Sidelined Sweethearts

Prologue

ARCHER

Age Nine

“No! I’m not going. Not on that death trap!”

“Who told you that airplanes are death traps?”

“I saw Lost. I know things.” Allie stomps her foot, crossing her arms with a frown.

Her dad lifts his head, glaring at the rest of our family. “Who let her watch reruns of Lost?”

I swivel my neck, studying my uncle’s face as it drains of color. “She knew the characters by name!” Leo exclaims. “I thought this was a normal occurrence.”

Dom sighs defeatedly. “Why would I let my nine-year-old watch—”

“C’mon, Allie. It’ll be okay,” Willow says, interrupting.

“You don’t know that!”

“Baby, we have to go.” Macie, Allie’s mom, bends down to meet her at eye level. “I promise, we’re going to get to Hawaii just fine. Don’t you want to see your Aunt Penelope for Christmas?”

Allie wraps her arm around her dad’s, pressing her face into his side. “No.”

The agent comes on the intercom again, informing us it is the last boarding call for the plane we are taking to Honolulu tonight.

My parents, my brother, my sister, and me—along with my cousin Willow, both of my aunts and uncles, and Allie and her family.

We’re meeting Carter and Penelope, my parents’ friends, there to spend winter break together.

I’ve never been to Hawaii and I was excited, but I’m not really sure I want to go without Allie. She’s my best friend.

“I guess I’ll stay—”

“You can’t miss your birthday, Dominic.” Macie sighs.

“C’mon, kid,” my dad whispers in my ear, placing his hand on my backpack and guiding me toward the door where passengers are scanning their tickets. “We need to get going.”

“I don’t want to go without Allie,” I say, stepping out of his hold.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” one of the adults mutters.

“Okay,” my mom snaps, commanding the attention of our group. “Whoever is not going to throw a fit about getting onto this plane, go board now.” She nods at my dad. “Everett, take the other two hellions and find our seats. I’ll wrangle lover boy here.”

“Mom.” My cheeks warmed, eyes dashing to Allie. She watches me from behind her dad’s arm, smiling softly—the kind of smile that always makes me feel as if we’re a team.

“But, Dad,” Willow groans as my uncle Leo steers her toward the doors while my aunt scans their tickets. She disappears down the corridor with my siblings and the rest of the adults. Only Macie, Dom, Allie, my mom and I remain.

“What do we need to do, kiddo?” Mom asks, squatting in front of Allie. “Can I bribe you with cinnamon rolls for breakfast every day of the trip? Will that get you on the plane?”

Allie shakes her head no.

“Can she sit next to me?” I pipe up, lifting my eyes to Allie’s dad.

She follows my gaze, and I watch Dom’s head snap down to look at his daughter. “Would that make you feel better, Al?”

Allie’s head swivels between her dad and me, her dark brown curls bouncing at her shoulders with the movement. A pink bow is clipped in her hair, pinning the strands out of her face. Her dark eyes are wet with tears, her nose red from crying. “M—maybe,” she whispers.

“You can sit in the window seat,” I continue, wanting nothing more than to convince her to get on the plane with me.

“If we crash, we’ll land in the ocean so…

I’ll break the window and then you’ll be able to swim out of it before the plane sinks.

I’ll swim with you. I’m great at swimming.

” I frantically turn toward the three adults standing around me, all watching me with confused expressions. “Tell her it’s a good escape plan!”

Mom and Allie’s parents all nod in unison, encouraging her.

“Will you hold my hand?” she asks quietly.

My stomach gets all thick and gooey, like it’s full of melted marshmallows. It always feels like this when I’m around Allie. When she laughs and smiles at me. When she tells me I’m her best friend too.

I nod, reaching for her, and she finally lets go of her dad’s hand, lacing her fingers through mine instead.

It sounds like he says something under his breath, but I don’t hear what.

I’m too focused on the way that gooeyness spreads, turning my legs into jelly as Allie and I walk together through the tunnel and onto the plane.

Dom points out where our seats are, and I take Allie’s backpack as she slides into the window, before sitting down next to her in the middle.

Her dad sits on my other side, and our moms across the aisle.

All of the windows in the plane are closed, but Allie immediately throws up her shade, pressing her face against the glass to peer onto the runway.

It’s still dark outside, but the sunrise is just starting to peek out behind the clouds.

“Hey, look who made it.” My dad’s loud laugh bursts from behind me. Tilting my head up, I find him hovering over us from the aisle seat one row back. “Thought we’d be missing ya, kid.”

Allie’s hand is still in mine, her palm warm and soft, her fingers fitting right into the gaps between my own like they were made to be there. She doesn’t let go of me, even after we’re buckled in. She squeezes tightly, and I wonder if maybe I make her feel warm and gooey too.

“Well, I’m going to marry her someday,” I tell Dad. “So, I couldn't get on the airplane without her. You’d never go anywhere and leave Mom behind.”

“Excuse me?” Dom says from my side, but I’m watching Allie.

Her head snaps in my direction, the widest smile I’ve ever seen spreading over her cheeks. “We’re going to get married?”

My heart is beating faster than it ever has before, but I shrug. “If you want.”

“Can we have lots of cupcakes instead of one big wedding cake?”

“Yeah.” I nod.

“What on earth…” her dad murmurs from beside me.

Allie grins with all her teeth, and I’m covered in marshmallows again. “Perfect.”

“Are you hearing them, Everett?” Allie’s dad asks mine.

“Ramoses are very convicted in their feelings, Dominic. Don’t shame the boy.” Dad ruffles my hair. “You’re right, buddy. I’d never leave Mama anywhere. Good job. Now, settle in before you give Dom a heart attack.”

I nod, keeping my hand in Allie’s.

“I’m scared,” she whispers when the plane begins to move.

“It’s okay, I got you,” I whisper back.

She hides her face in my shoulder when the plane picks up speed, squeezing my fingers extra tight when we lift off the ground.

She stays this way until we’re well into the air, but after a while, I pull out a copy of Allie’s favorite book from my backpack.

I borrowed it from the library, along with one for myself, just in case she needed something to read on the trip.

Allie loves to read, but she’s also a little forgetful. I try to remember all her favorite things so that she never has to.

“You’re the best!” she squeals when I hand her the paperback with the blue cover.

“I think you’re the best too, Allie.”