He reaches down, kissing my temple. “It was all because of you.”
“Stop it.” I slap his pads.
“Yo, Cross,” Tyler yells. “Let’s go.” He’s waving his helmet in the air while he and Jack walk with the other players toward the locker room.
“I’ll see you at your house.” Ford squeezes my hand, then runs to meet up with his friends.
June and I wrap our arms around each other’s shoulders and skip together over to the bleachers so I can grab my bag. “Can we stop at the grocery store and pick up some snacks?” June asks.
I sling my bag over my head and grab her hand. “You read my mind. Let’s meet at McCaffery’s. I’m craving one of their peach lemonades from the deli.”
“Ooh, that sounds good. I’m in need of some toffee-covered peanuts.”
“That makes me want yogurt-covered raisins. Let’s buy some almonds and M&M’s, and we can make trail mix.”
“Oh my gosh, yes.” June beams. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too. It’s been way too long. I’ve missed having a friend.”
We meet at the store and wind up buying way too much junk food from the bulk section. We get everything to make our trail mix, plus chocolate stars and gummy bears, and for some odd reason, I’m carving sour bubble gum balls. When we get home, Ford’s and Tyler’s cars are out front. Dang it. I was hoping I’d have time to shower, and get some of this glitter off, and my hairdo is hurting my head. I park in my usual spot, and June pulls in behind me. When we walk inside, it smells like cinnamon and sugar. “Oh, jeez.”
“What?” June asks.
“My mom is making snickerdoodle cookies. They’re Ford’s favorite.”
Tyler pops his head in the mudroom. “Hey, I like them too.”
I raise my hands. “My bad.”
“Hey, Travers.” Tyler smiles and winks at June.
She giggles and gives a little wave. “Hi.”
I just roll my eyes. I want to tell Ty to leave my friend alone. She doesn’t need a broken heart, but I stay quiet. Now’s not the time.
Beth’s taking a batch of cookies out of the oven. “There you are. I was getting worried.”
“Sorry, we got stuck in traffic around the stadium, and then we stopped at the grocery store for snacks.”
I grab a bowl out of the cupboard, and June, and I dump our peanuts, raisins, and everything else in the bowl for our trail mix. “Hey, I’ll be right back. Are you okay for a few minutes?” I ask June.
“Yeah, of course.” She glances at Tyler, who’s pouring himself a glass of milk.
“I’ll help her bring everything down.” Tyler nods at me. I’m completely transparent, and I don’t even care.
“Thanks.” I head downstairs. Ford’s sitting on the sofa playing the Xbox with Jack.
He glances back, his eyes meeting mine. “Finally.” He stands up, coming around the sofa, and we both rush into each other’s arms. Ford lifts me off the ground, squeezing me. There’s a lingering tension between us, but we both ignore it. We have things to figure out, but tonight we need to celebrate this win.
“Congratulations on your win.”
“Thank you.” Ford sits me down but takes my hand, pulling me over to the sofa. I glance at the stairs. I should see if June is okay, but Ty said he’d help her. We sit on the sofa, and Ford pulls my legs over his lap. My mind flashes back to the beginning of the summer and the last time we sat like this, watching a scary movie that turned into a make-out session. “Get your mind out of the gutter Clark,” He leans in, whispering.
“Pretty sure you went there first.” I push his shoulder.
“Are you ready to play now?” Jack smirks at us.
Ford picks up his controller. “I’m ready.”
