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That was that.
Nathan walked away from Joliet, Pop-Tarts still in hand, and buzzing satisfaction radiating off him. His mind felt clearer than it had all morning, finally.
He rushed through the hallways to find Tully. He had a lot to tell her, questions to ask, and a blueberry Pop-Tart to give her. Maybe with a combination of all three, he might be able to jump-start his morning with a pleased smile from her.
His chest twisted the same way it did in his dream.
thirty-three
tully
“You kissed him?” Stephanie’s eyes doubled in size. Tully confirmed it with a hesitant nod. “I’m sick for one week and I miss all this? You almost started a cheating scandal, kissed Nathan again, and then went off holly-jolly and had dinner with his mother?”
Tully’s face scrunched. It sounded crazy. Even after living through all of it and pondering the days after the dinner, she still hadn’t fully processed everything, least of all how confused she was about her feelings. Good thing she didn’t mention that to Stephanie, or else she might explode. “Hekissedme.”
“Oh! Well, that changes everything doesn’t it!” Stephanie threw her hands up dramatically to drive her sarcasm home. “Hekissedyouand is now bringing your favorite food to you every single morning for breakfast. Because that’s totally normal when you’re not really dating.”
“You make it sound weird.”
“If you guys are going to be like this, you might as well just start dating for real and put me out of my misery. It’s painful hearing about you two toeing around pretending you don’t like each other.”
“Be quiet. Joliet might hear you,” Tully shushed her. “And we don’t. I feel absolutely nothing for him and I know he doesn’t either.” She looked down at her hands, which were fiddling together nervously. Clasping them together, she forced them to stop.
“Sure, you don’t. And I don’t want to slap you for playing stupid.”
“It’s just part of the act.”
“Why work so hard in class when your acting could win you scholarships? At this rate you have an Oscar lined up.”
“Stephanie.” Tully was desperate for it to end. Stephanie was right. Thiswaspainful, but right now she wanted a supportive friend, not a voice of reason. She had no idea what would even be reasonable anymore. “Just believe me okay, there is no way in hell that Nathan Rondeau thinks of me that way. We’re friends. Friends do these things for each other. He’s helping me out, and I’m helping him out. We’re a great team, but nothing more than that.”
“Fine, I’ll say I believe you.” Thankfully, Stephanie gave in and laid back on Tully’s pillows on her bed. She picked one up and clutched it to her chest. “But are you sure this is a good idea? Say you don’t have feelings for him right now. What are you going to do if youdoend up liking him?”
Tully paused. She’d never really thought about that. She and Nathan were a good team, but she doubted they would be a good couple. That thought was what made it clear to her that she could never like him. But if she did?
She laid her head next to Stephanie and looked up at the speckled ceiling. “If that happened, I’d call this entire thing off.”
“What if he liked you too?”
“He wouldn’t. And even if he did, it wouldn’t last. He’s too good for me, and he would realize that sooner or later.” A smack rang out in the room, followed by a sudden stinging pain in Tully’s shoulder. She jumped and grabbed it, looking at Stephanie with betrayal. “What the hell?”
“Don’t you dare talk about yourself like that.Too good for you?Please. Rondeau should be begging for a girl like you to take him.”
“Don’t let your bias cloud your judgment.”
“It’s not biased. That’s the truth. If I was biased, I’d be trying to convince you to drop him now so I could keep you all to myself. You never have any time for me anymore, your poor lonely friend.”
Tully tossed a small, decorative pillow into Stephanie’s face. “You were quarantined in a bedroom the past week. You couldn’t even talk.”
“I have a window you could throw pebbles at.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
Her bedroom door slammed open and startled both girls up. It wasn’t often anyone visited her in her room—even less often when it was Joliet. Joliet glared at them, but her eyes burned a little harder when she looked at Tully. “Are you two idiots deaf?”
“What a delightful surprise, Joliet. So nice to see you again,” Stephanie drizzled her voice was a sarcastic sweetness. Joliet didn’t seem to notice. Whatever had set her off drove her past annoyance into rage territory.
A drop in Tully’s stomach made her nauseous. Had Joliet heard them talking? Did she find out everything and now their entire charade was up? On Monday, would everyone finally know that she and Nathan were faking it the entire time?
