Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
I’m not freaking out—you’re freaking out!
By the time I’m done, it’s almost 6:30 and I haven’t eaten breakfast. I stuff a bagel in my mouth. Grab a juice.
Then it’s go time.
At 6:55 I grab my phone, car keys, and backpack and head to the driveway, where Mom’s car is parked ’cause only my dad’s fits inside the garage.
The engine hums softly as I back out, excitement building in my chest.
Today is going to be great!
Life is good!
I whistle as the world goes by, rolling down my window and resting an arm on the sill. The streets are empty, soft morning light glinting off the houses as I make my way to her place. Birds chirp. The grass is greener.
Yes, a great day indeed.
I adjust the rearview mirror, checking my reflection and then the clock on the dash, rehearsing how I’m going to greet her. Casual but confident. Relaxed, like I do this every day.
“I’ve got this.”
After an eternity I pull up to Maddie’s house.
Two seconds later she’s stepping out.
Heart stutters. Sweat beads at my temples. Panic.
Abort. Abort!
“Dude, get a grip.” This is no big deal. I can do this.
Maddie looks perfect—she always does—blond hair falling around her shoulders, jeans slung around her waist, beige tank top.
I swear, she’s prettier than she was yesterday.
She walks with her head down, face in her phone, barely acknowledging me as she approaches the car.
I lean over and push the door open for her, offering a smile I hope doesn’t look desperate.
“Morning.”
She slides into the passenger seat without looking at me, thumbs flying over her cell screen like I don’t even exist.
“Hey,” she mutters, not bothering to look up.
I blink.
It’s fine.
She’s just busy. A girl like her has way more going on than I do.
I ease the car onto the road, trying to ignore the awkwardness already settling between us.
“So. How’s it going?” I swallow the lump in my throat. “You, uh, look great today.”
Finally, she glances at me, eyebrows raised. “I know.”
Okay.
That isn’t exactly the response I was expecting, but fine.
I can work with this. She’s clearly distracted by something important. School, probably.
I pull out onto the main road.
“Do anything fun over the weekend?” I ask, hoping to engage her in conversation. Literally any conversation. About anything.
“The weekend was, like, forever ago.” She sighs, shifting in her seat. “But since you asked, I hung out with some friends.” She pauses and looks over again. “You wouldn’t know them.”
Ouch.
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. “Right. Cool, cool.”
So what if Maddie isn’t the easiest girl in the world to talk to—we all can’t be good at everything all the time! I just need to break the ice. Should I ask her something about school?
Or…prom?
Yup. That seems like a safe topic of conversation.
“Are you, um. Going to prom?”
She rolls her eyes. “Obviously. I was waiting for someone decent to ask—but that hasn’t happened, so…”
Maddie Miller doesn’t have a date to prom?!
My heart zings and I push on. It cannot be a coincidence that she asked to come take pictures of the decorating committee—and now she wants a ride to school? From me?
“Yeah,” I say. “Prom’s gonna be cool this year, with the whole knights and castle theme.”
“Castles aren’t my thing.” She looks up for a second, giving my outfit a once-over before going back to her phone. “Like. Who wants to spend their time painting cardboard knights or whatever. That’s like, so friggin’ weird.”
Okayyyy.
I mean, I thought decorating was stupid, too, at one point, but now I’m having fun. Also I can’t help but think: If Harper were here, she would be mortified by Maddie’s assessment of it.
Also. Harper would never say that.
She can be a brat, but she’s not blunt to the point of being rude.
I bite the inside of my cheek. “It’s not all painting stuff. Some of it’s pretty cool.” I inch forward when the seat belt tightens to loosen it. “Like the photo booth I’ve seen them setting up—it’ll look like a medieval throne room.”
Maddie doesn’t even pretend to care.
She shrugs. “Sounds like something for freshmen.” She yawns. “I’ll probably take some pics for my Insta and leave. Not really my scene.” I get another once-over and am abruptly glad I’m not squeamish. There’s something about her stare that terrifies me. “Why are you trying to make small talk about the dumb dance? Stop being weird.”
Weird. There’s that word again.
Not that I’m sensitive about it. “I mean, I’m trying to think of things to talk about since we have a ten-minute drive.”
She sighs heavily and crosses her arms, the seat creaking under her ass when she shifts. “Look, I asked you for a ride. That doesn’t mean we need to talk or anything.”
Right. “Totally.”
I avert my gaze so I’m focused on the road ahead and not on her beautiful face. This isn’t how I pictured this morning going. Not even close.