Chapter Eleven #2
It’s the effortlessness that makes us stand apart, but together.
And tonight, I’m a mile away from my friends—because Livvy’s redirecting the spotlight and manipulating the show.
This is a performance for her. I see through it.
It never bothered me how much she tried so hard to be different because I never interacted with her.
Not until she started luring my friends in and convincing them she’s just like us.
So much of my life, I was in awe of Livvy.
I wanted her attention. She always seemed mature and in control.
Comfortable in her body and around guys.
She intimidated me in a way that made her feel unreachable.
In a single moment, I didn’t look at her the same, and she didn’t look at me at all.
Not until recently. And now, I don’t want her attention. Not like this.
“What is it about you, Sadie Prescott, that makes you special?” Livvy asks, leaning against the archway, watching me as I lie on the floor with my eyes closed, letting the music transport me away from here.
I roll onto my stomach and prop up on my elbows. “What kind of question is that?”
“It’s… interesting. We’ve lived on the same street our entire lives. And I know nothing about you. You never even tried to get to know me. Does anyone really know you? The real Sadie Prescott? I doubt they do.”
I shake my head. “What are you talking about? You’re not making sense.” Maybe she got into the gummy stash too. I have a feeling she’s making fun of me without coming right out and insulting me. And she’s doing it in a completely twisted, backward way.
“Why are you best friends with Danika? You’re nothing alike. And why do Collin and Jonathan let you follow after them all the time? Not to mention Jaz and Darcy. They’re your friends, but how close are you really? You don’t fit in. You don’t make sense.”
I stare at her, my brow crumpled with confusion. She has to be high. Still… she got to me. My pulse is thrumming, and my palms are sweaty. I can’t be here anymore. I should never have come. There’s a reason Livvy and I never became friends, and she just reminded me why.
Standing, I slip on the shoes I abandoned by the couch and walk past her into the kitchen. I pick up my overnight bag and continue to the foyer for my jacket.
“Where are you going?” Danika asks, stepping out of the bathroom.
The doorbell rings.
I look to Danika, then back at the door.
The doorbell rings repeatedly, like an urgent alarm, followed by pounding. I take a step away. Livvy moves to the window and peeks through the blinds.
“I know you’re in there!” a male voice bellows, followed by more pounding.
“Oren, I think they can hear you,” another guy comments.
“No. Way.” Danika purses her lips and shakes her head. “I’m going to kill him.”
She stomps to the door just as Livvy swings it open. Danika bursts past and shoves Oren. He stumbles back a step and nearly loses his balance.
“Baby,” he coaxes with arms spread. “Why so rough?”
“I told you not to come!” Danika shoves him again. “You don’t listen.”
Oren’s smile vanishes. “What’s your problem? Seriously, what the hell, baby?” He stands taller, not letting her move him. He captures her wrists when she goes at him again. She struggles against him. I instinctively step forward at the same time someone emerges from behind Darren.
Jonathan reaches Oren before I can do anything. I have never moved toward a conflict before. Instinct took over to protect my friend, although I have no idea what I’d have done when I got to her. It’s a question that’ll never be answered because Jonathan intervenes, even with an arm in a sling.
“Hey, relax. Okay?” Jonathan says to Oren, his voice a low hum. He doesn’t have to touch him. His overwhelming presence gets Oren to listen. To take him seriously.
“Danika, it’s okay. I told him you were here. It’s my fault,” Livvy says.
Danika whirls as soon as Oren releases her. “Why would you do that?!”
“Because he’s your boyfriend.” Livvy snorts like Danika is being ridiculous. “Did you really think this was that kind of sleepover? You know nothing’s fun without the guys.”
“We said just the girls.” Danika aggressively bumps past Livvy to grab her jacket. Mine is still hanging. “You’re leaving, right?”
“Uh, yeah,” I say, my voice caught in my throat. She tosses me my jacket.
“Let’s go.” She shoves her arms through her jacket and grabs her things.
