Page 136 of Late Fees

“Nope, never heard of it.”

“It’s cheesy garlic bread with ranch dip.”

She pressed her lips together and nodded, looking unimpressed. “Okay.”

And then her stomach growled. And not just a small one, but a huge rumble that filled the room. Embarrassed, she turned red and placed her hand on her stomach. We looked at one another and started to laugh. I knew she didn’t want to at first, but she couldn’t help herself.

“I love you, Ronnie. I really am sorry.”

“I know, it’s fine.” Ronnie sighed loudly. “Wyatt said something about a party.”

“Oh, yeah, it starts in a little while, but if he doesn’t come back, I’m not sure I should go.”

“He’ll come back.”

“I don’t know. Did he look pissed?”

“He was just shocked, I think. He’ll get over it. Wyatt’s always been crazy about you.”

“You’re right, I’ll try calling him again in a bit.”

“Whose party is it?”

“It’s an Around the World party.”

“Ooh, nice, we had one of those in my dorm. I was shit-faced by the end. I made the mistake of having beer beforehand. Not a good choice when everyone made Jell-O shots.”

“I still can’t believe your R.A. buys you booze. That has to be against so many rules.”

“Whatever, she’s awesome. And everyone looks the other way anyway. I swear my school is much more relaxed than I thought it would be,” Ronnie said. “So…what are you serving for your party?”

“I made Jell-O shots,” I said, grimacing.

“No beer for me, then.”

“I have that, too, and my place is the last stop. Some of the Spotlight crew are coming tonight. I really think you’ll like them. The only awful person at the store just quit. Everyone else is pretty great.”

“Okay.”

There was a knock at the door, and I glanced at the clock on my VCR. “Wow, that was fast. I swear, I just ordered.”

Hopping up from my chair, I walked to the table and grabbed my wallet before answering the door. Wyatt was standing on the other side of the door, holding a pizza box.

“I ran into the guy downstairs,” he said with a shrug. “Good timing, I guess.”

“Thanks,” I said with a smile, so happy to see him. “Come in, please.”

Ronnie stood up from the couch. “I’ll unpack my stuff in Tilly’s room. I’ll be back in a minute. Save me some of those sticks or whatever.”

Once she’d walked down the hallway, I turned back to him, tears forming in my eyes. “Wyatt, I don’t know what to say.”

He walked to the counter and placed the box down, leaning against the breakfast bar. “I told you I didn’t want to be your secret. We were joking around, but I meant it. I thought you knew that.”

“I know, I’m so sorry. Ronnie’s pissed at me, too, and I deserve it. One hundred and ten percent. I screwed up.”

“It’s fine,” he said, grabbing paper plates from my cabinet. “Let’s forget it.”

“Wyatt.”

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