“Is this the horchata drink you like?” I ask.
“Yes, it’s so good you at least have to try it before you say you don’t like it.”
“Okay.” I take a drink, and it’s great. “Yeah, I like it.” I move it to the other side of the table where he can’t reach it. “You better order yourself another one, because this is mine now.”
“We could share?” Ford gives me a cheesy smile and tries to bat his lashes.
I grab his face with both hands. “Okay, Fine. As long as you promise never to try that again, it looked like you were having a seizure.”
“I would’ve said stroke.” Tyler clears his throat, trying not to laugh.
“Oh, my gosh.” Ford and Jack bust up laughing, making Tyler and I laugh. Everyone else just stares at us, not understanding the joke. “You’re going to have to explain that joke now.”
52. My Hobbies Include
I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Hannah enjoying herself. We don’t need the added worry of Mason Bergeson lurking around the corner, waiting to take pictures of us. After dinner, Hannah sets up her phone on a tripod, and we pose for more pictures. The girls get carried away, but it’s fun to pose and take pictures.
“Let’s go dance,” Leah yells, hugging Jack and kissing his cheek.
Hannah glances at me, smiling, and gives me a little nod. She’s pure sunshine when she smiles, and she’s happy.
I pay for dinner, and the guys reimburse me for their cut.
“Are you ready?” I wrap my arm around Hannah.
“Yes, I’m so excited I can hardly wait.”
I’m surprised by her answer. I thought she’d be nervous about the dance. We have to do the homecoming royalty court all over again, and both the parade and half-time at the football game stressed her out.
She soothes away the wrinkles on my forehead. “I don’t care about the homecoming court anymore. I just want to dance with you.”
“Hannah, I—” I hadn’t realized until just now that we’ve never danced together. I glide my hand along her mid-drift. “I can’t wait to dance with you, too.”
We get to the dance a little after 9:30. The gym is jam-packed with couples and groups mingling at tables and along the walls. There’s a line for concessions, and a few people are dancing. There are so many balloons and streamers that it’s hard to maneuver around. Hannah moves closer to me, and I wrap a protective arm around her. “Let’s get pictures first,” she says, leaning in so I can hear her. I nod, and we make our way with the rest of our friends to the far corner of the gym and get in the picture line. The girls stand together, chatting while we wait.
Tyler pulls me aside. “Did you see who was at the restaurant?”
“Yes. Hannah and I were still at my car when he pulled into the parking lot.”
Ty looks at me, shocked. “Oh Damn! She knows? And she didn’t freak out?”
I chuckle. “No, she did. But she realized going in there and freaking out on him wasn’t going to solve the problem.”
“We’re not going to worry about it tonight.”
Tyler nods. “Smart. There’s nothing we can do about it here.”
“Exactly. We’re going to have a good time and pretend like that douchebag doesn’t exist. When we’re done with pictures, Mrs. Bouchard is waiting for us. We take more pictures, only this time with our crowns. It takes almost another hour before we’re done. Finally, we line up to be announced. Mr. Higbee, the vice principal, is doing the presentation again. We’re waiting behind a wall of streamers next to the DJ. I glance at Hannah, who is talking to Leah, and the sophomore Bailey Eccles, who won Duchess. I take the opportunity to sneak away and walk up to the DJ. “Hey, how are you?”
“I’m good. How’s the dance going?” The guy asks. His voice sounds familiar.
“Are you Rick Rockfield from Z104?”
“Yeah, I am. You must listen to the radio.”
“Yeah, Z104 is my favorite station. I’m Ford. It’s nice to meet you?”
Rick’s forehead creases. “Ford Cross?”
