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“I can’t believe he actually showed up,” I overhear and my pulse skips. Young teenage girls who’d been chitchatting around blue-frosted cookies are now fixated on the entrance of the gym.
“Delilah is such a lucky bitch,” a girl says with bitterness.
Xander must be here.
I turn, my fabric tentacles flapping with me. Sure enough, Xander has entered, accompanied by two bodyguards. Gabe is out in front while Donnelly trails behind.
Why is Donnelly wearing my brother’s House Stark shirt? I gifted Xander that tee at a past Christmas, and it’s a little tight on Donnelly.
Xander steps onto the gym floor. He stands out in his red suit among all the purples, greens, and blues.
His neck immediately flushes in anxiety.
Everyone is looking at him. Like a real prince has arrived. Dalton is used to the presence of my famous family, but Xander was somewhat of an urban legend around the halls. Being homeschooled and a bit of a house hermit.
He’s been changing that, though.
I try to wave, to show I’m here. I might be a jellyfish, but maybe I can be a shell if he needs to find home again.
He doesn’t notice me.
A blonde girl in a spaghetti strap lilac dress slinks up to him. That must be Delilah. Her lips are a soft pink with a wry smile that I’m not so sure I’d trust. But my brother seems to relax a little when she takes his hand.
Students begin dancing again.
“I can’t believe she’s touching Xander Hale,” another girl laments near the cookies. “I’d literally die if he held my hand.”
“He can do me.”
“You think he’ll sleep with her?”
I really don’t want to imagine my brother like that, and I’m about to move away from the cookies.
“Didn’t you all hear?” another girl tries to whisper, so I keep still. “Seniors were talking about how Delilah doesn’t even like Xander Hale. She just wants his bodyguard’s D.”
I go cold.
“That bitch,” a girl snaps. “I can’t believe she’s toying with my future husband that way.”
“I know, right? Like if she wants Paul Donnelly, don’t screw with Xander to get to him.”
“Ew, isn’t his bodyguard like thirty?”
“Seniors are cracked. They think they’re sooo old.”
Positive thinking, it’s not like Delilah is making a move on Donnelly. So maybe these girls are wrong. Maybe she really is here for my brother, and she’s not playing him.
I keep an eye on the situation.
Delilah guides my brother into the crowd of dancers, and both Donnelly and Gabe post at the bleachers with the other bodyguards. They’re giving Xander space to feel normal.
It’s pretty sweet of them, and another plus, Donnelly isn’t near Delilah. He’s safe from her.
“All is well,” I mutter to myself.
“Have you tried one of these?” Frog asks me, suddenly appearing and licking frosting off a cupcake. “So freaking good.”
“I think Audrey might have made them,” I say. “She volunteered to help for Homecoming. She’s a talented little bean.”
“That, she totally is.”
Bobbing my head to the music, I take the cupcake that Frog offers me and lick frosting like she did. The DJ starts playing “Barbie Girl” by Aqua and the teens go wild for all the throwback songs.
Girl squad are in full bouncing mode, jumping on their feet in a fit of laughter. Despite not being seniors yet, those four look like the life of the party. Everyone seems to want to jump with them.
Xander hangs out near the outskirts, even when Delilah keeps trying to draw him further inside the cluster of students.
My brother has a lot of rhythm. I’ve seen him break dance at home a million-and-one times. Yet, he’s struggling to move. First dance nerves are strong with this one.
I wish I could wiggle my fingers and magically give him all the confidence he needs.
He bobs his head to the beat, and Delilah resorts to just dancing around him.
I glance to the bleachers.
Donnelly shimmies his shoulders and mouths the words to both the guy and girl roles. I instantly grin. Frog follows my gaze to the bleachers. “So…Luna…?”
“Huh?” I ask.
“I don’t know if you know this about me, but I’m quite perceptive. I see things.”
“You do?” I take a bite of cupcake.
“Yeah, and if you need a wingwoman to get a certain bodyguard to come over here, I’m your girl.”
I swallow a lump of cupcake. Two thoughts hit me. 1.) Am I that obvious? And 2.) Frog is the best bodyguard, willing to help and not rat me out to anyone.
Do I need help to get Donnelly in my orbit?
I think he’s been in my orbit for so long. Now he’s living in the penthouse. And this very second, Frog is offering her assistance to ensure our planes of existence cross and try to overlap.
But we can’t overlap.
That’s the thing.
It’s just one moment. We’re friends, and we’ve never really avoided each other before. I’m not starting now. “What did you have in mind?” I ask Frog.
