Page 35 of As You Walk On

Dad’s always been up-front about his experiences being bi. The dismissive behavior from family at cookouts. Unfollows on social media when he added it to his bios. Casual “Oh, is Alex a girl or a...?” during conversations.

And my favorite, he’d said with a stiff smile,are you gay yet? Or was this just an experiment?

I nudge my knee against Luca’s until he looks up.

“They’ll come around,” I whisper. His lips pucker, so I add, “If they don’t, all you can be is yourself. Horrible music choices and all.”

His laugh leaves a warm sensation in my belly.

“What about Makayla, though?” I ask as he closes out Instagram.

He raises both eyebrows.

“You two were all over each other downstairs. I wasn’t sure if I was watching dancing or porn.”

“It wasn’t that bad!”

I lean in. He smells like a weird mix of cardamom, beer, and cranberry. I whisper, “It really was.” I grin when his cheeks go a full shade darker.

“We’re friends.” He throws his hands over his face, mumbling more words into his palms.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“She’s my fake girlfriend!” he shouts, dropping his hands. I crack up again as he explains, “I asked her to pretend like we’re dating. She took it to another level on her own. What do you expect from a drama student?”

That’s unsurprising. Makayla’s had her fair share of starring roles in the plays and musicals at Brook-Oak over the years. She slayed as Sophie inMamma Mia!

“Luca, tell me you’re not out here fanfic’ing your own life!”

He rubs his phone screen across his shirt, cleaning it. “Is that bad?”

“Nah.” My eyes scan the modest space between our knees. “But why fake a relationship with Makayla?”

He stares blankly at me for five seconds until...

Oh.

“You wanted to make Devya jealous,” I say.

He nods. “Dramatic, right?”

“A little,” I confirm, smiling. “What’s high school if we’re not a teeny bit extra about everything?” That earns me a wide, appreciative grin. I’ll take it. With tonight going the way it has, any win feels deserved.

“So, what’re you—” he starts, but an unexpected, squeaky noise interrupts him. A sneeze that doesn’t come from either of us.

I leap off the bed. “What the fu—”

Anotherachoo. From under the bed. Luca joins me in the middle of the room, a hand clapped over his mouth. We wait for the monster underneath to reveal themselves.

“Whoever the hell is down there, you better come out right now or...”

Or I’ll scream, I think, because I’m in a tween’s bedroom with the closest “blunt” object being a stuffed Flounder fromThe Little Mermaidmovie.

“Okay! Okay!” comes a voice. Then someone wiggles from beneath the bed, standing.

It only takes two seconds before I recognize that shaggy, copper haircut.

I groan, shoulders falling.

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