I don’t make eye contact with Livvy as we pass. I can feel her watching us. I thought she’d be angry, but she doesn’t seem bothered by Danika’s outburst.
Jonathan is waiting on the bottom step. Danika notices him for the first time and comes to an abrupt stop. She eyes him like she doesn’t understand why he’s here. Or how he could’ve let Oren show up. He holds up his one free hand in surrender. “I didn’t know. Thought we were invited.”
Danika keeps going, opening the driver’s door of her car. I pause next to Jonathan, not sure what to do. I look from him to Danika, then back to him. “I should—”
“Stay,” Danika tells me. “I’ll be fine. Stay with Jonathan. I’ll come by tomorrow.”
“Are you—”
“I’m sure,” she answers before I can ask.
“Danika!” Oren calls to her, his arms thrown in the air like he doesn’t understand what upset her. “Where are you going?”
She slams the door and backs out as soon as the car starts.
“What the hell?!” Oren exclaims.
Livvy leans against the doorframe, twirling her lollipop in her mouth, looking on in quiet amusement. “Well, boys, c’mon in. I have plenty to drink.”
Darren walks up the steps, encouraging Oren to join him with a hand on his shoulder. Oren tears his eyes from Danika’s taillights and enters the house with an audible huff.
Livvy waits for Jonathan to follow. She doesn’t bother looking at me. Jonathan turns away from her and takes my hand. I don’t look back as we walk down her driveway, but I know she’s watching with that stupid lollipop filling her cheek.
Jonathan and I are left alone in the driveway. The sudden silence is deafening.
“Wanna walk, or is it too cold?” Jonathan asks.
If it’s cold, my body can’t tell right now. “We can walk.” My words come out in a raspy whisper. I clear my throat. “It’s not too bad.” I’m still trying to shake off the tension.
“How did you do tonight?” Jonathan asks, lifting my bag off my shoulder and setting it in the back of Darren’s truck at the end of the driveway.
“Good,” I answer vaguely.
“Standing-ovation good?” he asks, his mouth quirking.
“Loud-clap good,” I explain, smiling back, too embarrassed to admit the truth. He eyes the bracelet, questioning. “Collin. It’s rock candy. He’s getting more creative.” I hold it up. “Taste it.”
I raise it to his mouth. He takes my hand and inspects the candy bracelet. Instead of tasting the watermelon-flavored jewelry, he kisses the back of my hand. His lips linger on my skin as our eyes meet. Heat rushes to my cheeks.
Jonathan wraps his arm around my shoulders and holds me against him as we walk along the sidewalk, in the opposite direction of my house. “I didn’t forget, you know.”
“What?” I was so relieved to see him at the door that I almost forgot why I wanted to leave to begin with.
“Your recital. I didn’t forget. I just wanted to give it to you in person… tonight.” He releases me long enough to produce a Ring Pop from his jacket pocket. Heat rushes into my cheeks with both embarrassment that I doubted him and elation that he wanted to give this to me himself.
He rips open the wrapper with his teeth. I laugh at the absurdity of it when I could have just as easily opened it, but he shakes his head when I offer. He removes the ring and lets the wrapper fall. I grab it before it can hit the ground and stuff it in my pocket.
“Thanks,” he says. His mouth quirks with apology. I hold out my hand to take the ring. He flips my palm over and eases the ring onto my index finger, his eyes flipping up to meet mine. “Maybe someday, you’ll let me see you light that stage on fire.”
I smile abashedly. “Maybe.” The ring feels heavy on my hand, weighted by the gesture of Jonathan slipping it on my finger—more significant than just the friendly tradition. I force myself not to overthink it.
“Wow. I’ve never seen these colors before.” I admire the turquoise ring that fades to clear at the top.
“It’s called starburst. I thought it looked cool.”
“Thank you.” I reach up on my toes to kiss him. He pulls me in tight, making the kiss a little more than the intended peck. He pulls back a little, keeping me close to peer into my eyes. “Did it upset you that we showed up at your girls’ night?”
