“Yeah, but he didn’t tell us what the bet was.” Jack smacks Tyler on the shoulder. “What?” Ty huffs. “I’ve been dying to know. Tell me you haven’t?”
Jack opens his mouth but then snaps it shut, looks at me, and shrugs with a little nod.
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to decide if I should tell them. It doesn’t matter anymore. Right? “It was at the end of school party in June.”
“We kind of guessed that,” Jack says.
“He bet me that you, Jack, could get Alison to kiss you.”
Tyler hits his hand on the table, laughing. Jack’s eyes get wide, and he breaks into a smile, laughing. “He cheated. You know that, right?”
I purse my lips and let out a little humph. “I tried to use that excuse to get out of the bet, but he said he didn’t think you’d do it.”
“He was right. I was terrified of you finding out about Ali and me. I would’ve never kissed her.” I want to ask him why, but now isn’t the time or the place.
Ford finally finishes his phone call and comes over, and sits next to me. “Sorry I took so long. What’s everyone laughing about?”
“Clark was just telling us the details of the bet you two made over the summer,” Tyler says, still laughing.
“You got lucky.” Jack nods at Ford. “I wouldn’t have kissed Alison.”
Ford sticks his finger out at Jack. “I knew you wouldn’t.” He turns to me but bites his lower lip to keep from talking. He pulls on his hair, shaking his hands with frustration. He turns back to Jack and Tyler. “I won that bet fair and square. That was the start of the best summer of my life.”
The best summer of his life? The summer had a lot of ups and downs, but I agree with him. So many amazing things happened. Only it ended in heartbreak. But does it have to stay that way? Not if I don’t want it to. It’s just that I don’t want things to go back to the way they were. I want Ford to confide in me, and I don’t want to be scared to tell him what I’m feeling or be afraid he’ll get upset over my opinions and the questions I ask him.
Ford smiles, taking a sip of his drink. “How much do I owe you for the food, T.?”
“Clark got you.” Tyler nods his head at me.
Ford looks at Jack. “Hey, Jack—”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jack cuts him off. “Clark, Ford says thank you for the food.”
I shrug. “He can owe me one.”
Ford drops his hand to my knee, running it up my leg and under my cheer skirt. He scratches and rubs my thigh, then leaves his hand there. It takes everything I have inside me not to close my eyes and groan at the feeling. I still haven’t fully recovered from his kiss.
“We better head back to school. We have about fifteen minutes before the warning bell rings,” Jack says, glancing at his watch.
We clean off our table, and as we walk over to the cars, Ford takes my hand, entwining his fingers with mine. He opens the passenger door for me and helps me in. He leans in, brushing a wayward curl behind my ear and kissing my cheek. “I hate this stupid bet,” I mutter, crossing my arms with a humph. Ford’s eyebrows raise with a silent question that I’m sure sounds something like,you started it, Hanny, now I’m going to finish it because I’ll do anything to win.This is so frustrating. I don’t know why I thought pouting in front of him would work. He doesn’t know how to fail.Ford reaches over me, holding out his fist, and Jack bumps it. “I’ll see you in seventh period.”
“Sounds good,” Jack says.
Ford trails the back of his hand down my cheek before he shuts my door. I lean against the window and watch him get into Tyler’s Jeep.
June reaches between the front seats, grasping my hand and squeezing it. “It’s okay, Hannah.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Jack gives me a side glance as he turns onto the road.
“I—I—don’t know. What is there to say? Will he hurt me again?”
“I wish I could tell you no. Ford is going through a difficult time with his parents getting divorced. They’re fighting over custody of him, which is ridiculous because he’s eighteen. And his dad is being a pious prick about football. Ford would’ve already given a verbal commitment to a college if it wasn’t for his old man. He’s told me he loves you, and I believe him. It shows in his every action. I think he deserves a second chance, and if, by some twist of fate, he hurts you again, I’ll do the brotherly thing and beat the crap out of him for you.”
Both June and I laugh.
I reach over, patting his shoulder. “Thanks, Jack, that helped.”
“What are older brothers for?” He smirks.
