“Don’t talk about Rue like that. She is wanted. By me.” Ezra Davis is standing just behind Carlton, his gaze locked on me likehe saw the whole thing happen. My stomach clenches when I see the clearly visible sympathy in his eyes.
The entire room stills. Meredith blinks. Carlton’s face drains of color as Ezra steps forward, slipping an arm around my shoulders. “You good?” he murmurs, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
But I can’t breathe, let alone answer him. Because my mind is still scrambling to process what he just said. The music has faded to a low background thump, and half the room is staring at us now.
Ezra just smiles at me. It’s such a confident, controlled smile. Then, to Carlton, he says, “Next time you decide to insult my girlfriend, maybe do it somewhere I can’t hear you, unless you want that pretty face ruined.”
Dot’s eyes go wide across the room. Mabel’s jaw drops. Meredith lets out an incredulous laugh. “Since when are you dating Rue?”
But Ezra doesn’t answer her. Instead, he gently pulls us through the crowd with his arm still around my shoulders. Someone whistles. A girl near the couch whispers, “Wait… Ezra Davis and Rue are together?”
Phones start coming out.
For one dizzy second, I wonder if I actually passed out and imagined all this. Ezra Davis, my worst enemy, is claiming me as his girlfriend in front of everyone. And they’re all eating it up.
The cool night air hits me like a reset button. Though it wakes me up a little, my pulse is still sprinting, my face still burns, and I can already feel tomorrow’s whispers sharpening their claws.
As soon as we step completely outside, Ezra guides me down the porch steps and toward the edge of the yard before I yank free and sit on the curb. I bury my face in my hands. My shoulders shake as I let the bitter tears escape. They hit my cheeks like a slap thanks to the chill in the air. Goosebumpscover my skin, making me realize I forgot my leather jacket inside. But I don’t even care. I’m sure Dot will bring it to school on Monday. Pressing my palms hard against my eyes, I continue crying and hoping to just disappear at this point.
I never should have come tonight. I should have just told Dot I have too much homework, or maybe that I wasn’t feeling well, and spared myself the embarrassment. It’s bad enough that Meredith and Carlton think I’m sick from sad little puppy love. It’s worse that they kicked this dog while I’m already down, right in front of everyone. But the worst part of all?
Ezra.
What he just did.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been grateful Little Birdie disappeared. If she were still around, I’d definitely be tonight’s topic.
But this grace period isn’t going to last forever.
With a sharp jolt of dread, I remember that by tomorrow night, there will be a new Little Birdie. All I can do is hope I don’t find my way onto her list of newsworthy gossip.
Ezra sighs. “Rue?”
I lift my head to glare at him. “What were you thinking? Why would you intervene like that?”
He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “You looked like you were about to cry. I couldn’t stand there and let them treat you like that.”
I bite my tongue against a snarky “Since when?” and instead say, “So your solution was to complicate things even more by pretending to be my boyfriend?”
“I wasn’t trying to complicate things. I was trying to get them to shut up.”
“Well, congratulations. You’ve done the opposite. That little stunt will make me gossip material all over again.”
His expression softens. “Then let me deal with whatever gossip comes out of it. You shouldn’t have to.”
“Hate to break it to you, but you can’t direct the aftermath of gossip only at yourself.”
He shrugs. “Maybe not, but I can try.”
The streetlights hum around us. For a moment, neither of us moves.
“Why would you even care?” I whisper.
He just frowns, and then his voice comes out rougher. “It’s not like I ever stopped. Yeah, I was a jerk, but…”
My heart beats a little faster, but I ignore it. “Just leave me alone.”
The alarm in his gaze as he takes in my red-rimmed eyes, my sniffly nose, and my pinched expression is impossible to ignore. “At least let me make sure you get home safe.” It doesn’t sound like a question. More like a demand.
