Page 90 of As You Walk On

“What kind of favor?”

“You’ll find out,” I reply. I don’t mention his dad or the Duke letter. We’re already stumbling on the thinnest sheet of ice. I repeat, “Prom and a favor.”

“Favor.” Jay smacks the word around his mouth like he’s just eaten a gas station burrito. He reclines against his SUV, cheeks less flushed. Taking his time with a response, he exhales, then says, “Fine. But if you fail,youhave to drive us home. ASAP.”

Guess I should’ve seen that coming.

I fight the urge to glance over my shoulder again. Back to where Luca and the others are waiting.

“Are we good?” Jay asks loudly.

My heartbeat speeds up like a rollercoaster soaring downhill. Sweat tickles the back of my neck. I can’t abandon this new group yet. Jay hasn’t revealed what his dare is, but he’s sloshed, so his brain function is limited. It can’t be that bad. There’s still a chance I can get both the things I want.

“Ayyoooooo!”

Darren jogs into the street. He’s not as clumsy or disheveled as Jay appears. In fact, there’s a bounce in his step. He’s exceptionally... euphoric?

“D,” I say as he comes to a stop. “Where the hell have you been?”

“My bad.” He’s panting, hands on his knees.

I reel back with an affronted expression. “Your bad?”

Is he high right now? I’ve been wondering if my best friend had been kidnapped, left for dead in rich suburbia like in a horror movie, and he’s been getting baked? The audacity.

He quiets a burst of laughter with his hand. “I’m so...” More giggling. “I just had the night of my life!”

When I can’t do more than blink, confused, Darren rambles about hanging out with Bree, one of the two girls from Yearbook. South Asian, I think, with terra-cotta skin and curly hair. Turns out the other girl—Kelsey—was Bree’s wingman, promptly abandoning them once she got the conversation rolling.

Bree and Darren talked video games. Similar tastes in food. Laughed at memes and videos until his phone died.

“She kissed me by the pool!” he shouts to the neighborhood.

The half-asleep streets are almost too quiet. It makes all the thoughts in my head echo louder. I’m happy for him. As far as I know, it’s his first real kiss. Clearly, he and Bree have a connection.

So... why am I so focused on Darren having the night I wanted for myself?

And why isn’t what I had with Luca—even if it was more private—just as good?

“D, that’s great.” I offer him the sincerest smile I can manage.

“What’s going on here?” Darren motions between me and Jay. “Something up?”

Before I can reply, Jay staggers forward. “Nah!” He drops a hand on my forearm. “We good, Theo?”

Every time I look at Jay, I remind myself this isn’t the best friend who brings me Gatorades on Fridays. Who’s stayed up late helping me study for an exam.

It’s the alcohol.

It’s whatever pressure his mom laid on him during their phone call.

Darren watches me closely.

I slide my hands into my pockets. I should tell Darren what’s happening. What I’m considering doing. All of it. Would he try to convince me otherwise like he did back at the ramen bar? Could he get me to walk away from this opportunity?

“We’re good,” I confirm through my teeth.

Darren squints. There’s no time to assuage his suspicions because Jay says, “I dare you to find Jayla in the next twenty minutes. Bring her back here. I want to make sure she gets home safely.”

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