I shake my head. “I was getting ready to leave anyway. Livvy isn’t… I don’t get her. It was really uncomfortable, being in that house.”
“I thought it was weird when you said you were staying over at her place. You two don’t seem like the right combination.”
I scrunch my face, trying to puzzle that out. “I guess. I try so hard not to judge people. But… I feel like causing chaos seems to excite her.”
“You’re the least judgmental person I know.” He wraps me in a hug. I relax into him, disappointment and tension melting away. “I’m pretty sure Livvy doesn’t care what you think of her. I’m surprised she isn’t friends with that new girl who’s been spreading rumors about us.”
I push back and gawk. “Don’t even wish that.
” Jonathan laughs at my horrified expression.
“I’m serious. Those two together would be…
dangerous.” I take his hand to get us walking again, distancing us from the neighborhood with oversize historic homes and down a tree-lined street with cute fences and colored mailboxes. “Danika is suddenly obsessed with her.”
“I think Oren had something to do with that,” Jonathan says. “He and Livvy have been close for a long time. I figured you knew that. She hangs out with the football players. Not that she hooks up with them—that I know anyway. She’s always around. Like a…”
“A little sister?” I’m too familiar with that feeling, although my feelings were never sisterly when it came to Jonathan. And apparently, neither were his.
“I was going to say mascot.”
“Jonathan!” I gawk at him, making him laugh again. “That’s horrible.”
He raises his hand in surrender. “Okay. Okay. Bad metaphor.”
“Where’s Collin tonight?” I ask, walking past a white house with blue shutters and two jack-o’-lanterns on the porch. The eyes aren’t quite the same size, and the mouths are lopsided. I can’t decide if they’re meant to be scary or funny. Kids definitely live here.
“Did talking about mascots remind you of him?” Jonathan teases. I give him a scornful look that makes him laugh again, the deep tone rumbling in his chest. “I don’t know, actually. I didn’t hear from him all day. And then Oren called about coming here.”
“You could be the one to call first, you know?”
“Is that a hint?”
“You think that was subtle?”
Jonathan wraps an arm around me and speaks with his mouth pressed into my hair. “You know I hate talking on the phone.”
“Or talking in general,” I tease him.
“That’s not true. It’s just that Collin talks more than… everyone.”
This time, I laugh. “What about dancing?”
“Have you ever seen me dance?” His self-deprecating is new to me. I always considered him good at everything he did, other than communicating.
I was about to ask him about homecoming next month.
I’ve heard it can be this big formal event at other schools.
Prom is like that in Hollis, but we have plenty of time before I start getting nervous about whether he’ll ask me to that.
I usually go to homecoming with the girls, although Jaz and Darcy last maybe an hour before they can’t take it anymore.
Everyone dresses nice, like they’re going to a fancy restaurant with their parents.
Not many people get asked to homecoming unless they’re already a couple.
And, well… this is the first time I’ve been dating someone during homecoming since freshman year.
And I’m not even going to relive the three-month disaster that was Kyle Herman. Dis-as-ter.
But Jonathan’s right. He’s never been to a dance.
And if Collin wants to, he usually comes with me and whoever else joins us.
Never Jonathan. Maybe Collin will go with me this year.
And Danika, if things are over between her and Oren…
and I’m kinda hoping they are. I know she really likes him, maybe even loves him.
But I don’t like seeing her so upset, and she’s been more upset than happy with him lately.
“Are you expecting me to dance at your party? Is that why you asked?” I’m not surprised he’s not thinking about homecoming. It’s not worth bringing up.
“Um… not really. But you’re coming, right? I’m sending out invitations next week. We’re having it in the Rileys’ barn. They renovated it to throw parties there, so it’s heated. My mom’s making it a big deal since it’s my eighteenth. It’s like she thinks we’ll never have another party or something.”
“Of course I’m coming. I’d never miss it.”