Chapter 9 #3
JJ raised a brow. “The city never asked for it back?”
“Guess not,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t know how it started, but ever since the statue was moved, it’s been this strange rite of passage for teens in our town to sneak into the club and take a selfie with it.
I know it sounds stupid, but I never tried because…
Well, I didn’t have the time.” There was so much I’d missed out on because of my cancer that five years later, I was still realizing ways in which my life had been irrevocably changed.
Each new discovery felt the same—like getting the wind knocked out of me.
“That’s not stupid.” JJ gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I think it sounds like a blast.”
A lump instantly formed at the back of my throat. I wanted to tell him how much his words meant to me, but a door slammed down the hall, interrupting us.
“Cara?” I heard someone call. “Is that you?”
Drew appeared in the doorway just as I glanced up. When he spotted us sitting on the beanbag, JJ’s arm draped over me, his eyes went wide.
“JJ?” he exclaimed. “What’s going on?”
Blushing, I gently pulled away. “Nothing.”
Drew narrowed his eyes. “That didn’t look like nothing. I thought the dating thing was a cover?”
“It is,” I said as a tall girl with dark curls and warm brown skin appeared at my brother’s side. “Hey, Maisie.”
“Cara, it’s so good to see you!” she replied. “Whatcha up to?”
“Getting grilled by your boyfriend, apparently.” The whole overprotective brother routine was beyond old, but it was hard to fault Drew when I understood the reason behind his behavior.
He hadn’t always been this way, but things changed after my diagnosis.
There was nothing he could do to protect me from my cancer, but that didn’t stop him from making it his mission to shield me from everything else.
“If that’s the case, then what’s he doing here?” Drew asked in a clipped tone, as if JJ was a miscreant, not someone he’d been friends with for nearly two years.
JJ, who scrutinized our exchange, finally found his voice. “I was being tortured by my ex, so Cara was nice enough to offer me a place to hide out.” He rose to his feet and crossed his arms. “Is that a problem?”
Drew opened his mouth, but Maisie placed a hand on his forearm before he could respond. After a short but intense staring contest, his shoulders slumped and he heaved a sigh. “Sorry,” he muttered.
With a nod of approval, Maisie stepped into the room and offered a hand to JJ. “You’re in the band, right?” she asked, but it was more a polite acknowledgment than a serious question. “I’m Maisie. Sorry we didn’t get to meet back in January, but I have a strict rule against attending frat parties.”
“Hi,” JJ said, a familiar smirk slipping into place as he took her hand. “You’re absolutely gorgeous, and by that I mean what the hell are you doing with this oaf?” He jerked his thumb in Drew’s direction.
Maisie laughed. “It’s a long story.”
“Did you just hit on my girlfriend while simultaneously insulting me?” Drew asked, puffing up like a bird.
JJ deliberately raised his eyebrows. So predictable, his expression seemed to say.
“Never mind,” Drew grumbled. “I don’t want an answer to that.”
“Do you two have any plans?” Maisie asked, quickly changing the subject. “If not, we’re about to start a Marvel marathon, and you’re more than welcome to join us.”
“Cara was just telling me about this town’s weird coming-of-age tradition,” JJ answered.
Drew shot me a puzzled frown. “What’s he talking about?”
“Colonel Mustard,” I clarified.
“Oh!” His entire demeanor lightened. “You know, I never ended up getting a selfie. Stella managed one though.”
I scoffed. “That doesn’t count. She cheated.”
“Okay, someone needs to fill me in, because I’m beyond confused right now,” Maisie said, so I took a minute to retell Colonel Mustard’s story and explain how Stella managed to take a selfie with him.
She shrugged when I finished speaking. “Who cares if she knows the owner’s daughter?
Nothing wrong with using whatever connections you have. ”
“But the whole point is to scheme your way inside, not stroll through the door as a guest,” I argued. “It defeats the purpose.”
“What if strolling through the door as a guest is your scheme?” JJ was focused on something on his phone, so I leaned over to see what it was.
“Do you really think this will work?” I asked after reading through the information on the website he was examining. “They might be checking invitations.”
“Of course it will work,” he said, dismissing my concern with a wave. “It’s all about confidence. Besides, we don’t need an invite. I have a better idea.”
“What are you talking about?” Drew asked, glancing back and forth between us.
JJ didn’t answer him. He kept his gaze locked on me. “Trust me, this will work.”
The last time I put my trust in JJ’s hands, he turned a terrible party into a night I’d never forget. That was good enough for me. “Okay,” I said with a nod. Then I turned to my brother and Maisie. “How do you two feel about crashing a wedding?”