Page 72 of Didn't See That Coming

Is there anything more obnoxious than guys calling each other “bro”? Or maybe I’m just annoyed because it’s Jonas and his jerk friends, the very same people who have called me Crazy Kiki for the past two and a half months. They glance at me and smirk at each other.

One of them elbows Jonas, still grinning, and says, “So you really brought Crazy Kiki, huh?”

The back of my neck boils.

“Hey, c’mon, man,” Jonas says. “I told you guys, she’s notcrazy, she’s pretty cool.”

Elon jerks his chin at me as a greeting. “Yo, Kiki. Can’t resist Jonas after all, huh?”

Jonas smiles at me like this is somehow a huge compliment to me. He wiggles his eyebrows. “Yep, told you guys, it was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Jesus, this is why he wanted me to go out with him. To prove to his cronies that, like everyone else, I’m no match for his charms. I want to lunge at all of them and punch the smug smiles off their smarmy faces, but I’m so close to the finish line now. I force myself to take a deep breath and ignoretheguys.

I scan the sofa for an empty space, but though there should be plenty of space for everyone, the guys on it are manspreading so hard they’re practically doing the splits. I guess I’ll just stand, then. I try to make eye contact with the girls, hoping to at least make polite conversation with them, but they’re all too busy chatting with one another to spare me a single glance. Even though Jonas thinks that by dating him I’m elevating my reputation, the truth is, it hasn’t done shit for me when it comes to these people. I will always be the “crazy” outsider who doesn’t know her place.

As Jonas is enveloped into his group of friends, I’m left to one side, forgotten for the moment. On one hand, yay for not having to endure small talk with Jonas! On the other hand, ack, this is so awkward. I grip my purse in one fist and rub my elbow with the other and try to look super casual as I scan the room.

“Kiki! Over here!”

I glance around to see Trissilla waving at me from the buffet table. Next to her is Zoey. I look over at Jonas to see what he’s up to. His head is dipped low as he talks to his friends. It’s as though he’s completely forgotten my existence. Just the way I like it. “I’m just going to be a minute,” I mumble. Nobody even looks at me, so I lift the hem of my mermaid dress and hurry over to the buffet table in little steps.

“Glad you made it!” Trissilla gives me a one-armed hug when I get there. Her other hand is balancing a teetering tower of mini burger sliders and cocktail shrimp. “Grab a plate before the horde gets to all the good stuff.”

“The sliders have wagyu patties and foie gras,” Zoey says through a mouthful of food.

“Wow.” I am genuinely impressed, and so, so relieved to be with Triss and Zoey instead of Jonas and his friends right now. I pray that Jonas won’t notice that I’m not with him for at least another fifteen minutes.

Triss hands me a plate and I survey the decadent spread before me. Damn this stupid mermaid dress, it’s not going to allow me to eat more than a few bites of food, so I’ll have to be strategic with what I choose.

“Hey, ladies, what’s good here?”

I look up to see Peishan standing on the other side of the buffet table. She looks amazing in the emerald dress that wefound a couple days ago, her hair swept into an intricate side braid and her lips painted immaculately in a dark red shade. My throat seems to close up on its own. Liam isn’t going to be able to take his eyes off her.

“Sliders,” Triss and Zoey say in unison.

Peishan nods and takes a plate, then turns and passes the plate to someone behind her. It’s a guy who I think plays the trombone in the school band. Or maybe he plays the flute? I don’t remember. “Here,” she says to him.

“Thanks.” He grins bashfully, and I stand there confused, because there are some serious vibes going on between these two right now, and I do not understand it.

“Hey, Tommy, how’s it going?” Zoey says.

Tommy nods at her. “Great. Who did you come here with?”

“Klodiya.” Zoey cranes her neck to scan the gym. “She went to the bathroom—oh, there she is.” She waves into thegrowing crowd, and we turn to see Klodiya, wearing a silver jumpsuit, walking in next to…

Oh god. It’s him. Liam. And he looks—there are no other words for it—devastatingly handsome. I mean it; my soul disintegrates at the sight of him, because he looks so freaking amazing and it is just too cruel. I don’t want to be standing here watching him greet Peishan, so I edge away from the buffet, though I do pause long enough to grab a foie gras slider. I slink behind a decorative tree with silver and white leaves and crystals and chomp into my slider mournfully. My first-ever fancy dance at a fancy school and I’m miserable—wow, this slider is really good—but I’m still really sad. Though I’m not above taking comfort in wagyu sliders.

“Hey.”

I’m so surprised that I nearly choke on the chunk of slider in my mouth and am reduced to a coughing mess for the next five seconds.

“I’m so sorry,” Liam says. “Are you okay?” He pats my back as I cough, and when the coughs recede, his hand remains there on my bare skin, its warmth spreading throughout my entire back. Then he seems to notice it and yanks it away with an embarrassed clearing of his throat, as though he burned his hand.

“Um, so.” Liam shoves his hands into his pockets and bares his teeth at me.

“Is that supposed to be a smile?”

“Is it not coming out as a smile?” he says, his mouth frozen in a half grimace.

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