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Willow scans my face with her lips slightly parted. Then she laughs. “Only temporarily. We need to hold out until after the competition. Hope she doesn’t kill me by then.”
I lock my arms around her waist again and bury my face in her soft dark hair. “Don’t worry. I won’t let her touch you.”
She doesn’t say anything, and I wonder what she’s thinking. I do know one thing, though. Willow would never go for a guy like me. She’s at the top of the class, a genius. And me? I’m just a guy trying to survive high school by lying to everyone.
Except to her. She’s the only one who knows the real me. Well, most of the real me.
The party goes on for a few more hours. I hang out with Willow and her friends. We dance to fast-paced songs, eat and drink, talk about everything. I also chat with my buddies here and there, but for the most part I’m with Willow.
After everyone has gone home, I start cleaning up. Dad won’t be home until tomorrow, but I need to make sure everything is in its correct place. He still doesn’t know I throw parties when he’s not around.
“You’re still here?” I ask Willow when I spot her cleaning up soda cans the kids threw around.
“Can’t let you clean all this up by yourself, can I?”
I stop sweeping crumbs from the table into a garbage bag. “That’s nice of you, but you really don’t have to stay. I’ll get this cleaned up in no time.”
She shrugs as she continues collecting the cans. “I really don’t mind. And it’s not fair for you to do all the work.”
“It was my party. Cleaning up kind of comes with the territory.”
She shrugs again. “I really don’t mind, Colt.”
Vanessa never volunteered to help me…why in the world am I comparing them?
“Thanks,” I say.
We’re mostly quiet as we work. Man, there’s such a mess in here. Fewer kids attended, since it’s a school night, but the mess is just as bad—worse, even.
We discuss her app and how excited she is that her friends matched with their boyfriends. Her eyes still light up in the way I love. It makes this strange sensation enter my stomach, one I haven’t ever felt before.
Definitely didn’t feel that when I dated Vanessa.
She lifts her chin. “Still think you’ll win first place at the competition?” she challenges.
“Oh yeah.”
She sighs dramatically as she grabs a broom and starts sweeping up the food from the floor. “Hate to break it to you, Mr. Popular, but I saw your app in action. It’s not much to write home about.”
I stop and give her a look, a teasing smile on my mouth. “If I recall correctly, you told me yesterday that you thought my app is cool.”
“Cool’s the new way of saying it was meh. All right, but not amazing.”
I cock my head to the side as I narrow my eyes. “What’s that, judges? You think my app could change the world while Your Perfect Match is so…blah.”
Her eyes widen. “It’snotblah. Helping people find their true match is a calling. But all kidding aside, yours is a really good app.”
I bow my head. “Thank you. And yours is pretty spectacular.”
“And the best part is that it works. I’m so excited.”
“Me, too. For you.”
Her cheeks get a little red as she smiles, then continues cleaning up.
“You know, you’re really pretty when you smile,” I say before I can stop myself. That was only meant for my brain, not her ears. Though now that I said them, I’m glad the words are out. Most kids see her as a nerd with glasses and an overstuffed backpack. But I see so much more.
She spins around. “W—what?”
