
“One. There is one paper.” Gia held up a finger for emphasis.
“Oh my God, what did you do, Gia?” Quynh swung her wide eyes to Gia.
“It was a stupid prank.” She sank lower in her seat, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
“She broke into the high school pool and filled it with a few hundred rubber ducks.”
“How did you get so many?”
“It took her months to get that many delivered out here.”
“But how did you get them inside the pool?”
“I stole my parents’ car and broke into the gym overnight.”
“You should have seen the car. It was stuffed full of rubber ducks!” Jake laughed.
“How did they know it was you?”
Jake and Gia looked at each other and winced.
“I kind of crashed my parents’ car when I was leaving and had to get it towed.”
“Ouch.”
“Yep.”
“She wouldn’t let me drive back.”
“I didn’t want you to get in trouble for something I did.”
Quynh smiled. “Was it worth it?”
“Yep.”
The rest of the night carried on without a hitch. Gia foundherself enjoying her time. It felt less like an impromptu double date and more like she had always been a part of the conversation.
When conversation turned to what she did for work, Jake smoothly redirected the conversation away from Gia, something she was thankful for, since she wasn’t quite ready to tackle that topic.
She liked that people didn’t look at her as a celebrity they could get something out of. For tonight, she was just Gia, the girl who was back in town visiting her parents.
She feltnormal.
Twenty
JAKE
The moon was magnificent in the rare cloudless sky as it hung above the highest peak of Mount Luna, illuminating all of Willowbrook with soft moonlight. The brisk wind rustled autumn leaves on the empty sidewalks as Jake walked Gia to her parents’ home. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other since leaving Quynh and Griffin outside of the restaurant moments ago.
He’d caught Griffin’s questioning glance as he steered his wife away. Being neighbors, Jake presumed it was an unspoken question if he needed a ride home, but he’d shaken his head. Instead, he placed a hand at the small of Gia’s back as he steered them in the opposite direction.
Now, hands in his pockets, he walked silently beside her. Judging by her tense shoulders and the way she had her arms cradled around herself, Gia was a hairbreadth away from erupting.
Maybe he was imagining it, but the distance between them didn’t feel as great as it had when she first came back to town.
“Did you have fun tonight?” The words had barely left his mouth when all hell broke loose.
