Chapter 23
It sounded strange, but I didn’t like Players Only parties.
They were parties that one of the football players normally hosted after a home game, whether celebrating a win or complaining about a loss, but only footballers and cheerleaders were invited. No one else.
And there was a rule about these parties—nothing was ever allowed to end up on Babble. It led to more freedom of speech, which meant pettier conversations.
“Stop being such an idiot, Connor,” Jade snapped.
I glanced down at her from where I sat perched on the couch’s arm, her tone startling me. Connor sat beside her on the couch, with another football player at his other side.
Riley was nowhere to be found, which was interesting. I thought about asking once or twice, but I didn’t care enough.
“I get that you’re going rogue, but you’re not stupid enough to really turn down homecoming court.”
“Yeah, dude,” Ashton said from across the room. He stood behind Gina’s chair, letting his fingers nonchalantly brush against her shoulders. “Especially because you’re going to win. Why throw it away when it’s not even a contest?”
“Maybe because I don’t want to win,” Connor replied, scowling.
“That’s not what you said two weeks ago.”
“A lot can happen in two weeks.”
Ashton arched an eyebrow. “Like going into the closet with another girl?”
Connor squeezed his eyes shut, the area around his mouth whitening. “How many times do I have to tell you that I was in there alone?”
“Odd place to be having some alone time,” Kyle piped up. He leaned against the couch by my feet, and I had to keep kicking my foot when he shifted his weight against my shins. “Just saying.”
One of the cheerleaders hid her smirk behind her hand.
I wished we could just drop it. I still had no confirmation that it’d been Maisie in the closet with Connor, but even the mere possibility made me feel uneasy. No matter who it was, if Jade found out, vengeance was a promise.
“We’re not going to let it go,” Kyle told Connor. “You might as well just say who it was.”
Inexplicably, Connor’s gaze swiveled up to mine. Don’t say it, I willed to him. Don’t say it was Maisie Matthews.
Ultimately, he didn’t have a chance to. “Dude,” Ashton said, peering out the window blinds. His features screwed up. “Who said Landon could bring her?”
“You’re kidding me.” Jade’s voice was practically a growl. “You’ve got to be kidding me. These things are sacred! He can’t just bring—”
“Just—let’s all take a breath,” I tried to coax, but no one was listening.
And, sure enough, Landon and Lacey walked into the entryway of the living room hand-in-hand, looking… awkward. But then again, I was sure I’d look awkward, too, if I had to walk into a room full of people who fell silent at my appearance.
Jordan, a running back on the team, gave up his seat at the recliner for them to sit down, and after a moment of hesitation, Lacey just plopped down square in Landon’s lap.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, creating a hum against the couch. Jade glanced over, but thankfully wasn’t too interested when I pulled it out.
Mom
I just got here, so whenever you’re ready
not that I’m rushing you
here’s the address:
I’ll hopefully be out of here in ten minutes or less.
I’d changed Logan’s name to Mom for the night, because if anyone were to catch a glimpse of my screen, they wouldn’t think twice about the convo. Jade wouldn’t care enough to really read the texts either.
Yeah, I was patting myself on the back for that stroke of genius.
Except the real genius was going to be coming up with an excuse to get me out of the party early. I wasn’t sure what would be the most believable.
“We were talking about homecoming next week,” Connor told the newly arrived couple. “Did you hear we’re on homecoming court?”
Landon nodded. “You and Jade?”
“Duh,” Jade said with a snort. “But you, too. You and Madison.”
The school had announced the news on the speaker system this morning during homeroom, but really, it wasn’t that big of a surprise. Co-captain of the cheer squad and quarterback not getting on homecoming court? As if.
Riley, however, did not make the cut. I hated that I’d smiled a little about it.
“That’s cool,” Landon said calmly. “So, I guess that means Madison and I are walking together?”
“Yeah,” I said, knowing that if I didn’t interject soon, Jade would start to get suspicious. “I’m sure our parents are planning it all out now, honestly. I wouldn’t be surprised if they rigged it.”
