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I smile. “You wanna open them for me?”
Sinclair curses on the line, and I can’t stop grinning. Partially at him and mostly at the idea of seeing Luna tonight.
Finally, Winona’s bodyguard answers, “Luna is chaperoning the dance. She’ll be there.”
She’ll be there.
I lean back in my seat, trying to catch my breath. Wondering if this is what real Homecoming jitters feel like.
20
LUNA HALE
“You’re coming to spy on me,” Kinney whispers while sticking her head between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s.
I’m manning the wheel, and Frog is muttering into her radio mic and laughing under her breath, having some sort of secret bodyguard convo next to me.
Is Donnelly in her ear? A pang of jealousy clenches my heart.
“Admit it,” Kinney whispers, stealing my attention again. I think she’s worried that I might be a big buzzkill and cramp her vibe.
I’m reminded of Moffy spying on me at The Green Room. There to protect me. I have the smallest bulge for a bicep, so it’s hard to act like I’m an awesome pseudo-bodyguard for my fifteen-year-old sister. Can’t I look out for my brother and sister, though? Would that be so hard for her to believe?
“I’m not spying,” I whisper.
“Then why are you chaperoning?” Kinney asks, clipping on a black choker around her neck. She kinda looks like a goth princess with a lacey black dress, matching elbow-length gloves, combat boots, and black lipstick. She didn’t care much about the sea theme.
My palms sweat on the steering wheel.
Chatter from the backseat thankfully draws Kinney’s gaze to her friends. All three are squished together on the seat while Kinney is basically out of hers.
Audrey, Vada, and Winona are wearing short Homecoming dresses, styled hair, and splashes of makeup. According to Audrey, boys at school asked all three of them out, but when the girls saw a sad, dejected Kinney, they declined the dates and decided to go as a girl group instead.
They’ve been giggly and smiley the whole day. I was at the Cobalt Estate when they all took photos. Aunt Rose hired a professional photographer, and the girls were having a blast doing silly poses together.
I photo-bombed them from behind a potted plant, and then Winona insisted I take some pics with them as their chaperone.
“He said it’s later tonight,” Winona says, texting.
“What’s tonight?” I wonder.
“Jesse Highland invited her to a college party,” Vada answers, but through the rearview mirror, I catch her mouthing to Kinney, bad idea.
Normally I’m not such a party pooper, but I kinda agree with Vada.
Audrey perks up. “Let’s go.”
“Ben doesn’t want us there,” Kinney says, still partially wedged beside my seat. “He group texted us and told us all not to come.”
Winona looks up from her phone. “He’s been weird since he’s been in college.”
Silence sinks over the car.
The reality: Winona has always been close to Ben, but now that he’s in college and she’s still in high school, they must be having some separation and growing pains in their friendship.
“Do you want to go, Vada?” Winona asks.
“I don’t know,” Vada says with a slight wince. “It’s college, Nona. Why are we fast-forwarding?”
Winona looks to the other two.
“I’ll do whatever,” Kinney says.
“We should go,” Audrey encourages. “Jesse was the one who invited us anyway. Not Ben.” For a moment, I’m wondering if she’s crushing on Jack’s brother, but Audrey catches me eavesdropping and says to me, “Jesse Highland is hopelessly in love with Winona.”
“No, he isn’t,” Winona tells me with ease. “Audrey’s a romantic.”
“People from California are just overly nice,” Kinney states. “It doesn’t mean it’s flirting.”
Winona types on her phone. “I’m telling Jesse we can’t go.”
“Really?” Vada asks.
“Really, truly,” Winona smiles over at Vada. “Homecoming with you all is way more important.”
Vada and Kinney look more excited to be chosen by Winona over Jesse, but Audrey is a little glum. I personally think she wanted to see a slice of her older brother’s life in college, and Winona was a good gateway there without being a “little sister” tagalong.
“Kinney, buckle up,” I sing-song while I pull out of the gated neighborhood. Paparazzi on the curb are already snapping photos as I drive past.
“You never answered me,” she whispers. “Why are you chaperoning?”
Ah, she didn’t forget that question. “It’s Xander’s first Homecoming. I just want to be there in case something happens.”
Kinney sighs. “You don’t need to baby him. This is why he’s irritated all the time. You and Moffy think he’s some breakable doll. He’s doing a lot better. I would know—I’m the one who’s around him the most.” Her territorial nature over Xander is noted.
“Then maybe I’m here in case some girl is mean to you,” I whisper back. “I’ve come up with a list of comebacks.”
“I already have an entire encyclopedia of roasts, Luna. I can stick up for myself.”
I never said you couldn’t.
