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I didn’t have an answer for that. My eyes flittered to the other students for only a moment. I don’t know why. It was a nervous gesture. He was asking me out in the middle of class.
“Our first football game is this Friday,” he said. “There’s a party after. I have to go. North has to, too. We’re part of the team so we can’t say no. You want to go?”
So I wouldn’t be alone with him. I’d be with North, too. So it wasn’t an individual date. It was a friend thing. That made me feel better. “Yeah,” I said. “Oh wait ... what about the game? I get to watch that, right?”
Silas grinned. “If you want, but you shouldn’t sit alone. North and I can’t watch you from the field.”
I blushed again at the thought of him almost suggesting I needed a babysitter just to watch a football game. “What should I do?”
“Ask one of the others. Nathan or Kota or someone.”
Ask the guys? That sent my fingers shaking and I hid them under the desk, in my lap. I had to ask someone to go with me to the football game, so Silas could take me to the party with him and North after. It felt like I was asking someone on an almost-date, under the condition that there would be another almost-date I had to go to after.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “I mean yes, sounds like fun.” I wanted to believe that though I was nervous about all of it. A game. A party! Sang Sorenson at a party, like a normal person.
Academy boys were changing everything around me.
???
In my next class, I was nervously tapping the eraser of my pencil against the desk as I waited for Victor to show up. He slid in at the last minute before the bell rang. I’d been itching to ask him to the football game. He’d asked me out, so I thought he wouldn’t say no if I asked.
Only my tongue got stuck to the top of my mouth. I’d glance back at him during the lecture, he’d flash a smile, and I’d chicken out and stare off toward the front again. It almost felt like I was asking him to do me a favor rather than asking if he’d like to go. Silas won’t let me go to the game before he takes me to the party unless I take someone. Will you babysit me?
Before I found my courage, class was over. I collected my things. Victor followed me out to the hallway.
When we were walking beside each other and away from class, he reached for my hand. “Sang?”
My stomach buzzed inside. “Yes?”
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, his fire eyes subdued, but the corner of his mouth drifted up.
My lips parted. “Wrong?” My mind raced for an answer to his question. Was there something else I hadn’t told them? With everything going on, it wouldn't surprise me, but how many things could be wrong with me today?
“It looked like you wanted to say something and you kept stopping. Are you okay?”
Apparently my face was as readable as Mr. Blackbourne said. My eyes flitted to the other students passing around us as we crossed the halls toward the gym. “I wanted to ask you something but ...”
Victor halted in the middle of the hallway, turning to me. An eyebrow arched up. “Ask.”
My face felt like it was on fire, lit up by the sparks in his eyes. “I ... um ...”
“Princess,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “After everything else today, I’m not going to flinch at a question. Just ask me.”
That wasn’t making it easier. “There’s a football game ...”
His head tilted back. Other students cursed at us for blocking traffic. He ignored it as he gazed down at me. “And?”
“And maybe if you aren’t busy...”
His lips parted, his fire eyes igniting. His hand squeezed mine. “Are you trying to ask me out?”
I pushed the finger of my free hand to my lower lip. “Well, there’s...” I hated saying it out loud because it felt so wrong. “Silas said he and North were playing, and I asked if I could watch, and he said I couldn’t go it alone ... and there’s a party after ... ” I couldn’t bring myself to suggest that Silas had made it sound like I’d be tagging along with him and North. I didn’t know how to do it without hurting Victor’s feelings.
A smile teased his mouth but something quenched the fire in his eyes. “It’s Friday night, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
He sighed, looking up and away at the students walking around us before focusing back at me. “Sang, I love that you’ve asked me. If it were up to me, I’d be there. I’d go wherever you wanted me to.” His hand squeezed mine again. “And if you tell me you need me to go, I’ll drop everything for you.”
My head tilted. “You’re busy.”
He nodded slowly. “There’s a charity event that evening. I’ve been asked to play.” He tilted his head closer to mine. “But say you need me to go and I’ll go with you instead. I’ll be there.”
