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I grip my chest and my heart crunches, struggling to survive. With strained lungs and a scratchy throat, a gasp wooshes out of me.
“Oh, Kylie,” Josie whispers, leaning her head by mine. “I’m so sorry.”
My vision blurs and I blink until it’s clear. There’s wolf whistles and cheers as Yvette and Lewis seem unable to disconnect their mouths. I pan away, unable to stand another second of this spectacle.
I land on Parker, and as if in pain, he turns away from his friend. His eyes drift around the cafeteria for a distraction. My breath hitches in my throat when his eyes connect with mine.
I gulp deeply, feeling a sweat bead roll down my spine.
His expression changes. The hurt dissolves and replaces with pensive theorizing.
I rear back in my seat, alarmed by his striking interest in me. Why is he looking at me like that? Is it just to ignore his best friend canoodling with the girl he likes?
I avoid his gaze and pick at my unappealing sandwich.
That has to be it. He needed somewhere to look, and I just happened to be it. But, boy, did he need to stare so intensely?
I shiver, chilled by his gaze.
“Are you okay?” Josie asks, rubbing my upper arm.
“Yeah, just cold for some reason.”
“I’m so sorry this has happened. And that you had to see in close range.”
“I think it’s better that I saw it first-hand. I wouldn’t have believed it otherwise.”
“But you could’ve stayed in fantasyland.”
“Not if Yvette insists on babbling about herself during chemistry.” My head falls into my hands. “Ugh. I can’t deal with her telling me about how wonderful Lewis is. I already know that. I know it better than she does.”
Josie rubs a circle on my back. “It’s only two more days until spring break. You can get through this.”
I lift my head and stare at her with dread. “It’ll be even worse after spring break. Lewis and Yvette asked Mr. Thompson if they could be lab partners, and he said they could switch after the break. How am I supposed to deal with them all loved up during class?”
“But this is Yvette we’re talking about,” Josie replies as upbeat as possible. “She’s never been with a guy for very long. Maybe they’ll spend too much time together and break up before school comes back? Or, maybe they won’t see each other at all, and break up because they forget each other exists.”
I retch. “What if she goes over to his house? I don’t want to see them from my window.”
“Doesn’t Lewis spend most of his breaks and weekends with his friends? I thought you said you rarely see him at home.”
“Yeah, but he never had a girlfriend before.”
“Okay, we saw them kiss, but this doesn’t mean they’re official.”
“It’s Lewis.” I deadpan at her. “He wouldn’t randomly kiss a girl. This is real.”
The rest of the school day is a blur, and somehow, I find myself walking home from school. The only thing keeping me semi-alert are supportive texts from Josie.
I’ve never been pessimistic about my chances with Lewis before. When we were both single, anything could happen. But now, as I picture him walking beside me, I feel hopelessness. Yvette has her perfectly manicured claws in him, and I don’t stand a chance.
He shouldn’t want her.
He should be pining after the girl next door.
When my hand starts cramping from texting, and it’s the second time I almost run into a utility pole, I tell Josie I need a nap and slip my phone into my pocket.
As I approach my house, a car pulls in ahead of me and parks on Lewis’s driveway. It’s Parker Kelly’s car. Recently, Lewis’s parents banned him from driving because he crashed his car. He only had his license for a month, and before then, Parker always gave him a ride from school or anywhere else in town.
