Page 59 of Heartthrobs Don't Date Wallflowers
The crowd went wild at the words. Why, I wasn’t sure. But I knew why my heart was thumping, why I was waiting for him to notice me, why the world was spinning around me.
If you knew me, you’d know…
Zach was the boy I’d been texting all week.
The same boy who held signs up in his window, who drove around aimlessly to find me in the rain, whose sweater I was wearing now.
Zach was Not Zesty—and he was telling the whole world, in the hopes of finding me.
“So, Princess…” He had to pause and let the cheering fall away before he could finish his sentence. It was probably for the best, because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hear him over the sound of my heartbeat. “If you’re in the crowd tonight… find me. I hate making the first move, but I’m making it now for you.”
The crowd went wild again, but everything felt far away—the noise, the lights, the hundreds of people around me. All I could feel was the rush of blood in my ears, the tightening of my grip on the fabric of my sweater. His sweater.
I blinked, trying to process what was happening. Was this real? Was he for real? My hands shook, mymind raced, and it was like the ground beneath me was shifting. He’d just put it all out there—right in front of thousands of people.
For me.
Suddenly, the stadium felt too big, too loud, too much. The only thing that could make sense of it was Zach.
Zach, standing there under the stage lights, calling out to me—he was afraid, but he was still doing it anyway. He was doing itfor me.
I needed to find him
nineteen
Not Zesty
Meet me by the stage door
The text came through onlytwo minutes after the concert ended, as we were streaming out of the stadium. Beside me, Poppy was happily chatting with the group of girls who’d been sitting next to us during the concert. She’d always been great at making friends, just like that.
“I’ll be right back,” I mumbled to her, not even positive if she could hear me over everyone talking. She waved me off with one hand, not even turning around. Typical Poppy. I loved her for it—she wouldn’t think twice if I disappeared for a while, and right now, I needed that freedom.
Ivy
I’ll be there
I hit send, my fingers trembling. There. Now therewas no turning back. My heart flipped as I headed toward the door marked “Exit,” which I assumed led to the back of the venue. When I pushed it open and stepped out, the cool night air hit me and I sighed in relief. One more minute in there and I thought I was going to die of heat stroke.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the limited light, but once I did, I realized I was in some sort of parking lot, with a few vans and trailers parked haphazardly around. It looked like it was mostly just crew members out here, moving equipment, but when I squinted at the shadows, I saw some girls milling about too, heading across the way to some other doors.
It seemed as good a place to look as any.
I glanced down at my outfit, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Did I look okay? Did I even look like the kind of girl Zach would want to meet after a concert? I mean, I wasn’t anything special. Just... me.
As I got closer to the door everyone seemed to moving towards, I noticed security guards stationed near the entrance, directing people away. My heart sank. How was I going to get past them? My legs felt shaky as I approached, and for a second, I thought about turning back. This was crazy, right? No way was I just going to waltz backstage like I belonged there.
“Uh, excuse me,” I said, my voice sounding small and shaky as I approached the guard by a large white door. “I... I’m supposed to meet someone?”
He gave me a skeptical look, raising an eyebrowlike he’d heard that excuse a thousand times before. “This area’s off-limits to fans,” he said gruffly.
My face heated. Of course, I sounded like some over-eager groupie.
“I know, but... it’s not like that. He—he texted me?” I winced, realizing how lame that sounded. I took a shaky breath, hoping I didn’t look as freaked out as I felt. If I looked freaked out, he was never going to believe I belonged here. “I’m meeting Zach. Zach Miles.”
The guard raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “Backstage’s closed, sweetheart. You got a pass?”
“I, uh...” I gulped. He probably thought I was here for some sort of meet and greet or something, right?MeetingZach might have implied that. So, I had to try again. “I’mwithZach.”
