Page 15 of The Sweet Spot

I lean closer. “Did he ask for your number?”

But Luca joins us before she can answer. “So, what’s the plan? You two staying here or heading out?”

“I don’t know. Are you guys still going to that party?” That might sound forward, but hey—they invited themselves to the movie.

“Probably. You wanna come?”

“Maybe?” I nod, feeling like I’m still in high school as I adjust my backpack. “Where is it, exactly?”

“Over in Seabright, some kid Kellan knows from way back. He grew up down here.”

“Where’d you grow up?”

“East Bay.”

I nod, glancing at the time on my phone. “Berkeley?”

“Walnut Creek, but we ran the streets of Berkeley all the time.”

“And you’re still hanging out down here in the summer?”

“Maybe on the weekends, but I have a job starting in Berkeley soon, so it makes more sense to stay in the Bay during the week.”

My hearts sinks the way it did earlier when he told me about his semester abroad. He sounds busy. And noncommittal. “That’s cool.”

“Hey, let’s go ride something,” he says, scanning the scene. “What’s your favorite?”

“She works here, dude. She’s probably sick of all this shit,” Logan says dryly, sweeping past as we make our way up the steps. The movie crowd has been bottlenecked, so it’s slow going.

“I’m not,” I tell Luca, irritated by his friend’s assumption. I keep getting the impression Logan doesn’t like me, or like he doesn’t approve of his friends hanging out with Saira and me. Maybe we’re too young. Or maybe he’s one of those rich, preppy types. “I love these rides. I have different favorites depending on my mood, but the Sky Glider’s close to my heart.”

“Awww,” coos Matt, and Luca gives him a light shove. “Of course, it is, Sweet Spot.”

“I’ll watch from down here. I don’t think I can handle the Sky Glider again,” says Saira. “But I’ll do the Giant Dipper later if you want.”

We finally empty out onto the wooden, sand-gritted planks of the boardwalk. It’s a technicolor world at night, all lit up and glowing neon. “We can do the Giant Dipper now,” I say, feeling a little guilty that I’ve been all over Luca when just a few hours ago, we were bitching about Janya doing the same thing.

“The Sky Glider’s right there, silly,” Saira says, giving me a little push. “You two should go.” She peeks at Kellan. “Right?”

“Sure.” He shrugs. “We’ll meet you guys at the other side.”

Luca

Ihaven’t ridden this thing since I was a kid, but I remember it now. Below our dangling feet, people walk along the crowded boardwalk, growing smaller the higher we climb. Rollercoaster cars crest over the Giant Dipper‘s highest hill, dipping and appearing again seconds later on a brutal curve. Out on the beach, one couple walks along the water’s edge while another rolls around a blanket, getting busy. Smiling, I let my eyes wander farther out, over the dark water, waves crowned with a frothy glow. There’s a lot of light pollution, but I can see a few stars.

Wren’s nervous, I can tell.

I don’t know if she’s afraid of heights or afraid of me, but she’s shivering again. Kind of like she was down on the beach. Granted, the temperature has dropped a lot since the sun went down, so maybe she’s just cold.

Regardless, the second the attendant lowers the bar, I wrap my arm around her. She doesn’t look at me, but she smiles.

“You looked cold,” I explain, but I don’t think she minds at all.

She squints out at the water. “Maybe a little.”

Way earlier, when the guys and I had been deciding what to do, I’d suggested the boardwalk. Matty had busted my balls, teasing me about Sweet Spot, but I’d couched it in a desire to kill time before the party by grabbing a couple of burgers and kicking the ball around the beach. I won’t be seeing Santa Cruz for a few months, so why not?

I pretended not to care when we passed by the Sweet Spot—the stand—and there were two guys behind the counter instead of the cute girl with the green eyes and long, wavy ponytail. But Matty was right, and we all knew it.

---