Chapter 40
Forty
Zeke and I dance the night away. People give us strange looks, and others turn angry frowns on me.
Nick Faust sneers and says, “Innocent Callie Carter, not so innocent after all.” He snaps a pic.
My first reaction is to stiffen within Zeke’s arms, but I allow myself to relax. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t.
A few more people approach me after Nick, scowling and angry about being lied to, but I’m shocked at how many more actually congratulate me for what I said.
Brielle storms up to us, anger on her face, dragging Noah behind her. “You ruined everything!”
I just smile. “I don’t care anymore, Brielle. I don’t care about the crown, the popularity, or the likes.” I turn my smile toward my ex-boyfriend, the crown shining on his maroon hair. “Or even you, Noah.” Noah opens his mouth, but I turn back to Brielle. “He’s all yours.”
She throws up her hands with a cry of frustration and walks away. Noah pauses and turns to me with that half smile that used to make my heart flutter. “What you did was . . .” He clears his throat. “That was really cool, Callie.”
“NOAH!” Brielle shrieks. He turns and hurries after her.
Suzy and Dave join us, and so do Dana and Troy.
We form a circle and take turns dancing in the middle to a song with a wild beat, and when it’s my turn I dance like no one’s watching.
The fact that Mom is somewhere on the sidelines, that surely an enormous lecture and her devastating disappointment are waiting for me, crosses my mind.
But I focus on the here and now, on Zeke’s hand in mine, and the fact that maybe I didn’t ruin things between us forever. Maybe he can be mine.