Page 4 of Princess and Country

Fourteen years old

“Hey, Dah. Guess what?” I turned to come face-to-face with an overenthusiastic Carter. His stormy-gray eyes lit up the school hallway. My best friend had gotten taller over the summer and was now towering over me by at least six inches. I had to tilt my head back to look him in the eyes if we stood too close to each other.

Today he wore his faded, ripped-at-the-knees black jeans and a fitted black T-shirt underneath a plaid red shirt. His usual outfit. Carter raked his hands through his mass of untamed dark brown hair. I inched closer to him and lifted my hand to comb the wild strands with my fingers. He bent his head forward to help me reach the back of his head. A shiver ran from him through me as I massaged his scalp. It vibrated from my fingertips to my belly.

“Here you go,” I said, my voice lower than I wanted it to be. Carter cleared his throat and averted his gaze. Lately, whenever we were alone, Carter looked at me in a way he never had before. I didn’t know what to think of it. We told each other everything, but this… this was huge. I was afraid to know what it meant. His eyes darkened, and his lips formed a thin line. It sent some strange fuzzy feeling down to my belly.

Phoenix and Addison, our joined-at-the-hips twin friends, passed us in the hallway. Phoenix clapped Carter’s shoulder. “Still on for tonight?” he asked, waiting for Carter’s reply. Phoenix was a wide receiver for the football team and organized parties all the time. Most times, I wasn’t allowed to attend. But here and there, if Carter was with me, Mama agreed to let me go.

“It depends on if Dah can come,” Carter said with his usual I-don’t-care shrug.

His eyes traveled to me, telling me we didn’t have to go if I preferred doing something else.

I blinked and hoped Carter got it. We were good at understanding each other without words. Through our silent exchange, I didn’t miss the look in Addison’s eyes. She’d had a thing for my best friend for about a year now. Addi thought Carter was mysterious and hot. To me, he was none of those things. For me, Carter was smart, focused, and caring. Every time he was around, my girlfriend became mute, her cheeks flushed, and she kept her head down, not meeting his eyes. Carter was clueless about her crush. And since he and I were also joined at the hips, Addison thought I was always in the way. But Carter was my best friend, and I was his. Nothing could change that. I didn’t want Addi asking him out because I preferred having him all to myself, so I told her I refused to play a part in setting them up. The idea of my two best friends dating and kissing made me gag.

No, thanks.

“Mama said I could go, only if you’re there and we come home before ten. But I promised my nana I’d visit her after school, so I might be late.”

“I’ll come see her with you,” Carter said, staring at me, his hands shoved in his pockets. A wave of heat ran down my spine.

Carter twisted his upper body to face the twins. “It’s settled. We’ll meet you guys later.”

Phoenix nodded and tugged at his sister’s hand. “C’mon, Addi, we’ll be late.”

“See you later, Dah.” Addison waggled her fingers at me.

“So, where were we? Oh yes. My big news.” Carter clutched my shoulders. “Mark’s father owns a radio station in Nashville. Mark told him about the music festival we did last summer and the offer we got to play at the town Halloween bash. Anyway, his dad wants to interview us. Sometime next month.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Carter’s grin widened—as if that could even be possible—and he shook his head. “Wow, I don’t know what to say.” A truckload of thoughts bounced around in my head. “You sure we’re ready for that kind of publicity?” A tightness grew around my heart, and my hands became moist. Could I handle all the attention?

“This is our chance. We should practice this song we’ve been working on in case he asks us to play something. It’s better if we come up with something original, don’t you think?”

I nodded. My thoughts raced around. It took me a minute to process the news.

“That’s—I lack words. Can you gimme some time to deal with it? A radio interview is kinda big. And I’m not a sucker for being in the spotlight.”

Carter intertwined our fingers. “It’ll be okay, Dah. I’ll be right by your side. Just follow my lead, and I’ll take care of everything.”

How could I not trust my best friend? For years, he’d repeated those same exact words to me anytime I was nervous performing.

And never once had Carter failed to fulfill his promise to protect and care for me.

As long as I had him in my corner, I was safe.

Around midnight, dressed in dark green sleep shorts and an oversized black T-shirt that belonged to Carter, I waited, cross-legged on my bed, in the dark. I knew he was coming. Like he’d been doing every few nights for the last seven years.

Flutters danced in my tummy when I heard the knock on the window. Carter’s head peeked between the white curtains.

“What took you so long?” I asked as I slid under the covers and flipped down the left side for him to join me.

“Dad and Jeff were still up, arguing about a party Jeff went to. Something about booze. Anyway, I had to wait until they were both in their rooms to escape.”

Thanks to the high silvery moon outside, I noticed twinkles in my best friend’s eyes.

“Why are you so happy?”

Carter shrugged. “No reason. I’m always happier when I’m with you.”

In plaid blue pajama pants and a white T-shirt, he joined me in my bed. We’d been having secret sleepovers for so long it wasn’t even awkward to share a bed. Carter lay on his back and grabbed my hand in his, holding tight. I shifted on the mattress until our heads pressed against each other.

“Good night, Cart.”

“Night, Dah.”

With my best friend by my side, I fell asleep knowing nothing could ever harm me.