Page 45 of Spark

Why is Titus pushing so hard for us to come back into the party? Is he, like Savage and Laila, convinced I’m the ‘like a brother’ guy in Cooper’s song? If so, my kiss with Ruby surely added fuel to that fire.

“Right, KC?” Ruby asks, jerking me from my thoughts.

Clearly, I missed something when I zoned out. “Huh?”

“You’ve been out of good ideas for birthday dares for a while now.”

“Oh. Yeah. Definitely.” I rap the side of my head with my knuckles. “Can you hear that echo? There’s nothing inside there.”

Ruby squeals with laughter and squeezes my neck. After kissing the side of my head, she says to her brother, “Are you done interrogating us now? Because I want to go to Kendrick’s room, have a nightcap from the minibar, and help him fall asleep.”

“Help him what?”

Ruby explains the whole insomnia thing to him, as well as her theory. “I told him we’d test it out days ago, but then Cooper’s song came out, and I got distracted and fell down on the job.”

Titus doesn’t look convinced. In fact, he looks downright cynical.

“Now, go back to the party,” Ruby says to her brother with a shooing motion of her hand. “And tell our bandmates the deal about that kiss, okay?” She giggles. “Man, I wish I could be a fly on the wall when Cooper sees it. He’s going tolose his mind to find out I’ve moved on from him sofast—and with his nemesis, of all people.”

Nemesis? The word feels like a record scratch to my brain.I’m Cooper’s nemesis?That seems like a pretty strong characterization, even if he secretly dislikes me.

Titus exhales. “She’s shitfaced, KC. You realize that, right, brother?”

“I am, too.”

“I’m saying don’t do anything she might regret. Not when she’s shitfaced. Okay?”

“What the fuck is your deal?” Ruby yells. “We’ve both been shitfaced together a million-billion times, and you didn’t feel the need to give us this speech any of those times.”

“Yeah, well, if you’d kissed right before taking off together any of those times, I certainly would have.”

Ruby flaps her lips together. “It was a fake kiss, dude. Are you not listening to me at all?” With that, she bats my shoulder. “Come on, horsey. Giddyup! Let’s ditch this wet blanket and keep the party rolling!”

Titus sighs. “Goodnight, guys. Happy birthday, KC.”

“You, too. I mean, thanks. Sorry if we confused you.”

“The only thing that’s confusing to me is this conversation.” With that, Titus swings open the door to the party and disappears.

“Weirdo,” Ruby mutters.

“What did he mean by that?”

“By what?”

“That our conversation was confusing to him.”

“Who knows and who cares?” Ruby says with a wave of her hand. “Now, giddyup! I’m thirsty!”

I adjust her on my back and grip her thighs firmly, the same way I always do at times like this. Except, if I’m being honest, the touch of her bare thighs against my palms feelsdifferent now. More loaded. Thanks to that kiss. Just this fast, I already know it was The Kiss That Changed Everything, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to go back.

“My room or yours?” I manage to choke out.

“Yours. Mine’s a mess. Plus, when we get to the sleep therapy portion of the birthday party, I want you feeling as comfy as possible.”

“What’s my room number?”

Giggling, Ruby tells it to me, and off we trot down the carpeted hallway, with her singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” at the top of her lungs.

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