Page 34 of Our Forever Starts Tonight

“Plus you get the added allure of having him be from a different school,” Ceradi said. “The mystery is so enticing.”

“What’s his name?” Josh asked.

“You’ll find out when you meet him,” Hannah quipped back.

I was beginning to think the guy was just made up just to get out of going with me, but Hannah and I had gone as friends in the past, so why would she suddenly not want to do that now? If she didn’t want to go with me, she simply didn’t have to ask me. It wasn’t like it was a huge deal.

“Who are you asking, Ceradi?” Hannah asked, not subtly, to shift the subject.

Ceradi looked across the table at Milton, who puffed out his chest and smiled brightly. She smiled back at him and said, “Hey, Mil.”

“Yes?” he sang, starry eyed.

“Do you know if anyone has asked Tanner yet? I was thinking he might be fun to go with.”

Milton deflated. At this point in time, anyone else would bail and say they were kidding, but Ceradi wasn’t just anyone. She stayed staring at Milton, batting her eyes, and waiting for an answer. Milton was clearly waiting for her to back out, but when a handful of awkward minutes had passed, he took his tray and stood up from the table.

“No. No one’s asked him yet,” he said.

Ceradi winked. “Great. Thanks!”

Milton stormed off, and though Josh started laughing, Capito and Hannah both remained mostly quiet, as did I. Ceradi looked around at our concerned gazes and waved her hand. “Oh stop. I’m obviously gonna ask him. I’m just having a little fun.”

Josh held up a hand for Ceradi to high-five, which she did. “Classic.”

She giggled. “What can I say? I’m a prankster.”

More like a sadist.

My first class after lunch had Aria, Arden, Hannah,andCeradi in it, which meant it was always prepped and primed to be a trainwreck. When I walked into the class, there were several people standing around Aria as she told a story that was eliciting a bunch of laughs. I smiled at the way she shimmered under the attention and was glad she was getting it from someone, since I couldn’t give her the attention she deserved.

For whatever reason, my entering the room drew her attention and she turned to look at me. I expected her to look away right away, but she held my gaze for a little bit, and I could see the longing in her eyes that matched my own. I took a step forward, and when she didn’t look away, it gave me some confidence. When I attempted to apologize to her before, she almost gave in until I let Hannah scare me. Maybe all she was waiting for was for me to apologize again.

Maybe I wasn’t as far from her as I thought I was.

I held up my hand and led with a smile, but someone snatched my hand and whipped me back. I turned and saw Hannah standing behind me with a wild, panicked looking expression on her face. “What are you doing?” I hissed.

“What areyoudoing?” she snapped back. “We’ve been through this.”

“I just want to apologize,” I growled back.

“Just let it go.”

Before I could fight further, Ceradi walked into the room, swinging by my desk as she did so. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the narwhal knows to leave you alone.”

“What?” I said. “No, it’s okay.”

But she was already off. I watched, terrified, as she walked straight into the group of people surrounding Aria, and everyone scattered, apart from Arden. She looked down at Aria with an evil grin on her face.

“Hey,” she started. “Have you heard the joke about thecowwho walked into a bar?”

My heart broke. Aria didn’t deserve that treatment when she’d done nothing wrong. I moved to try and stop it, but Hannah maintained her grip on my arm and held me back. I wanted to avert my gaze so badly, but I also couldn’t bring myself to look away.

“No,” Aria replied. “But I imagine it ends with a Tik Thot who thinks seven likes on her post is a big deal.”

The entire room erupted with laughter and jabs, and I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep everyone from seeing the way I was smiling. Ceradi took in the stock of the room and decided it was in her best interest to back off. She probably could have done some serious verbal damage if she chose to stick it out, but I could also see that she was embarrassed. People didn’t typically talk back to Ceradi, and as she swiped all of Aria’s things off her desk before storming away, it was evident.

“Nice!” Arden yelped, giving Aria a fist bump before helping her pick up her things.

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