Page 4 of It Was Always You

I got in line to get my ticket and concessions. The lobby was full, as typical for a Friday night. I felt a little weird going to a movie by myself, but if anyone from school saw me and had a problem with that, they could suck it.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and let my gaze wander around the room. Easton and his date were nowhere to be found, but after a good look around, I spotted Lexi standing with a bunch of guys from the grade below me. She hunched her shoulders, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was super uncomfortable. Maybe her date hadn't arrived yet?

But then I saw the guy who was supposed to be Lexi’s date, Harrison Carter. He'd been in one of my classes last year. And next to him was a leggy blonde, his arm around her waist.

Either Lexi had been embellishing her story about having a date with him tonight, or he'd asked two girls out. From the way he was looking at the blonde and ignoring Lexi, I got the feeling that he wasn't there for Lexi at all.

Poor girl. She really did like the guy. I was sure I'doverheard her and her friend giggling about Harrison last summer when I was at her house.

"Who invited the nerdy sophomore to hang out with us tonight?" a female voice sounded from behind me.

My ears perked up. Were they talking about Lexi?

Another voice spoke. "Harrison said he told her about going to the movie. Pretty sure she's stalking him."

"What a loser," the first girl said.

I clenched my hands into fists at my sides and looked back over to where Lexi stood. She was still in the same spot, but now she was gazing around the room as if looking for some excuse to leave the group.

The line ahead of me cleared out. I stepped forward, formulating a plan in my mind.

"I'd like one ticket forWhispers from Another Galaxy." The girl at the counter tapped on her screen then turned it around for me to pick my seat. I chose one then asked, "Can I also get your biggest popcorn and two drinks?".

She nodded and put in my order. "What would you like to drink?"

I strummed my fingers on the counter, trying to remember what Lexi usually got. Then I remembered—we always ordered the same drink. "Two Cokes."

After I paid, I awkwardly gathered the popcorn in my arms and carried it with the two drinks over to Lexi. I swallowed and hoped she wouldn't punch me for what I was about to do. I never could be sure with Lexi.

I squeezed into the space between her and the lanky redhead to her left. "Sorry, it took so long to get the drinks. You wanted Coke, right?" I offered her the soda, hoping she'd play along.

At first, she startled, but then her face went through a range of emotions: shock to confusion to relief.

Her lips quirked up into a smile, and she took the soda-filled cup from my hand. "Thank you. I was worried we'd miss the previews, and I know how much you love those."

"Are you two here on a date?" a guy next to us asked, his eyebrows raised.

I looked at Lexi, giving her the opportunity to answer that question however she wanted.

She linked her arm through mine and gave the guy a broad smile. "Yeah, of course. Did you think I came here by myself?" She winked at me, and I worked hard to hold in my chuckle. I'd committed to this when I first came over here; I wouldn't blow it now.

The guy had the insight not to look too surprised, which I had to give him credit for. I knew my reputation around the school. I wasn't exactly known for hanging out with Lexi's crowd—usually going more for the drill team and cheerleaders. But who was to say I wouldn't ever branch away from my typical type? Me taking Lexi on a date couldn't be that far-fetched. She was two years younger than me, and yeah, she was kind of nerdy andcould talk circles around me when it came to music and science, but she had always been fun to hang around. And despite what she'd said earlier in my car, she was kind of cute in her big glasses. And I liked that she was short enough that I could wrap her under my arm if I wanted to. Not that I'd thought about that before...

"Should we go find our seats?" I asked, not wanting to make small talk with a bunch of people I didn't know very well.

She sighed and gave my arm a gentle squeeze. "Yes. You know how much I love Justin Banks."

"And you know how much I love previews." It was a super corny thing to say, but I actually did like watching the previews and seeing which movies were coming out next.

We handed our tickets to the guy at the ticket podium then headed to theater four. It wasn't until we were looking at our seat numbers that I realized we wouldn't be able to actually sit by each other.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she noticed my troubled expression.

I held up my ticket. "I'm sitting in seat 4I." Then I pointed to hers. "And you're sitting in seat 15J."

Understanding replaced her look of confusion, and she bit her lip. "I guess that is a problem."

"There was still a seat open next to mine when I bought the ticket. Do you want me to see if I couldtrade yours? Or do you want to still sit with your friends?"

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