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JOY: I’m not dating anyone this year

Oh. I read and reread the message. I should leave it there, but I don’t.

ME: So you’re just friends?

JOY: Does it matter?

ME: I guess not

My fingers hover over the reply button, but I click out of the thread instead. I overheard someone saying she was dating the captain last year. Maybe it was a bad breakup. Or maybe she’s just enjoying her last year of college.

“Lane!” Mom’s voice drifts through the house. “Where are you?”

Groaning, I push to my feet. Joy has said she’ll try to forgive me. When we get back to Franklin West, I’m going to take every opportunity to remind her of what we had. But the problem is, it’ll also remind us both of what I threw away.

JOY

Holding my hair up in a ponytail, I frown at my reflection from both sides before letting go, my hair falling back down around my shoulders. I’m DJing at the Hive’s ‘welcome back’ party tonight but settling on a look is a little more difficult than usual.

“What’s going on?” Maggie asks, looking up from where she’s scrolling through her phone on my bed. Unlike me, she’s been ready for twenty minutes.

I glance at her before smoothing my hair back into a ponytail again. “What makes you think there’s something going on?”

“Because you’re a ‘throw on anything, look annoyingly amazing, and go’ kind of girl,” she says, tossing her long brown curls over her shoulder. “I’ve never seen you think twice before.”

I shoot her a withering look. “That’s totally not true.”

She hums her disagreement and I turn back to the mirror.

The truth is, she’s right. I’ve chosen my favorite pants, which are obscenely tight black leather, and a halter neck top made of a shimmery, sheer material that shows off my midriff. My makeup was a simple choice, I always go for smoky eyes and dark lipstick. Although, tonight, I went for nude lips with a hint of glitter, which makes my eyes pop even more.

“Are you trying to impress someone?” Maggie asks, her blue eyes narrowing.

I meet her gaze in the mirror and let my hair fall back around my shoulders again. “No. I told you. I’m not looking for a boyfriend this year.”

“Who said anything about a boyfriend?” Maggie snorts. “Let me rephrase. Are you trying to get some?”

My cheeks heat and I thank the makeup gods for a good base foundation. “Maybe.”

Maggie gives me a devilish grin. “Who is it?”

I mime zipping my lips and move over to my desk to gather my purple, rhinestone covered headphones. Not a day went by over winter break that I didn’t think about Doug and the mind-blowing sex we had. I expected the next day to be awkward, but he just winked at me and carried on as normal. Even at practice the following week, he seemed to be in better spirits than usual, but we never spoke of it. I haven’t been alone with him to do so, I guess.

Over winter break, both Aldo and Lane were texting me almost every day. I took my time with Lane, sometimes not replying until the next day. He’s so eager to get our friendship back on track, but I’m not there yet. I don’t think he understands just how badly he hurt me when he disappeared.

Aldo on the other hand. I smile as I put my headphones around my neck. Although we’re still safely in the ‘friend’ zone, my heart flutters as I think of the grins he gives me during practice, as though we have a secret between us. He’s so pretty it hurts.

“That!” Maggie says, jolting me back to my room. “Who are you thinking about that’s making you smile like that?”

“What? I’m just excited about the party.” I blink, feigning innocence.

Maggie slides off the bed, stalking toward me. “It’s a Wolf, isn’t it? Who is it? Joel? Preston?”

“It’s not a Wolf.” I slip my lip gloss in my pocket and tidy up a little. You know. Just in case.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Maggie says, heading for my door. “Come on. We need to get down there.”

The sounds of the party hit me as soon as she opens the door. My room is the floor above, so it’s always a little loud. I could have moved up a floor this year, but I honestly couldn’t be bothered. I know a couple of the other seniors haven’t either.

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