“Wish I could say the same about you,” I lie through my teeth.
Xavier smiles at my failed attempt to deny the undeniable. Let’s not pretend like puberty didn’t do every female on earth a solid when Xavier Emery went from “cute” to “sinfully hot” in the span of a summer.
“I think you mispronounced thank you.” He flashes a smug grin that makes me want to knee him where it hurts.
And yet… my heart beats a hair faster when he proceeds toward me. He’s intimidating, and in the most annoying way. The “unintentional” way. He’s not even trying to get to me. He just has this presence to him, this charisma that’s hard to ignore. I wish I didn’t notice how tall he is, how bright his eyes are.
I wish I didn’t see the kid I used to know.
“Surprised you remember what I looked like then. You know, Alzheimer’s and all,” I fire back.
“Aw, are you offended that I didn’t remember you, Little Vee?” he teases, and it irks me.
Because he’s right.
It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I never let myself admit it, but I think “Little Vee” might’ve developed an itty-bitty crush on the blue-eyed boy who kissed her under the slide that day. How unfortunate that said boy grew up to be a conceited tool.
Finn, Dia, Theo, and Lacey all come tumbling into the kitchen before I can answer.
“Told you I heard him,” Theo tells Finn.
“Xav, you’re back.” Finn states the obvious.
“Thanks, Einstein.” Theo snorts, and Finn elbows him in the stomach.
“Where’d you go earlier, man?” Finn snakes his arm around Dia’s neck to draw her closer.
“Got detention on Sundays now, dipshit. I told you yesterday,” Xavier explains. “I remembered they started tonight right after I got there.”
That explains it.
“Right. I’m sorry, man. For… everything.”Finn’s voice is dripping with guilt. I’m guessing the school board went twice as hard on Xavier for claiming to be the only brain behind the stink bomb operation.
Xavier might as well pack his shit and move into the detention center now. Fat chance he’ll be spending his time anywhere else this month.
“I didn’t even know weekend detentions were a thing.” Theo crinkles his nose.
“Yeah, well… you also didn’t know condoms were a thing. Isn’t that right, Lacey?” Xavier says with a shit-eating grin.
Everybody laughs, minus Lacey and Theo. It’s practically common knowledge that Theo and Lacey had a pregnancy scare a while back.
“Go fuck yourself with a cactus, good sir,” Theo deadpans.
Word is, these two were actively sleeping together all of junior year. Until Lacey found out she was late. It was a false alarm, but real enough for Theo to end it. He must’ve been scared shitless to dump his side piece altogether.
It’s no secret that Lacey’s been hoping to pick up where they left off ever since. She’s been obsessed with Theo since the third grade. If only he still wanted her when the sun comes up.
The remainder of the evening is fun—I know, crazy,right? We laugh, play more pool, and while he doesn’t say another word to me all night, Xavier doesn’t seem to completely loathe my existence.
Baby steps.
Dia hugs me tight when I call it a night shortly after ten.
“I’m so glad you gave…” Hiccup. “Gave them a chance,” she slurs in my ear, her speech a bit jumbled from all the vodka sodas she’s had, and I play along. But don’t think I believe we’ll all be one big happy family from now on.
I know, come Monday, I’ll go back to keeping quiet at lunch, and they’ll go back to being Easton High royalty. I’ll pick up a shift at the library while Xavier, Theo, and Finn pick up a basketball. Tomorrow, everything will go back to normal.
Tomorrow, I’ll get to burn the letter that could ruin my life…
Assuming someone else doesn’t find it first.