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Yeah, carpooling with Reed? It was a two-minute drive, but no, thank you.
However, it meant that when school let out and it was still raining, I was in a pickle. I’d have to wait until either it stopped or for Mom to finish her work day to swing by and pick me up.
I pulled out my notebook and Physics textbook from my locker, shoving it into my pastel blue JanSport, right beside my laptop. Working on Mr. Manning’s website would serve as a good way to pass time.
Sixth period hadn’t been the same without Rachel and her quips to get me through Physics and Mr. Pieffer’s monotone drawl as he talked about kinematics. Brentwood Babble was suspiciously quiet today. I wondered if the lull was a sign that soon something bigger would come across my inbox, and couldn’t help but cross my fingers. It’d been a week and a half since the Most Likely To list came out—things were already slowing down. I stopped getting whispers as I passed in the hallways, which was great.
I lifted my head from my locker, turning to the M section. There were too many people filtering through the halls for me to pick out a tall, golden-haired boy.
“Thank God, the school day’s over,” a voice said, and when I turned around, I found Josh approaching with his backpack tight against his spine. He gave me his dimpled, welcoming grin. “Did today drag on, or was it just me?”
“Definitely dragged. I thought I was going to fall asleep in Physics.” I shut my gold locker door and leaned against it, looking once more down the hallway.
“So, uh.” Josh chuckled lightly, maybe even a bit awkwardly, and slipped one hand into his pocket. “It’s raining.”
I smiled a little. “I gathered that when the PA system announced football practice was canceled.”
“Do you need a ride home today? I’m assuming you didn’t ride your bike. I doubt those space buns would’ve survived the downpour.”
I reached up and touched one of the knots on the top of my head instinctively. All the bobby pins I’d stuck into it this morning had done well to keep them secured. “I was actually going to camp out in the library for a while,” I told him, hoisting my backpack strap further up on my shoulder. “Utilize the free Wi-Fi while I have it.”
I hadn’t gotten much progress in Mr. Manning’s site last night, so I’d need to make great strides today. Mom had taken the bills off the side table by the front door, but I knew they were around somewhere.
“You want company?” Josh’s dimple pushed in deeper. “I have homework I can do, so we can just…work together?”
“Paparazzi.”
We both turned toward the new voice and shadow looming across our conversation. Reed had approached silently, stopping beside us with only a textbook under his arm.
Josh’s posture stiffened a bit. “Hey, Reed.”
Now it was my turn to glance between them, a little confused. I hadn’t realized they knew each other. Reed would’ve known Josh’s name by our conversations, but would Josh have known Reed’s name? After a few weeks of being at Brentwood?
Reed, though, didn’t seem like this was anything out of the ordinary. Instead, he gave Josh one of those bro chin-nods before turning to me. “Do you need a ride home?”
It was almost painful to hold his gaze, my insides squirming under the embarrassment of the last time I saw him. Staring at his lips like a crazy person, mere seconds away from leaning forward if Mom hadn’t intervened. It was like my brain had shut off, and all thought of consequences went out the window.
Then again, Reed was acting…cool. Maybe he hadn’t picked up on the fact that my heart had been racing out of my chest last night. Maybe he hadn’t picked up on the fact that if Mom hadn’t walked in, I would’ve kissed him.
Or maybe hehadpicked up on it, but was being uncharacteristically gracious enough to let it slide.
“Do you two live near each other?” Josh asked before I opened my mouth to answer.
Reed nodded. “We live across the street from each other.”
“You do?” Josh turned to me. “I didn’t realize. That’s cool.”
I imagined the scenario like a movie, the one where I went home with Reed instead of going to the library with Josh. Reed would no doubt ask mewhyI hadn’t taken up Josh’s offer, and what kind of answer would I give? It wasn’t that I didn’t want to ride with Josh—it was just that between the two, I wouldn’t have picked him.
It’s because you’re not as comfortable with him yet, I told myself.And you’ll never be comfortable if you don’t try.
With that thought steeling me, I turned to Reed. “I’m going to work in the library,” I told him, forcing myself to not look away. “With Josh.”
“That works for me,” Reed said, pulling his car keys from his backpack pocket, letting them clatter noisily. “I was going to swing by Landon’s for a bit, and now I don’t have to drop you off first.”
“Sounds perfect, then,” Josh said cheerfully.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Reed said to me, tipped his head once more to Josh, and pivoted on his heel. My fingers curled as I watched him dissolve into the bustle of students leaving for the day, his backpack getting lost among many.
