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She nestled her cup in the sand and leaned back, her long turquoise hair tickling the ground behind her. “I don’t know why I thought a party would be a good idea. I hate most of the people at school.”
“You don’t go to parties?” I drew my legs to my chest.
“Why do you think I eat in the locker room?”
“Because you can watch TV that way,” I replied.
Her laugh was harsh. “That’s just a perk of not being judged for eating.”
The words cut at every insecurity I always tried to fight. Usually, I was one of the biggest girls at school—it was strange to have someone I could actually commiserate with. “Who cares what they think?”
She gave me a look. Conversation over.
“We should go,” I said, standing up. I didn’t want to be here either, acting like everything was fine. Even though my mom had texted me that she was okay and Dad calmed down, I still felt on edge.
“Where would we go?” she asked.
I shrugged. “What do you usually do on a Friday night?”
“Probably hang out at my mom’s pottery studio.”
“Let’s do that then.” I extended my hand to her.
She let me help her up. “My parents will be there.”
It was like a punch to the gut, knowing she could spend time with her parents. That her mom wasn’t constantly pushing her out the door and her dad wasn’t a stick of dynamite with an instant fuse. I caught myself in my pity spiral. Comparing my life to hers would only make me resent her, and she’d been nothing but kind to me. “Are they nice?” I asked.
Sadie nodded. “They’ll be thrilled if you came over. That’s kind of why I came to the party tonight—they think I need more socialization. They’d want me to join a club or something if I didn’t get out more.” She shuddered as if organized socialization was even worse than the hormone-filled mess going on up by the bonfire.
I laughed. “Clubs aren’t so bad.” I’d been in a few before, but I tried not to join them anymore because I didn’t want to let anyone down when I had to move again.
“Try sitting through an hour of chess club, watching pawns move back and forth, and you’ll change your tune.”
I laughed, digging my toes through the sand as we stood by the rolling ocean. I didn’t want to walk by the party... didn’t want to facehimagain. Every time I opened my mouth, it just got worse. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What’s the deal with Diego?”
Her silence was suspicious. Made me feel suspect.
“I don’t have a crush on him or anything,” I said quickly. Which probably didn’t help matters.
“Sure,” she said again. Even with how dark it was, I could see the twinkle in her eyes.
“It’s okay; forget I asked.” I began walking back toward the party.
She let out a breath, making me stop. “Diego De Leon... A Leo. Six feet, two inches tall. Tight end on the football team but doesn’t play any other sports. Average in school... Kind.”
“Kind?” I raised my eyebrows disbelievingly.
She nodded. “Out of all the guys in our class, he’s the most decent. I think it’s because his older sister was a bigger girl. And very outspoken. She probably would have been all over him if he’d done something rude to a girl like her. Or anyone for that matter.”
So he was just rude to me...
“And I’m sure you want to know if he’s single,” she said.
“Nope.” Because I already knew. He was either taken or a complete player. I’d hardly seen him without a girl hanging on his arm. That blond one seemed to be around him the most though. Because of course that’s the kind of girl he’d be into—model thin, big blue eyes, pouty pink lips, and long blond hair. She was beautiful—objectively, not in the obscure kind of way that required perspective.
