Page 15 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
And just like that, I was reminded of my secret. Jade’s words were meant to be comforting, a white flag to the tension Riley tried to sow in, but instead they were an anchor, weighing me to the past.
The three of us, I’d said at fourteen, wrapping my arms around my two best friends.We’re going to be the best Brentwood Babes there’ve ever been.
The three of us, 14-year-old Jade Dyer had agreed, securing her arm around my waist.
And under my left arm, a 14-year-old girl with glasses grinned.The three of us, Maisie Matthews had said.
And just two weeks later, it’d become just Jade and me. The two of us.
I’d do nothing differently, I told myself, the mantra I repeated every time the memory surfaced. I’d gotten what I’d wanted. Popularity. Co-captain of the cheer squad. A spot in the Top Tier. And Maisie—she seemed fine after all the dust had settled. She had a boyfriend, a close friend group, and was top of our grade. We both came out okay.
Even if I had the chance to go back in time, there wasn’t a single thing I’d change. That was what I always told myself.
“You guys want a bit of an inside scoop? Before Babble gets their hands on it?” Jade peeked her eyes open. “Madison’s love life will be the talk of the halls tomorrow.”
And if the gaggle of girls weren’t leaning in before, theydefinitelywere now.
“There’s a guy?” Kaitlin demanded with a gasp.
Jen had stars in her eyes. “What’s his name?”
Nina reached to touch my leg. “What does he look like?”
I basked in the attention as it finally turned toward me. This was it. It was totally happening. And by tonight, it’d be all over Babble. “His name is Logan.”
Another soundtrack ofoohsfilled our bubble. “What’s his last name?”
His last name?Uh. Jeez, had I even asked? “I can’t have you searching him up beforehand,” I said finally, giving them a wink.
“When did you meet him?”
“How tall is he?”
“What color is his hair?”
Nina made an impatient sound. “Mads,hello. Tell us everything!”
I pulled my legs up, avoiding eye contact to tease even further. Greediness bit at me, and I wanted to draw it out as long as possible. “We met last week at the open house.”
“Hecaughther,” Jade added. “She tripped, and he swooped in, all rom-com style.”
The girls gasped.
I bit down on my lower lip, but the glow of my grin still peeked out. “You should’ve felt his muscles.”
Now, they all screeched.
“We went out once last week—a picnic in the park.” I swallowed the memory of mini golf, telling myself it was too precious to share. No other reason. “He even got me flowers.”
The girls also screeched over that, and Jade smiled at them. Jade had indeed put the flowers into the vase like I’d asked, but she’d forgotten to put water in the vase, and I hadn’t noticed until the green buds drooped the next day. A total honest mistake, but they died before I got to see them bloom.
“He has a part-time job, so we haven’t had a chance to do anything else.Butwe’ve talked on the phone every night since. We don’t even end the call, either. We talk until one of us falls asleep.”
Logan had opened my car door when we got back to my house last Tuesday, and as he hesitated on the porch, the question had almost burst from him. “Can I call you tonight?”
And “tonight” had turned into every night since.
My audience ate it up. “Soromantic!”
