I don’t need a boyfriend.
I don’t need a boyfriend.
I don’t need—
“You two are ridiculous,” Camila mutters, but she’s smiling.
“Disgustingly cute,” Hattie agrees.
I tune them out, taking a long sip of my drink.
When Holden and I lock eyes, we shake our heads in matching bewilderment. Yeah, no. He might need help, sure, but I’m not the person who should give it to him. Idon’tdate. Anyone. Ever. Besides, it would be a disaster if we dated—or even pretended to. And everyone knows it. Hattie will probably laugh herself silly when she remembers this conversation later.
Ifshe remembers it.
“Hey, Piper!” I call as the bartender walks by. “Can I get one more margarita for Hattie?”
I need to make sure this never comes up again.
Holden laughs. “Better make it two.”
6
HOLDEN
Idon’t know why it won’t go away. It was a joke. A stupid, throwaway idea said with too much alcohol.
You guys should date each other.
Ridiculous, right? Korie and I? The idea shouldn’t have stayed in my brain longer than five seconds. And yet… here I am. Still thinking about it a week later.
“Dude. Are you okay?”
I blink, dragging my attention back to the present.
Blaine is staring at me from across the table in the break room, halfway through eating whatever sad excuse for a sandwich he brought today.
“You’ve been holding that same fry for, like, a full minute.”
I glance down and cringe a little when I realize he’s right. Gross. I toss it back into the container.
Blaine frowns at me. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Uh-huh.”
I grab another fry, this time actually eating it, if only to prove a point. It’s cold and disgusting on my tongue, but I force myself to swallow.
Blaine leans back in his chair, studying me. His dark, greasy hair sweeps across his forehead, barely hiding a patch of acne. “Do you need the name of my therapist or something? You look like you’re in crisis.”
“I’m not having a crisis.”
“I didn’t say having a crisis. I saidincrisis. As in your head is going to explode and you get all… twitchy.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m fine, man. I’m literally just eating lunch.”
When he tries again, I flip him off, making Cole laugh from the other side of the room. But Blaine is not entirely wrong. My headdoesfeel like it’s going to explode. It’s been a broken record ever since my stupid sister blurted her stupid idea. Every time I stop actively thinking about it, it comes back to me.
