Chapter 2
“Would you hold still?” Jade’s voice was a snap.
I immediately froze. “Sorry.”
I sat in the chair near my window, and Jade was using the natural light to apply my makeup for me.
She swiped the eyeshadow brush across my left eyelid, diligently blending the colors out in a way she always did best. I could never blend the colors as well as she could.
“Your legs keep bouncing and it’s messing me up,” she scolded, but it sounded like she had a smile in her voice.
“You don’t need to be so nervous, Mads.”
“You saw him,” I told her, knotting my fingers together in my lap. “He’s, like, hands-down the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. Like he could be on a cover of a magazine or something.”
“He was really handsome,” she agreed, switching to the other eyelid. “Top Tier material handsome. Riley was so jealous she wasn’t the one who’d tripped. You know what I told her?”
“What?”
“That even if she had been the one who tripped, he would’ve looked at you, anyway.” Yeah, Jade was definitely smiling. “Madison, it was like a movie moment, swear to God. Like fate.”
Fate. It was almost the exact thought I’d had. I had to swallow an excited screech. “Wasn’t it? I didn’t think butterflies like that actually existed.”
We both let out a squealing giggle.
When Jade was finished applying my mascara, I blinked my eyes open. A renewed burst of nerves darting through me when I checked the time. “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“You’re done, anyway,” she said, and turned me toward my vanity mirror on my desk. “See?”
I let out the world’s biggest sigh of relief, because Jade had crushed it with my makeup.
Per usual. The eyeshadow was subtle, and the brown mascara she’d used really made my light eyes pop without it being too harsh.
My blonde hair was still curly from the waves I’d thrown in yesterday, but somewhat frizzy.
“Should I put my hair up?” I asked, reaching to comb my locks back.
Her voice was blunt. “You don’t look as good with your hair up.”
I immediately dropped my hands, my hair cascading back over my shoulders. “Got it.”
My legs bounced as energy shot through me. My first date. The thought of it was almost surreal, like this couldn’t possibly be my life.
“Everything is falling into place so perfectly,” I told Jade, reaching for her hand. “Getting into the Top Tier, becoming co-captain with you, finding a boyfriend.”
Jade curled her fingers around mine, her skin almost cold against my sweaty palms. “Everything is turning so perfect for you,” she agreed, smoothing her hand across my hair. “You know, I was surprised you accepted the co-captain position when Coach offered it.”
“Really? Why?”
Jade shrugged. “You never talked about wanting to be captain before.”
Well, that was because it would’ve been awkward, because Jade always talked about wanting to be captain of the cheer squad. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d ever let myself imagine what it’d be like to be captain before. In my mind, it was always going to be Jade.
Until, on the last day of cheer camp last week, Coach Chelsea announced both of our names. And Jade, who’d been preparing her acceptance speech practically since freshman year, had been caught so totally off-guard.
And I’d been so totally caught off-guard that the other name called had been mine.
“I’m glad to be co-captain with you,” I beamed at her. “It worked out perfectly.”
Jade was so concentrated that it took her a second to smile back. “You’re right. And Logan’s so perfect for you, too. Everyone is going to die when they see you two holding hands down the halls. Brentwood’s next It Couple status is so yours.”
The picture in my head was perfect. “Imagine all the Babble posts.”
“Imagine all the attention.”
Again, we both shared an excited giggle.
Jade had let me borrow one of her yellow sundresses, one that fit me a bit tighter than it fit her. It hugged my waist and flared out over my hips in a similar way our cheer uniforms did, but with a bit more of my chest showing.
“It’s not too much.” It came out more as a statement—unsure, but still afraid to question her.
“Definitely not.” Jade readjusted my necklace chain. I let her gaze roam me for a beat longer. Finally, she gave me an encouraging smile. “It’s just enough.”
All at once, I relaxed. If I could trust anyone, it was Jade Dyer.
The sound of a car door had us both freezing. Jade peeked out the window first. “It’s him,” she hissed, hauling me from my chair. “Look.”
My heart jumped into my throat as I turned to look out my first-floor bedroom window, finding Logan striding up my gravel driveway.
He had on an undone dark plaid button-down, paired with a black undershirt, finished off with light wash jeans.
He had one hand half behind his back, the other fidgeting with his car keys.
His lips were moving, as if he was talking to himself.
