Page 124 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
She came around the front of a car then, frowning with her phone lit up in her hand. “Where’s Jade?”
“I think she left.” My body trembled from the adrenaline, but I hoped Riley would blame the cold. “Is half-time over yet?”
Riley crinkled her nose. “There’s still, like, five minutes.”
“Good.” Picking up the bottom skirt of my dress, I started walking off to the direction of where I knew Mom parked her car. “Plenty of time to change into my uniform.”
Riley didn’t follow, but her voice did. “You’re going to cheer?”
“It’s my last homecoming game,” I said. And, really, I knew it was my last game. I’d already asked Coach to cut me, and after what helping Connor and possibly severing ties with Jade, there was no way we could be co-captains together. Jade got her wish, like she always did. “As if I’d miss it.”
Ipeeked out my blinds for the millionth time, checking once again on the house next door. The front door still hadn’t opened, and my eyes were starting to burn from the staring contest I was having with it.
And honestly, I probably set the new world record for no blinking.
When I was a kid, I used to take up the same position in the living room. After school, I’d part the blinds—which Mom always scolded me for—and watched Maisie’s house until she finished her homework and was allowed outside to play. It was a little funny to think that now, even after all these years, I found myself right back here again.
My legs were beginning to cramp when the door finally opened, and after a second, Maisie stepped out.
I jerked away from the window immediately, heart launching full speed in my chest.Calm down, I told myself sternly, pressing a palm to my chest.It’s just Maisie. She’s just coming over to look at dresses. You were fine when you offered it last night—why are you freaking out now?
Last night, after halftime had finished and after I’d changed back into my cheer uniform, I’d found Maisie by the bleachers.
“How’s Jade?” Maisie had asked, turning the bouquet of flowers over in her grip.
“Pissed,” I’d replied, offering an awkward smile. “But I think she realizes that she lost the game she was playing. Or maybe she realized that she was the only player.”
We hadn’t talked about what happened freshman year, and we didn’t talk more about Jade, but Ihadasked her if she was excited about the homecoming dance. She’d replied she didn’t have a dress. And then the words “You can come look at my closet, if you want” came out.
Which… craziness.
What was even crazier was that Maisie had accepted.
A soft knock came on the front door, once more sending my pulse into cardiac arrest territory.
“I’ve got it!” I shouted to Mom, hoping she’d stay in the living room. The last thing I needed was her crying in the foyer because Maisie and I were inching toward friendship again.
Tears pricked at my own eyes. We were, weren’t we?
Calm down, Madison.
I hauled the front door open to reveal Maisie standing on the welcome mat, rubbing her arm. She pushed her black glasses up.
“Hey,” I greeted awkwardly.
Maisie smiled just as awkwardly. “Hi.”
We both laughed at the same time, shattering the tension. “Come in,” I urged, stepping out of the way so she could. “I’ve already pulled out the ones I think would work best.”
“It’s funny,” Maisie murmured as I shut the door behind her. “Your house smells the same.”
“Bad?”
She shook her head. “It’s nostalgic.”
We walked down the short hallway to my bedroom, and her footsteps creaked behind me. It was almost a surreal feeling, like we were being transported back in time. Weird, but in a way I found that I enjoyed.
When Maisie came into my bedroom, she glanced around the space, giving a small nod. “This looks the same, too.”
