Page 56 of When Our Stars Aligned

“Yeah, I made the rest for everyone else.”

“But I fell off a roof.” I give her a sad look that she mirrors back.

“I know, and Gabby, Alex, and Carter were so sweet to come over and help. It’s my way of thanking them.”

I look back down at the one lonely cookie on the plate. “But I fell off a roof,” I repeat, hoping she will take pity on me.

She sits down next to me, puts her arm around my shoulder, and gives it a little squeeze. “I know, so you just sit here, rest,and eat your cookie. I’m going to take a shower and bring the rest of the cookies over to everyone else.”

As soon as I hear the bathroom door close, I poke my head up and over into the kitchen. There’s a plastic container full of those delectable morsels sitting on the counter just waiting to be eaten.

I lower my bum leg to the floor and pull myself up. I don’t want Aly to hear the sound of my crutches, so I decide to hop on one foot over to the kitchen. I steady myself on random pieces of furniture as I hobble over to the counter. “Come here, my precious,” I say to the container of cookies. I stick a cookie in my mouth and decide to stuff as much as I can in the pockets of my basketball shorts.

“What are you doing?” Aly’s voice scares the hell out of me.

I spin to see her staring at me with her hands on her hips.

“I ante e oogie,” I say with my mouth stuffed to the brim.

“I told you they were for everyone who came to help you.” She folds her arm across her chest. I feel like a student who’s disappointed her.

“Wrorry.”

She keeps her authoritative stance for a moment, then begins to laugh.

“So, you were the one who stole my cookies!” She points to me.

“You set me up!” I jump a little, making several cookies spill from my pockets and onto the floor.

“Oh! This is just pathetic!” She shakes her head.

“I’m not pathetic!” I say, trying to bend down in an awkward position to retrieve the fallen cookies. “They’re just so good! I mean, it’s kind of a compliment, right?”

“It’s a compliment if you tell me you like them, not when you steal them. You let Alex take the blame, and don’t you dare stick that cookie from the floor in your mouth!” She leaps forward to swat the cookie out of my hand.

“Five-second rule! It’s still good!” I turn and vigorously hop away on one foot.

“Don’t you dare fall over and make me yell ‘timber’!”

I laugh and throw myself onto the couch. “I can’t believe Alex got you to say that, and how did you know I stole your cookies?”

“You told me last night right before you passed out. Alex said the stuff they gave you acted like truth serum. He was trying to see if you had any government secrets, and oh!” She slaps her hand to her forehead. “I should’ve asked you about Travis’s name!”

“You could’ve asked me anything at all andthat’swhat you want to know?” I smile, thinking of how sweet Aly is. She really could’ve taken advantage of my mental state, but she didn’t. Her honesty makes me even more attracted to her.

“It’s a valid question… Is it Kevin?”

“No.”

“Joe?”

“Nope.”

“Nick?”

“Did you just list the Jonas brothers?”

“Maybe.” She shifts her eyes and rocks on her heels a bit. “Wait! How do you know—”

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