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Sadness still marred her expression, so I sought to take her mind from it. “I think ice cream is in order. Let's go raid the freezer.”
“Brilliant idea.”
We had only reached the stairs when Poppy gave me a quick hug from the side. “Thanks for listening.”
“Always.”
***
From my spot against the wall, I’d been watching Poppy and Caden at this post-Valentine’s Day party and maybe it was just my imagination, but things looked intense between them. I wasn't sure what fueled it, but I definitely planned on talking with Poppy about it later.
Sophia was on the West Coast touring Berkley, the school she hoped to attend in the fall. Normally exuberant, she'd been practically bouncing off the walls with excitement over the trip. My fingers were crossed that she'd get in, she was currently on the wait-list, because I knew how much she wanted to go there.
The party was packed, but I just couldn't seem to get myself in the mood to party. What was the point? Instead of Bastian and I sharing our senior year together, he was still hundreds of miles away.
My attention drifted to Mica, who stood near the door. Instead of her preferred party attire of a short skirt and tight blouse, she wore baggy jeans and a sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and it seemed as if she was looking for an excuse to escape. What was going on with her?
I didn't realize that someone had come to stand next to me until I heard my name. “Hi Lark.”
“Hey Brad.”
“You don't look like you're enjoying this.” He said but his focus was across the room to where Poppy and Caden were. If Brad was interested in Poppy, the sight of her with Caden was likely going to force him to make his move or he might just lose the chance.
Shifting my thoughts to his question, I answered honestly, “I'm really not. Can't get my head into it tonight.”
“It's a little less crowded in the back. I think there's even a place to sit, so you don't have to stand here and hold up the wall.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I could sit but there was a part of me that wondered if he offered the quiet room so he could feel me out to see if he had a chance with Poppy. Not that I would discuss Poppy with him without talking to her first, but my heart went out to him. I tried to catch her eye to let her know what I was up to, but her focus was completely on Caden. I felt a bit bad for Brad because despite what was happening across the room, there was no denying the sparks between Poppy and Caden. I suspected Brad had already lost his chance.
Brad had been right, the room wasn't just quiet, it was completely empty. Oh, heavenly sofa. A moment after I settled on it, Brad joined me. He rested his head back and said on a sigh, “This is so much better. I was starting to get a headache.”
“It is loud out there,” I said almost absently.
We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Brad turned more fully to me and asked,“What's going on with you and Bastian?”
I wasn't expecting that and I couldn't deny the flash of apprehension that lit through me at the question. Trying to be as vague as possible, I said,“It's a long story, but we're still together.”
“At the pep rally you had just started dating, right?”
“Pretty much.”
“And you're still together. That's cool, I've never had much luck with girls or dating anyway.”
“Really?”Brad was not only cute, but he seemed like a really easy-going guy.“Maybe you just haven’t found the right one.”
“Maybe.”He bounced his head lightly on the padded seat back, as if in thought. “Youlove him?”
Discomfort moved through me talking about this with Brad, so I sought to change the subject.
“What are you doing next year?”I asked.
“Subject change. Too personal, I get it.”His stare unnerved me. It was the first time that I didn't feel completely at ease in his presence.“Is it true that he left school and is up north working?”
Persistence was not always a favorable trait.“It's not that simple, but yeah.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Man, that has got to be hard on both of you.”
“You have no idea.” My exhale felt more like a sigh.
