Page 65 of Sporty Girls Don't Fall For Loners

Rylee: Can’t argue with the voice of reason.

Mia: But you look so pretty in dresses! I mean, you look pretty in your sweatshirt, too, but you look extra pretty in dresses.

Zoey: This is a waste of time and energy.

Mia: Major sigh. There’s no winning with you.

I chuckle again as I slide my phone back into my pocket. When I glance at Kade, I find his eyes locked on mine.

“Your friends?” he asks.

“Yeah. Mia was trying to convince me to wear a dress because she thinks I look pretty in dresses.”

His eyebrows crease.

“Oh, sorry. For Elena’s party?”

He shrugs. “I don’t do parties.”

“Yeah, me either. My friends and I don’t usually go, but they want to go tonight and have somehow convinced me to join them. I’m okay with it, though, because I’m happy as long as I’m with them.”

He nods and reaches for another cookie. After taking a bite, his gaze shifts back to me. “So do you?” he asks.

“Do I what?”

“Look pretty in dresses.”

I freeze up like a popsicle as I gape at him, my heart racing through my body and my palms growing clammy. This has never happened to me before.

“I…uh…”

He regards me as he slowly takes another bite of his cookie, a few strands of his hair falling into his eyes.

“I…don’t know,” I say lamely, my cheeks feeling warm.

“You’d look beautiful in anything you wear.”

Did he just call me beautiful?

I’m about to say something, but my phone jingles and I once again nearly fly out of my skin. “I really need to change the sound,” I mutter as I slide my phone out of my pocket. “Oh, Mia and her dad are here. I’ll see you later, Kade.” I turn to go.

“Have fun,” he says.

I slowly turn back around. “Do you want to come?”

He stares at me. “You want me to come with you?”

“Sure, why not? Unless you want to stay here all alone. Which is totally fine, by the way. You do you and all that.”

He nods slowly again. “Yeah, I think I’ll stay here.”

Why does a wave of disappointment wash over me?

“Okay. Cool. I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Later,” he says.

I head to the door and reach for the knob.

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