My phone buzzed in my grip, stealing away my attention.
Mom
Is it any fun over there?
ha
Mom
I’m taking that to be a sarcastic ‘ha’
you’d be taking it correctly.
it’s… probably not your scene
Mom
anywhere you are is my scene
leave the flirting to me, Romeo
Mom
why?? I think I’m getting better at it ;)
“Please,” Jade said, sharp enough that my focus pulled back in. “Who remembers? It was weeks ago. We pick who we think would fit best.”
“Wow, so Madison fits Peak in High School the best, then?” Lacey’s eyes slid to me as she tipped her head against Landon’s. “I guess you got us wrong, though.”
A small breath escaped me at the bluntness of her words, but it was funny.
Madison fits Peak in High School the best. It didn’t hit me as hard as it had in the past. The words were not earth-shattering or humiliating.
For some reason, in the moment that I was waiting for Logan to text me back, the label felt easy to shake off.
Maybe that exposure therapy was working.
Honestly, I understood a bit of Lacey’s barbed defensiveness. She was in a room full of people who could be snakes in disguise. I didn’t know her history with Ashton, but it was clear he was slithering around her ankles the same way Kyle was sitting at mine.
I’d never tell Jade, but yeah, I understood Lacey a little.
And when Lacey left to the kitchen to get a drink, everyone jumped in on Landon.
“So, Landon.” Jade crossed one leg over the other, zeroing in on him. “Why her?”
Landon frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ashton swung around the back of Gina’s chair, folding his arms across his chest. “C’mon, dude. It’s obvious.”
“I’m just saying.” Jade gave her head a slow shake. “You guys don’t seem that close.”
“Similar,” I cut in. The last thing I wanted was for things to get more tense, especially since I had Logan waiting on me. A smooth getaway would be impossible if things blew up. “You don’t seem that similar.”
Except Jade seemed dead set on things going boom. “You’re only dating her because of the list,” Jade said, and tipped her head patronizingly at him. “We all know it, Landon. Don’t you think it’s a little pathetic to stoop as low as Lacey Churchill?”
Landon’s cheeks pinked, but for the first time since I’ve met him, it wasn’t with shyness—it was with anger. The fire blazed so obviously in his eyes that I did a double-take. I’d never seen Landon angry before. Irritated after a bad game, annoyed with Ashton’s antics, but never angry.
“Don’t ever,” he murmured in a barely restrained tone, “ever talk about her like that. Say whatever you want about me, but keep her name out of your mouth.”
The room fell absolutely silent. I couldn’t even hear Kyle’s open-mouthed breathing. The cheerleaders on the couches huddled together, as if bracing themselves for the showdown Landon’s words almost guaranteed.
I looked over at Connor, hoping he’d diffuse the situation like he always did, but he simply looked down into his drink. Was he smiling? Was he crazy?
“What were we talking about?” Lacey asked as she waltzed into the living room, unwittingly bursting the bubble of tension as she returned to her seat on Landon’s lap, holding both of their drinks.
I could’ve slumped with relief, but of course Jade wouldn’t let things go. Not that easily. She was a dog with a bone, jaw locked on. “Have you two even kissed yet?”
Lacey didn’t even blink. “Of course we have.”
“Prove it. Kiss him right now for us.”
I opened my mouth, but Lacey beat me to it. “You’re into that sort of thing?”
Connor’s smirk into his cola widened.
Ashton came up behind us. “Jade, here, is curious how much your relationship’s progressed.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Isn’t that right, Jade?”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. No doubt it was Logan, teasing that my ten minutes were up, but I couldn’t leave now. Not when the room was silent, and Jade was circling the couple like a shark.
“Go on,” Ashton prodded, words twisting as he sneered. “I’ll give you five bucks.”
“I’ll give you ten,” Connor added, leaning forward to fish his wallet out of his back pocket. “Not that you need the incentive, but I’ll help fund date night.”
I wondered if Connor could see how visibly uncomfortable they looked. “You know how shy Landon is—” Lacey began.
But Jade cut her off. “You don’t want to kiss him?”
