Page 93 of Sporty Girls Don't Fall For Loners

“Good game, Mini Dynamo.”

She drops her hand. “No! Not you, too.”

I chuckle. “Good game, Zoey.” I hold out my hand again.

She shakes it. “You, too, Kade.”

We smile at each other, time seeming to stand still.

“Zoey? Kade?” Ally says as she peeks out from one of the windows. “Dinner is ready.”

Zoey breaks her gaze from me, laughs shyly, and heads inside. I smile to nobody, my chest feeling like it’s engulfed in her sunlight.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Zoey

It’s Saturday and Ally, Zack, Kade, and I just had lunch. My aunt and uncle left to go on a romantic date on his motorcycle. Kade went to his room while I headed to the living room to read the book for book club.

As I’m sprawled on the couch, I notice how quiet it is. I’m usually okay with the quiet, but it feels wrong now. And Kade is all alone upstairs in his room…

I shut my book, place it on the coffee table, then make my way upstairs. Kade is sitting on his bed, playing on his phone while he watches TV.

“Hey,” I say with a smile.

He returns it, and I still can’t stop marveling at how good he looks when he smiles. “Hey. What’s up?”

I nod at the TV. “Having fun?”

“Not really. This case is wild. In a bad way.”

“I’m kind of bored,” I tell him with a sigh. “I mean, I’m really enjoying my book, but I want to get out of here, you know? Like get some fresh air.”

He watches me for a little bit, maybe trying to read my mind. I myself have no idea where I’m going with this.

“Fresh air is good,” he finally says.

“Yep. Really good.”

He looks at me and I look at him.

“Want to go out?” I ask.

“Sure, but where?”

“I was thinking a movie. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to the theater.”

He tilts his head to the side. “Actually, I can’t remember the last time I went to a theater, either.”

“Cool. We should leave now so I have time to prepare for the sleepover tonight.”

Mia and I are spending tonight and tomorrow at Rylee’s house. It’s been so long since we had a sleepover. We did it often when we were little and we miss it. I guess now that we’re getting older and will go our separate ways soon, we want to spend as much time together as we can.

“Okay. Is there a movie theater close by?” he asks.

“Yeah. It’s not far and we can walk there.”

He follows me out of his room, down the stairs, and out the door. The weather is a bit chilly, so we grab light jackets.

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