Page 10 of One Little Kiss
We have three new kids this year, which for a school our size is more than usual. There’s Sadie, and then the twins, Dominic and his sister Jazmyn.
Since Dominic got insta popular thanks to the basketball team, and Jazmyn seems to have found her niche with the theater crowd, poor Sadie is the odd one out and it’s clear that Celia means to do something about it.
If Sadie will let her.
Before I can make Celia feel better by reminding her there’ll be plenty of chances for us to include Sadie, Heath is stroking her arm and whispering something in her ear that makes her giggle.
I look away with an eye roll and a grin. The two of them are painfully cute together.
“Ooh, Elijah!” Celia blurts in a voice loud enough that I think she’s trying to get his attention.
I look around, assuming she spotted him, but then she continues, her voice all high and excited. “Sadie’s super cute and she seems sweet…she and Elijah would be perfect together.”
I blink in surprise. Really? She thinks so?
Heath gives me a look that says he’s not buying it either.
“I don’t know, Cece.” He winces down at his girlfriend and I back him up all the way, shaking my head harder than necessary.
“You said it yourself. She seems sweet….and shy. Let’s not traumatize the poor girl by siccing loverboy on her, hmm?”
Heath laughs and Celia grins. “Maybe you have a point. I just feel like he needs someone though, you know?”
I’m about to point out that lately, she, Mara, and Addie seem to think all of us single folk need someone, but before I can, my phone rings with a video call. I grin as I answer, knowing it’s gotta be my other favorite swooning friend. Sure enough, Addie’s face lights up my screen, and Celia, Heath, and Mara scramble to surround me so we can all say hi to our bestie who moved away at the start of the school year.
It’s no shock to anyone that Addie’s new boyfriend Vince is in the background. It looks like they’re outside for their lunch break and Vince has a protective arm around her shoulders as she beams at the camera and fills us in on her plans for her next visit home.
“Wait, where’s the man of the hour?” she asks, interrupting our chat.
I lift the phone over my head so she can see Ryan and his pals on stage.
“Hi, Ryan!” she calls out. Not that he can hear her.
I bring the phone back down just as she asks, “Where’s Eli?”
Where was Elijah? Before I can even turn to look, I feel him behind me. He must have slid into the row behind us because suddenly his head’s resting on my shoulder and his face fills the screen of my phone.
“Hey, A.” He gives Addie a crooked grin that’s somehow charming and flirty without being so overtly flirtatious to cause Vince to scowl.
Vince is very prone to scowls. And growls, much to Elijah’s and my amusement. Who would have thought that sweet, innocent Addie would be the one to fall for the bad boy?
“Vince, man, how’s it going?” Elijah continues.
Vince’s response, if the quiet dude was in fact going to give one, is drowned out when our principal takes the stage and calls everyone’s attention to announce the team captains.
I wince. “Sorry, Addie, we’ve gotta go.”
She waves us off. “Go, go. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
I turn off the phone, but Elijah makes no move to lift his head from my shoulder. “What’d I miss?” His voice is low and this close to my ear, it makes me shiver. I swat at his head, making him laugh as he pulls back.
We all pretend to pay attention as the principal does his best to engage the crowd.
I’m guessing just about everyone is here for the sole purpose of skipping class and not because we’re so darn jazzed about football.
I mean, I’m happy for the guys, but not even the players seem as excited about playoffs as the principal is.
“Where do you think he gets his energy?” Elijah asks as he slides down to sit on the seat beside me.