Landon looking awkward was nothing new, but Lacey, the embodiment of confidence, wouldn’t have batted an eye at the proposal. Not unless they hadn’t kissed before. They hesitated longer than they should’ve, and in that moment, Jade’s suspicions were confirmed—they totally were faking things.
A part of me wanted to butt in and save them, but the other part, the bigger part, knew to keep quiet. What could I say, anyway? If I came to their defense and went against Jade, it’d only make her suspicious. So, even though it felt wrong, I just held my breath.
Then Landon, without warning, surged forward and pressed his lips to hers. There was no shyness to it, and it definitely wasn’t surface level. Landon’s hand was at her cheek, holding her face to his while she tilted her head, eyes slipping closed.
Oh. Okay. So really together.
At first, revulsion shot through me, simply because watching anyone kiss was mega awkward.
It was like watching a brother macking on someone.
I realized then how much of a bullet I’d dodged when he’d turned me down over the summer—I’d never gotten further than just imagining the label between us. Anything more than hand holding? Gag.
But then curiosity sank in, and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t pull my gaze away.
Was this what it would look like if Logan kissed me?
My mind’s eye went to work filling in the gaps for me, replacing the mildly horrifying image in front of me with a much dreamier one.
Not Landon’s hand, but Logan’s, curling into my hair, drawing me into him.
My hands wouldn’t be full of drinks, like Lacey’s were now, but they’d be twining up around Logan’s smooth neck, linking around him, fingertips trailing down the back of his shirt.
I’d imagined my first kiss plenty of times, but my imagination was nothing special. I was into sports; I wasn’t creative. Now, though, I had the perfect visual aid of what it’d look like if Logan Castle leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.
In my chest, my heart began beating faster, so loud that I was afraid Jade would hear it.
Lacey and Landon broke away from each other, both blinking dazedly, and she held her hand out toward the couch. “Pay up.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket again as Connor got up to pass her his ten dollars, and this time, I desperately took the reprieve.
Mom
you know how I promised earlier not to laugh at your babble posts?
You have to promise not to laugh at my friends
Not that I’m embarrassed of them
But they’re…
Not quite your scene
I mean, if you still wanna come.
It’s okay if you don’t
Oh my gosh, I’m the double texting final boss, aren’t I
Is this that anxious attachment style you were talking about
I laughed out loud at the last two texts, the sound shattering the quiet I hadn’t noticed had settled over the room. Everyone stared at me.
“What’s so funny?” Jade leaned up, trying to look at my phone screen. “Your mom really texted something that funny?”
“She has her moments.” I pulled my phone back before she could read the messages. “But, ah—I have to head out. She wants me home.”
Jade had already been frowning from the whole Lacedon makeout fest, but it deepened when she looked at me. “What is up with your mom lately? Why is she all up your butt?”
I gave a flippant shrug. “I think it’s because I’m a senior now, and she’s freaked her little girl is growing up. Not sure.” I gestured loosely to the couple on the recliner. “Besides, if we’re all going to start kissing each other, I’d rather bow out now.”
Landon’s face was so red that anyone else might’ve thought he was choking.
“Playing hard to get, Maddie?” Kyle wrapped his smarmy hand around my ankle, sliding his fingers underneath my sweatpants. “I brushed my teeth this morning.”
This time, I kicked my foot out hard, my socked toes getting him in the side of his thigh. My aim was off. “My bar isn’t that low.”
Jade leaned forward on the couch, looking up at me. “You’re going home?” she clarified.
“Straight home.” This time, I didn’t feel bad about lying. I didn’t take time to analyze that either. “See you later?”
It came out as a question, but Jade didn’t even hum an answer. She just watched me as I gave a dismissive wave to everyone in the room, hurrying to the entryway to slip my shoes on.
As I slid into the driver’s seat of my car, my phone buzzed again.
Mom
Okay, fine, I’ll double text again
Wherefore art thou, Juliet?
I grinned, twisting my key in the ignition. With my other hand, I shot off a quick text.
coming to you now, Romeo