Page 50 of Loved By The Bad Boy

“Of course not. Come on. How can I forget my Gracie’s birthday?” I shrug. In my defense, he acted too indifferent about it. “Give me some credit. You are my favorite person in the universe.”

I am pretty sure it’s Asher, and I am content with being his second favorite person. But I punch his shoulder. This is payback for keeping the surprise away from me.

“The first call was from Maria, and the second was from your mom. She wanted to know where we were. She gave me directions to the house earlier.” I knew it. He almost had me believing I was wrong. We have never discussed my house. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you. Sorry I lied. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. I didn’t forget your birthday. I would never. Happy birthday, Gracie.”

I grin. “You’re the absolute worst, Benny.”

“And you’re the absolute best, Gracie.”

Twenty-One

Calum came with his guitar.If the way my parents pay rapt attention to him is any sign to go by, they are smitten by him. Ben can also sing. In his opinion, he is the best bathroom singer. Maria seems impressed with Calum. She pinches my thighs and motions to the boy seated on the single sofa with the head of the guitar tucked under his armpit. I shouldn’t have let her sit beside me.

“He’s hot,” she whispers. “Is he available?”

“You have a boyfriend. Daniel Holt. The hot guy with green eyes,” I remind her. Her grin is instant. It’s a surprise and miracle they are still waxing strong. “Yeah, you are very much not single.”

“I’m allowed to admire other people.” Maria pokes my cheek to support her fallacious claims. I feel like admiring people can lead to something more. Ben would never have kissed Olivia if he weren’t the slightest bit attracted to her. Feelings can be weird, and I would rather be on the safer side. “You too, Tessa. Admire from afar. Keep your options open. You should try it sometime.”

“No, thanks. She’s fine this way,” Ben replies on my behalf. He’s seated on my left, and Maria is on my right, sulking at his interruption. Taking my hand, he places it over his knee. His eyes lift to my face, and I can’t help the grin that takes over my lips. “Gracie, admire only me, alright?”

“Okay. You must admire only me, too.”

He grins. “Of course.”

“I believe I speak for all of NYC when I say you two make me sick,” Maria chimes.

My ever-dramatic best friend storms off to an empty couch and flips us the middle finger. Mom glares at her, and she mutters a sheepish apology. When Mom is no longer looking, I stick out my tongue at her. Calum’s song ends, and Mom asks us to gather round the cake Benny ordered for me.

Have I said I loved that boy? I love him. Too much.

“Make a wish,” Ben says.

I stare at my square cake with eighteen tiny candles on top of it. Ben urges me to blow out the candles. I do that while wishing Benny and Gracie would be together forever. Mom carries the cake to the kitchen, and Dad takes it upon himself to regale them with embarrassing tales about my childhood. I swear every parent studied: How to embarrass your kids in front of their friends.

Dad spreads pictures from my childhood over our table, picking one up as he starts another story.

“I didn’t pee my pants,” I cut in. Six pairs of eyes turn to me. The living room feels cramped with them here, but I don’t want it any other way. If I had superpowers, I would reach for those photos and rip them. In the picture, there is a wet spot on my pants. “It was water, Dad. Water.”

When we were little, Dad took Hayden and me to a horror house. It sounded fun until we went inside. I died so many times, but the worst of them all was having a clown jump out at me. I hate clowns. Thinking about the experience makes me shudder. I never went back there.

Dad ignores my protest and resumes his story. I glance at my new friends. Their expressions are comical. All three of them sit quietly on one couch. Imani and Mira hold hands while Calum stares at Dad with an odd appreciation. Only now do I realize how much he must miss his dad.

Mom returns with a tray of sliced cakes for everyone to pick. As the celebrant, I pick first. Maria connects her phone to the speaker, and a familiar playlist starts. Ben helps me to my feet. Someone moved the table to create more room for dancing. We dance for a little while until Dad takes over. Mom is next. I dance with everyone present. Calum is the last person to step forward.

“Happy birthday,” he says.

“Thanks. Thanks for coming.”

“It’s okay. Sorry I have been an ass these past few days.” I pat his shoulder in silent acceptance. We will eventually be fine. Maria, the self-assigned DJ, winks. I plan her death in my head when the song changes to something slow and romantic. “We are cool, right? Your dad is awesome.”

“He’s the best.” My hands drop to his chest as he slides an arm around my waist. “Are you good?”

“Yeah. Why do you ask?” He has been unusually quiet at rehearsals and lunch breaks. Maybe it’s his way of processing my refusal to be with him. He spins me in a small circle, perfectly in tune with the song. “Tessa, if looks could kill, I’ll be six feet under. Your boyfriend is glaring.”

My laughter is free and malicious. I’m tempted to pull a funny stunt but decide against it. Ben will have a heart attack. Maria will corner me with reasons I need to admire other boys. Calum lets go of my hand so I can join Ben. The grumpy boyfriend folds his arms across his chest.

“You danced with him longer than you did with me,” he mutters.

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