Page 96 of Kickoff

“No but. Gimme a few weeks so everything works out.”

I studied her, trying to decipher the hidden meaning of her words. “Are you like sick or something?”

The tiniest upturn of her lips told me she wasn’t.

“Do I stand a chance? With you?” I had to ask. Better knowing I didn’t now than hoping for something that could never exist.

“You do.” She moved forward, resting her lips along the column of my throat and breathing me in. We stayed like that for a beat.

“What do we do now? It’s torture spending all this time with you and not being able to act on how I feel.”

She lodged herself in my arms, and I held her close to my heart. “I don’t know.”

“Winter Formal?”

Melinda leaned back to watch me. “What about it?”

“Our deadline. I’m gonna prove to you I’ve changed, and I’ll help you figure out whatever you gotta figure out by then. We’ll reassess what we are that night.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. I’m not missing out on a chance to be with you if you wanna be with me as well. You’re too important to me.”

“Okay.”

A heavy silence descended upon us, and time and gravity didn’t seem to matter anymore.

A squeaky sound above us caught our attention, breaking us out of the invisible bubble that had risen around us in the last few minutes. Paige and Craig’s pod was rocking back and forth, but from where we sat, we couldn’t see what was going on inside, only caught bits of laughter.

“You think they’re fooling around?” Melinda asked as we both stared at the car.

“Yep.”

We watched the motions for a full minute, and a part of me wished I could be my brother. The one head over heels in love, making college plans with the one person I cared about the most in this world. The one who possessed every fragment of my heart.

An announcement blared from below us, breaking the moment. “Attention, attention. Due to technical difficulties, the Ferris wheel will stop all activities until further notice. To all passengers stuck on the ride right now, please remain seated at all times and keep your arms and legs inside the cars. Don’t try to exit the ride on your own. Stay calm as we are working actively to resolve the issue. Emergency units and repair crews are on their way and will proceed to the passenger evacuation in a timely manner. Thank you for your cooperation, and we’ll keep you updated on the situation.”

“Ohmygod. We’re gonna die. I can’t be stuck here. I’m going to die. This isn’t happening. No. No, no, no. This is a nightmare. I can’t breathe.”

I swiveled on the seat to talk to Melinda. “Relax. No one is going to die. And if, and I say if, we were to die, I promised you earlier that I would keep you safe. Your life won’t be in danger, no matter what.” She watched me, but I wasn’t sure my words were registering. “Just breathe.”

She snapped out of her panic state and followed the rhythm I set, inhaling and exhaling in sync with me.

“Yes, like that. Again. See? You’re doing good. You are safe, Mel. I’m with you. At least we have the best view. I have the best view.” My sole focus remained on her, my hands enveloping hers and preventing them from shaking. “It’s gonna be all right.”

My phone chimed, and I slid it out of my pocket. I typed something, then added something else before flipping the device so she could read the exchange.

Paige

Mase, how’s Mel? Please tell her not to freak out, okay? I wasn’t kidding earlier. She hates heights.

Me

I know. She’s okay. Don’t worry.

You guys all right?

Paige