“Yeah,” Both Jack and I say at the same time.
Cameron gives me a funny look. I just try to smile, but it makes me feel stupid. I scoot closer to Ford, and he puts his arm around me. I glance at June, and she’s practically curled herself into a ball. There’s too much testosterone in this room now.
“Decide to ditch the after party this week?” Dave asks, looking at the guys.
“Something like that,” Ford says.
I lean into Ford. “I’m going to take June upstairs.” His jaw tightens, but he glances at her and sees what I see.
“Okay. I’ll text you later,” he whispers, kissing my cheek. He helps me stand up by putting his hand on my butt. I nod to June, and she stands up.
“You don’t need to leave on our account, Clark,” Beckett Ward says.
“We’ve got plans.” I grab June’s hand, and we run upstairs.
When we get into the kitchen, June takes a deep breath. “Thanks for leaving, even if you didn’t want to.”
“Those boys are dumb. They’re just going to sit and talk about football and girls, and I promised to tell you about my summer. If you still want to hear it?”
“Heck yes! I’ve been waiting two days.” June smiles. We grab the rest of our junk food and a couple more cookies and head to my room. June helps me take out my hair, and I tell her all about my crazy summer with Ford.
“So, are you and Ford back together?” June asks as I wipe paint, glitter, and tattoos off my legs.
“No. We need to sit down and talk about some stuff before we officially get back together. But I feel drawn to him. Is that weird? Or am I being stupid?”
“No, it’s not weird, and you’re the smartest person I know.”
“Oh jeez, stop. But thank you for saying that.”
“Can I ask one more question—wait—at least two more questions.”
I throw a pillow at her. “You can ask as many questions as you want.”
“What happened tonight in the weight room?”
“Oh, yeah.” I haven’t forgotten about the weight room, but it feels like it happened last week.
“Did Jack or Ty say anything while you waited in the hall?”
“Ty did. He said: I hope this works. What did he mean by that?”
“Ford has so much going on in his life, and not all of it is good. I don’t want to say too much, because he hasn’t even told me some of it. Jack did. Ford keeps things bottled inside, and it all became too much for him. He just needed someone to talk him through everything and tell him it would be okay. Someone who loves him and doesn’t expect something from him. I think we all have those moments in life where it all becomes overwhelming, and we don’t know how to deal with it. Especially as teenagers. I suck at dealing with my emotions.”
“When my mom told me we were staying another ten days in Spain, I completely lost it. I felt smothered and was so tired of my grandparents judging my every move. My grandma stopped letting me eat dessert because she thought I’d get too fat and wouldn’t be able to find a husband. I’m seventeen years old. I’m at least a decade away from even thinking about marriage.”
I squeeze her leg. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I understand what you’re saying, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around Jack and Alison dating. That’s crazy.”
“I know right, but Jack told me they have a lot in common. He told me, at first their relationship was great, but then Alison started hanging out with Bree and Melissa.”
“I just can’t believe what she did to you.” June hugs her pillow to her. “She’s always had a mean streak. I never liked hanging out or doing anything with her if you weren’t around.”
I knew Alison could be mean when she wanted to be. I always let it go or ignored it, but not everyone can do that. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m tired of talking about Alison, it’s depressing. “Hey, want to know a secret?”
“Heck, yes.” June perks up.
“Ford asked me to the homecoming dance.”
