Page 63 of The Wright Man

Gave me something to smile about when everything else felt like loss.

It was shallow. But it was easy. And when you're drowning in everybody else's grief, easy feels like oxygen.

I felt Maleek's eyes on me as I tightened the knot and folded down his collar. "Out of all the dickheads in our school," he started, his tone drenched in disbelief, "Of the dozens of dickheads who asked you, you're going with him?"

I rolled my eyes and adjusted his tie with a little more force than necessary. "First of all, he's not a dickhead. He's my boyfriend. Second, you didn't hear me bitching when you were out tongue wrestling with Kaliyah Wade all summer."

He winced. Good.

"That... That was different."

"It definitely wasn't." I gave his chest a light pat and turned away, heading back toward the couch. "So keep your ashy opinions to yourself, Wright."

"Okay, but Kaliyah was only a little bit of a bitch to you in middle school." He held up his fingers, pinched together to demonstrate the alleged smallness of her bitchiness. "And she said she was sorry."

"Yeah, after she started sucking your dick!" I said, flipping my book open again. "I think your balls were still on her breath when she apologized."

That shut him up for a beat. Then, he tried again. "Regardless of the circumstances, she apologized. Riddle's been a walking bucket of dog shit since kindergarten and never once said sorry for how he treated you."

I bristled, more at the truth than the delivery. "Gavin didn't bully me. Boyd and Theo did. And you've punched them both multiple times, so thanks for that. Gavin was always nice."

Maleek gave me the same look he always did when he thought I was being naïve. "Right. He didn't actively bully you—just stood there and laughed while those two assholes made your life hell every damn day."

I didn't respond, just let the silence stretch. We'd had this conversation before. But something about the way he said it made the back of my throat tighten.

"Not actively being mean isn't the same as being nice, Angel."

I stared down at my book, seeing the words but not reading any of them. When I finally spoke, I knew I was being defensive. "Regardless of the circumstances," I repeated, "Gavin hasn't done anything to hurt me. He likes me. And it's junior prom. Not a marriage proposal."

"He likes you." Maleek's voice was low now, bitter. "Sure. He likes you now. Now that you're popular. Now that everybody else wants you, even though you've always been beautiful..."

That made me look up.

He was staring at me, arms crossed, jaw ticking. His face was the kind of serious he usually saved for family meetings or when Kareem didn't come home. And something in my chest fluttered because I heard it.

You've always been beautiful.

"You think I'm beautiful, Maleek?"

He blinked, like he hadn't meant to say that part out loud. Then nodded, slow. "Of course I do." He stepped closer and reached up to cup my cheek, his voice soft and steady. "I don't waste first kisses on girls I don't think are beautiful."

My stomach flipped. And I hated him for making me feel soft when I was trying so hard to be mad.

"You ain't shit," I mumbled, turning away so he wouldn't see the heat rushing to my face.

"Maybe." His smirk curved against my cheek before he pulled his hand back. "But I'm right."

I walked away before I did something stupid like kiss him again.

But when he reached for his blazer, fumbling to pull it on, I crossed the room again without thinking. Wrapped my arms around his waist from behind and rested my cheek between his shoulder blades.

"You're gonna kill that interview," I whispered, letting my voice be soft for once. "And nothing's gonna change between us. Ever. Okay?"

His hands came to rest lightly over mine.

"Okay," he said.

And I almost believed it.