I’d reckon that by the spring, I’ll have a real good chance of making the track team, considering all of the sprinting practice I’d been getting by running from one end of the school to the other.
“Hey!” I was breathless, but I caught Ellie just as she was closing her locker door.
She jumped a little at my sudden appearance, but then smiled and flicked her long, dark hair over her shoulder. It was bare, her slouchy little shirt slipping down one arm and exposing the summer tan lingering on her skin. I leaned my shoulder into the row of lockers to keep myself from inching closer.
“Hi!” she replied before glancing behind her. The movement was anxious, making me frown. “Hurry, let’s walk toward Mattson’s class before Kurtis comes.”
“Kurtis?”
“Yeah, he won’t leave me alone. His locker’s just three down from mine.” She pointed to it, making a face. “He keeps asking me if I’ll go to Homecoming with him, and I keep telling him I’ll think about it.”
My frown deepened.
Last year, Ellie went to Homecoming with Natalie and her friends, since she hadn’t really known anyone yet. She was way younger than the rest of them, but they’d adopted her as one of their own.
I hadn’t thought about the fact that other people would probably ask her out to school dances this year.
“Do you want to go to Homecoming with him?”
She looked at me like she couldn’t believe I’d asked that. “No.”
“Then just tell him that.”
Her pretty brown eyes flicked in annoyance. “It’s not that easy.”
“No?”
“Not really?—”
“Hey, freshman!”
I looked up to find Kurtis himself walking over, weaving his way between groups of people to get to where Ellie and I huddled near the lockers.
Perfect timing, honestly.
“You talkin’ to me?” I called, even though, from the way he was shooting daggers with his gaze, it was pretty damn clear he was talking to me. He was a big dude with broad shoulders, but I was sure I had a few inches on him height-wise.
“Yeah, I’m talking to you.” Yep, figured. “What are you doing over here?”
God, what an ass. He was crowding Ellie now, towering over her in a weird show of…I don’t know, dominance?
Whatever it was, I didn’t like it.
I shrugged and, without really thinking about it, looped my arm around Ellie’s waist, pulling her back against me. “Talking to Eleanor.”
“Eleanor?” He snorted. “She doesn’t want to fucking talk to you.”
“Actually,” Ellie cut in.Ah, that’s my girl.“Sully and I are…”
She hesitated, like she couldn’t decide what to say. We were friends—best friends. We were neighbors. She was my sister’s friend, family friends, the list went on. There were what felt like a million options.
I decided to help her out.
“Dating,” I said.
“Dating?” Kurtis repeated, in somewhat disbelief.
And then, to my utter shock, Ellie confirmed it. “Yeah, dating.”
