Page 130 of With a Little Luck

“I like it,” says Penny. “You look like Prince Eric.”

I give Pru a look.See?

“Hey, it’s your curse,” she says, standing. “Let’s do this.”

“Also,” I say, “I need to make a quick stop.”

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I feel sick and nervous as Quint pulls up outside Maya’s house and I climb out from the back seat. “You can wait here,” I say. “This shouldn’t take long.”

As I walk away, I hear Quint whispering, “So … he is or is not in love with Maya?”327

My palms are sweating as I approach the front steps. My fingers are shaking as I ring the doorbell.

From inside, I hear hurried footsteps and Maya’s voice—“Coming!”

She’s radiant when she swings the door open. But her smile stiffens and falls when she sees me. “Jude?”

“Hi,” I say, taking her in. She’s prom-ready in a violet dress, a band of white flowers holding a halo of thick black curls back from her face. Glitter on her lips and eyelids, sparkles dusting her shoulders.

“Wow. You look great.”

She does look great. Stunning, actually.

And also … increasingly horrified. “What are you doing here?” she asks, a pitch of uncertainty in her voice.

I frown, confused. But then it occurs to me—she thinks I’m here to make a scene. To … I don’t know, declare some love obsession and beg her not to go to prom with Noah, or … something.

My eyes widen, even as heat tinges the tips of my ears. “I’m not here for you,” I say. “I’m not … This isn’t … I’m just here for my dice.”

Her lips part in surprise. “Your … dice?”

“Yeah. You said you found it at the festival?”

“Yeah,” she says slowly, “and that I would bring it to you at school next week.”

“I know. But I kind of need it sooner. Now. If possible.” I hesitate, before adding, with a weak smile, “Please?”

Another car pulls into the driveway. I glance over my shoulder and see Noah getting out of the driver’s seat. Their gaze meets mine, confused. “Jude?”

“Noah! Hi. You look … dapper.” I’ve never seen Noah dressed up before, but they’ve gone all out in pinstripe pants and suspenders over a white dress shirt, with a couple of rhinestone barrettes attempting to tame their spiky hair. Hair that is, I realize now, the exact color of Maya’s dress.

Awww.Matching. And I think,Ari would love that.

“And you look like you’re about to break out into a sea shanty,” says328Noah, looking briefly amused. Until, all at once, a shadow eclipses their face. “Wait. Are you here for … oh. Oh—god.” They clutch the stair rail. “You’re not over Maya.”

“What?”

“I’m a horrible friend. Crap.” Noah presses a hand over their eyes. “I should have talked to you. I shouldn’t have assumed. I just thought—”

“No! No, no, no. Seriously. This isn’t what it looks like,” I say, hands outstretched. “I am so happy for you two. I didn’t mean to intrude on your night.”

“He’s here for a dice,” says Maya. “Evidently, it couldn’t wait?”

I cringe. “I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but … it kind of is. To me.”

Maya is clearly annoyed, but she says, “All right. I’ll go get it.”

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