Page 47 of It's in the Contract
We enter the cramped bathroom with a gold sink, jasmine-scented soap, and a sign above the toilet that says, “Hold for three seconds to flush.”
Suzy immediately whirls on me. “Okay, Cal, what’s going on with you two? Do you like him?”
That was abrupt, even for Suzy. “No! I don’t. We’re barely even friends.”
“You don’t have to be friends to like him.” Suzy folds her arms and leans against the sink.
I shake my head quickly. “I promise. It’s nothing like that. He was alone, and I thought he could use a friend, and then Irealized he’s actually pretty cool. That’s all. I thought he could be part of our group.”
Suzy breathes in and out. “If you do like him, you can just tell me.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “It’s not like you and Noah are together anymore.”
Ouch.“You don’t have to rub it in. I’m hoping . . . hoping that . . .”
Suzy’s face turns into a look of pure pity, and I hate it. “Hoping that he’ll dump Brielle and take you back once you win the crown?”
I turn away, my face red.
Suzy puts a hand on my shoulder. “Look, I’m sorry. He doesn’t deserve you, okay? Zeke is cool. I don’t mind hanging out with him.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Just . . . be careful, Cal.”
I turn back to my friend.
“He’s looking at you like he wants to be more than friends, and I don’t want you—or him—to get hurt.”
I pause, surprised. She must be wrong. Zeke has told me very explicitly that he doesn’t want any attachments here. “I’ll . . . watch for that.”
We head back to our table and arrive just in time for me to stop Zeke from paying for the whole bill. We split it three ways, but he does not look happy about it.
Eighteen
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YouTube video caption by @zekeharrisgaming.
I knockon Zeke’s door and take a deep breath. The October air is chilly, and I pull my pale pink peacoat around me tighter. The flowers that lined Zeke’s driveway are wilted and brown.
Zeke and I planned for me to appear live on his channel this afternoon, but I’m starting to have doubts. What if people hate it? What if people judge me? What if this doesn’t work and I lose the precious votes I’ve gained? Nothing is locked in until the winners are announced, so people can change their vote after it’s been submitted.
The door flies open, and Caroline’s face lights up in a smile. Her mouth is large, but it fits her beaming personality. She’s wearing a dress the color of lilacs and her hair is curled into dark ringlets. Mia pokes her head out from behind the frills of her mama’s dress.
“Callie!” Caroline says. “I’m so glad you’re here. Zeke is getting set up.” She pauses, and her big brown eyes glisten with tears. “Oh, look at me. I’m being so silly.”
Caroline steps aside to invite me in, and I step into the entryway and slip off my wet anklet boots.
“I’m just so happy that Zeke has made a friend like you,” Caroline says. “Our last move was so hard on him. He declared that he was never going to make friends again.”
“Oh.” A twinge of guilt pinches my stomach, and I can’t meet Caroline’s eyes.
Mia steps out from behind her mama, fist raised to give me knuckles. I fist bump her back. She’s holding the fluffiest unicorn stuffed animal I’ve ever seen tucked under one arm.
“You love unicorns, huh?” I ask.
Caroline smiles. “Oh, she loves just about any animal.”
I take off my coat and hang it on a peg. “My best friend, Suzy, has a pet guinea pig named Mr. Mochi. Would you like to meet her sometime?”
