Page 51 of I'll Be the One

“Night.”

We hang up, and I’m left with this warm, fuzzy sensation inside my chest.

Oh no.Now it’s my turn to groan. But there’s no denying it. Even though I’ve been trying hard to avoid it, I guess it was inevitable.

I’m starting to have feelings for Henry Cho.

Chapter Twenty-Two

THE NEXT WEEK FLIES BY IN A FLURRY OF TESTSand extra practices with Henry and Lana. They’re both nice enough to give me rides from school to LA, and I make it up to them by paying for gas. Or at least, I try to pay. When I offer to pay for Henry’s gas, though, he just shakes his head.

“It’s fine,” he says. “Besides, I owe you for ghosting last week.”

Henry and I text throughout the week to coordinate things, although admittedly, we text a lot more than necessary. I mostly talk about school and how I’m drowning in homework, while Henry tells me about the various fashion shoots he’s in and, as promised, sends me pictures of Snowball to cheer me up.

On Friday night, the day before the second elimination round, I get a text from Henry. I open it expecting another dog pic. Instead, it’s a selfie of Henry making a heart with his thumb and pointer finger, the way I’ve seen K-pop stars do.He’s got his face snuggled up against Snowball, and the white husky’s looking directly at the camera with her mouth slightly open, so she looks like she’s smiling.

Snowball and I are wishing you good luck tomorrow morning,says the accompanying text.You’ll do amazing, I know it. And I’ll see you in the afternoon.

Probably the worst thing about qualifying for both vocals and dance is the fact that I had to prep for both elimination rounds tomorrow—vocals in the morning and dance in the afternoon. I was feeling pretty anxious today, but Henry’s picture is so cute that it makes me feel a bit better.

Thanks,I reply.Let’s kick butt tomorrow.

I don’t get much sleep, and way too soon, it’s go time.

Bright and early in the morning, Lana, Tiffany, and I head to the performance venue. Per Lana’s suggestion, the three of us are already all dressed up and in full makeup. Lana’s driving, while Tiffany rides shotgun and I sit alone in the back with the bag of stuff I’m bringing so I can change in between my two performances.

“Ah, I’m so nervous,” Lana says, anxiously drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. “What if I trip and die?”

“You won’tdie,” Tiffany replies. “You’ll just probably fall offstage in front of hundreds of people. Not to mention the thousands and maybe millions watching back home.”

Lana playfully nudges Tiffany’s side. “That’s not very reassuring.”

“I’m kidding. Ofcourseyou’ll do fine. You and Skye have been working really hard. You two are totally going to rock it. Right, Skye?”

I’ve been silently wrestling with my own nerves in the back of the car, but I manage to cheerfully say, “Yup! We’ll be okay.”

“You do your best.” Tiffany plants a kiss on Lana’s forehead. “Regardless of whether or not you make it past this round, I’m so freakin’ proud of you.”

“Aw, come here, you.”

At that moment, we reach a red light, and Lana kisses Tiffany full on the lips. Tiffany practically melts in her seat, her usually confrontational posture relaxing as the scowl disappears from her face. It’s so cute that I don’t even mind that I’m totally third-wheeling.

Just then, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I quickly put it on silent, because it’d be so bad if it went off during the competition.

I open up my phone to see a picture of Snowball with a pink-and-yellow flower crown. It’s so adorable that I squeal out loud.

Lana startles in her seat. “What? What is it?”

I show Lana and Tiffany the picture of Snowball, and they both instantly “aww.” The white husky is just that cute.

Coachella Snowball wishes you good luck and sends you good vibes,Henry texts as a caption to the picture.

ME:You can take pets to Coachella???

Knowing people in SoCal, I wouldn’t be surprised if thatwas a thing, but I’ve never heard of anyone mentioning bringing their pets.

HENRY CHO:Nah. But I still like to dress her up for that time of year. Have you been?

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