“Is he talking to himself?” I asked, squinting. And then I glanced down at my sundress. “Are you sure this isn’t too much? If he’s in jeans, maybe I should—”
“No.” Jade grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me away from the window, forcing me to face her. “Mads, you need to look this pretty. You can’t risk him losing interest.”
Losing interest. As perfect as yesterday was, the thought had never occurred to me. It made my stomach drop. “Right. He… has to be mine.”
She nodded once. “Go knock his socks off.” And then she swatted my butt.
I padded down the hallway, forcing myself to walk slow, attempting to coax my heartrate into a normal realm. It didn’t work. Knock his socks off.
When I hauled the door open, I found Logan with his gaze focused on his shoes and his lips still moving.
He was talking to himself, or at least mumbling something under his breath.
His blue eyes lifted from the ground to mine, and I watched them shift.
In that split second, I’d seen the tension in them—tension that melted as soon as our gazes locked.
His shoulders dropped a little, as if something had struck him. As if I had struck him.
“There she is.” Those three words seemed to tumble from his lips, as if they were the ones he’d been practicing. And then his brows scrunched together, and louder, he said, “I—I mean, hi.”
“Hi.” I tried to swallow my nerves. Up close, I could see just how casual his outfit really was. His jeans were almost threadbare at the knees, like if there was any more friction, holes would form. His shirt was wrinkled, as if he’d unwadded it before throwing it on. “You look, uh—”
“Incomparable to you.” Logan’s eyes swept down my frame, taking in the dress, the hair, the makeup. He cleared his throat. “Hopefully these make up for how woefully lame I look next to you.”
He pulled his hand out from behind his back, revealing a bouquet of white flowers. Mostly white, anyway. A lot of them were still closed, more green with their petals hidden. I didn’t know much about flowers, or which kind they were, just that they were pretty.
“A lot of them haven’t bloomed yet,” Logan said, scratching the side of his neck. “My mom used to say those were the best to buy, because they’d last longer.”
“They’re perfect,” I murmured, eyeing the closed buds. I took them gently, my fingertips brushing his. “No one’s ever bought me flowers before.”
“Well, I’m honored to be the first.” And then his focus went over my shoulder, the corners of his lips dropping.
Jade was standing there when I turned, her hip propped against the wall. She gave him a sickly sweet smile. “Good to see you again.”
Logan didn’t return the sentiment. I offered the flowers to her. “Can you put these in water? I have a vase in my room.”
“Of course.” Jade took them graciously. “Thank God your mom is at the school today, or else she’d come out and embarrass you. Flowers!”
I actually shuddered at the thought of Mom hovering over my shoulder. Jade’s presence was far and above preferred.
“Don’t keep her out too late,” Jade told Logan as I slid my sandals on. She brought the flowers up to her nose, eyeing him. “And be sure to show her a good time. This is her first date ever, after all.”
“Jade,” I immediately hissed, shooting my best friend a death stare. Maybe Jade’s presence wasn’t far and above preferred.
“Mine too,” Logan said, giving me a boyish smile. It lit up his whole face, bright and reassuring. “Don’t worry. We’ll have fun, yeah?”
I could almost feel myself fully relax. Knock his socks off. Maybe it wouldn’t be too hard. “Yeah.”
Jade shot me one last thumbs-up before I pulled the door shut, and I knew she’d let herself out once she finished with the flowers. She’d probably rush to the window, peeking at us walking to the car.
Logan opened the passenger door for me. Another adorable check.
Just before I slid in, a car bumped into the driveway next door, and seeing it had me freezing. I could see a brown-haired girl in the driver’s seat, and could hear the music pumping from her speakers even with her door shut. And then it shut off.
I all but fell into Logan’s passenger seat before she could see me, swallowing hard.
The inside of Logan’s car was tidy, with no wrappers or receipts anywhere in sight.
A blue tree air freshener hung from the rearview mirror, and the entire interior smelled like fresh rain.
Rain and something else—something more boyish, but in a good way.
I found myself sucking in another deeper breath before Logan climbed into the car.
He popped open his door and slid into the driver’s seat, fumbling to stick his keys in the ignition.
“How’s your temperature?” he asked when the car roared to life, reaching for the air dials.
“I mean, how’s the temperature? Are you hot?
I mean, is it warm? Is it—” Logan fully stopped, closing his eyes like he was trying to reboot. “Jeez.”
“It’s a little warm,” I told him with a small grin, watching him take a deep breath in.