The halls quieted and the bell rang. We were both late. I felt guilty I made him late for class for something I could have asked him earlier. “No,” I said, although I was disappointed. Did he mean it he’d drop something like that just for me? Or was he being nice because I asked and he had to say no? “Yours is more important. It’s just ... it’s bad timing.”
He chuckled, pulling my hand to walk through the hall. “Maybe we’ll do something on Saturday. Or next weekend. And if you still want to go Friday, you should ask Kota. He was probably going, anyway.”
That relieved some of the guilt weighing on me as I was thinking of who else to ask. It was like he was giving me permission. Still strange but at least I didn’t feel like I had to hide it. “Okay.”
He stopped outside of the girls’ locker room, nudging me along. “Call me,” he said, walking off to class.
I breathed a sigh, relieved and yet, I was sad. He didn’t tell me about the charity event. Was that something I could have gone to? I would have liked to see him play the piano.
ASKING KOTA ON A DATE
After school, Kota parked in his driveway. Max, tethered in the backyard, barked once in greeting before padding toward us. Kota dropped a hand on the golden retriever's head. He shooed the dog back, and collected my things and his from the back seat. Nathan stepped out, stretched.
I got out and held back, unsure of what to do. Normally at this time I was worried about getting home to check in with my mom and to make sure I wasn’t in trouble. Now I didn’t have to, I felt lost. I didn’t know where I was supposed to be any more.
But Kota hit a button on his keys and the garage door rolled open. Nathan followed Kota inside, and since Kota carried my things, I trailed behind them. It felt funny that they simply expected me to tag along. I was happy to be included, but still feeling out of place since I wasn’t sure.
We collected in Kota’s bedroom. I fell into one of the bean bag chairs, pushing my sandals off my feet and curling up into a ball. Nathan plopped down onto Kota’s bed, stretching out.
“No napping until homework is done,” Kota said, dropping his keys onto the desk and our bags onto the floor next to it.
I moaned, rolling my head back.
“Come on, Kota,” Nathan grumbled. “She’s had a long day.”
“Then you do her homework.”
I popped my head up. “He can’t do that. That’s cheating.”
Kota smirked after me. Nathan laughed, dropping a hand over his chest. “Oh, Sang, you’re hilarious.”
I blushed, confused. “The Academy lets you guys cheat on homework?”
Side glances were exchanged. Nathan shrugged. Kota responded, “The Academy doesn’t really hav
e any. Not like this.”
I pressed a palm against my forehead. “What about ...”
“Let’s focus on homework for now,” Kota said. “You’ve been out for a week. You’ve probably got an armload to catch up on.”
There was a lot of homework, but I was still finished within a couple of hours. I was curled up and reading ahead for English class when the phone in my bra started buzzing. Nathan caught my startled expression and watched as I pulled the phone from my chest.
“What’s wrong with your pockets?” Nathan said.
“I didn’t have any today,” I replied, and checked the screen.
Silas: Remember to ask someone to take you to the game Friday before they make other plans.
“Who is it?” Kota asked, his head still down as he studied a physics book.
“Silas wants me to come see the game Friday and go to the party with him after. He wanted me to ask someone to go with me to the game, though, so I don’t sit alone because they’ll be playing.” There. Why was it harder with Victor? Was it because I thought he would consider it a date? Was it because I considered it one?
Kota picked his head up, gazing over his shoulder at me, an eyebrow raised. “Silas wants you to go to a party?”
“Yeah. He and North are going. He said he wanted me to go.”
Kota frowned softly. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”
Did I hear that right? “What isn’t?”
“Sang, do you know what kind of party this is?”
My cheeks heated. “No.” How could I? But then, what did I know about how things really were? All I had were television shows and books to rely on.
His lips softened. He got up, crossed the room and sat in a bean bag chair not far from mine, scooting to sit on the edge. He put his elbows on his knees as he leaned toward me. “There will probably be drinking. If you think the other kids are rough with you at school, they’re monsters when they’re drinking. There won’t be teachers and rules to keep you safe.”
“Silas and North wouldn’t let me go unless they thought it was okay, right?”
