Page 14 of Let Her Buck

“You are. And you don’t even care that people saw it. Laney, that’s new. You’ve always been the quiet one. Always the no-boys, no-fuss, keep-your-head-down girl.”

“I still am.”

“I don’t think so,” Sadie counters, folding her arms over her chest and arching her brows at me.

I sigh, glancing back toward the arena. “I don’t know what’s happening, Sadie. He’s…he’s different. I feel different when I’m with him.”

Sadie beams like she’s been waiting for me to say those exact words. “You like him.”

“I barely know him.”

“But youfeelhim,” she says knowingly. “In your chest. In your gut. Right?”

I pause, my heart skipping. “Yeah. I do.”

She throws her arms around me, practically bouncing. “This is perfect! Now we both have boyfriends!”

“Wait, what?” I pull back to look at her. “You have a boyfriend now?”

Sadie bites her bottom lip and squeals. “Evan!”

My jaw drops. “EvanEvan?”

“The one and only,” she says, bobbing her head eagerly. “I told him. I just…blurted it out. All the feelings. The crush. The awkward third-grade love letter. Everything.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he’s been waiting for me to say something for years. Laney, we kissed. Right by the corn dog stand. It was divine. Like angels singing and fireworks and cinnamon sugar all rolled into one.”

I laugh, genuinely excited on her behalf. “I’m so happy for you, Sadie!”

She clutches her heart, eyes misting over dramatically. “I’m so happy forus. Who would’ve thought we’d be out here falling in love at the county fair?”

“Pft! Love? Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I say with a dismissive laugh, hoping she doesn’t notice how flustered I am.

Sadie rolls her eyes. “Please. You’ve got it worse than I do. Your man kissed you like the world was ending.”

I cover my face again, giggling behind my hands.

My man.I like the sound of that too much.

“Well, I gotta go meet my boyfriend,” she says with exaggerated flair.

I glance up and spot Evan a few yards away, leaning casually against the fence, his gaze locked on Sadie like she’s the only thing that matters. He catches me looking and waves, giving me a sheepish little smile.

“Oh wow,” I murmur. “He’s totally smitten.”

“Told you,” Sadie says, wiggling her brows. “Second time I’m abandoning you today. Don’t be mad.”

“I’m making a list,” I joke. “You’re gonna owe me big time.”

She just rolls her eyes, hugs me again, and bolts off toward Evan without a second thought. I watch her go, heart swelling, cheeks aching from smiling too hard.

It’s a strange feeling, standing here, watching my friend fall in love.

I was never the girl people looked at. Never the girl who let herself want.

But now? Maybe I’m that girl.

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