Page 133 of Before We're More Than Friends
The front door opened, and Mom came in. She looked how she usually did in the evening, wearing her cozy crewneck and leggings, with her dark hair in a ponytail. She smiled at us. “Good evening, girls. How have you been?”
“Good,” Arielle said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Mom gave a convincing nod. Her skin was flushed, but she looked steady. “I promise I’m good. Just a little cold.”
“Okay.” Arielle watched her stroll into the kitchen before getting off the couch and going upstairs.
I stayed on the couch, wondering if I should follow Mom into the kitchen and try to smell her breath. Gosh, that sounded so gross. But maybe she had been drinking but covered it well. Maybe she hadn’t been flushed from the cold.
But I wanted to trust her. I wanted to hope that everything was getting better and not give in to the fear and the worries for once. So I went upstairs to take a shower instead, basking in the smell of lavender as I daydreamed about Dallas’s lips on mine.
With our Battle of the Bands audition coming up on Saturday, we needed to kick things into high gear. Hayden texted us to come into the break room in the shelter after school to discuss our plans for the audition.
I hadn’t told anyone about what happened between Dallas and me yet, just to keep something good to myself for a while. However, it seemed like Dallas had told Hayden from the way he grinned at us as we walked in holding hands.
“There are our stars,” Hayden sang, giving Dallas a wink.
Dallas smiled. “I hope we’re not too late.” He may or may not have stopped me when I’d walked in and pulled me into the corner of the hallway to kiss. And I may or may not still have the urge to kiss him again.
Gosh, what had I been missing out on the past six years?
“Okay, what did I miss this time?” Oliver asked as he stole a chip from Caleb, who frowned at him. “What happened to beingjust friends?”
“I don’t touch my friends that way,” Caleb said with a mouth full of chips. “Sienna would slap me if I did that.”
“I would,” Sienna agreed, sipping on her coffee. “Is this why you guys were giggly all day?”
“Maybe.” I looked at Dallas, whose eyes were shining. My cheeks warmed. “Yes.”
“I freaking knew it,” Caleb said, shaking his head. “And you tried BSing us that you weren’t more than friends.”
“I mean, we haven’t started dating yet.” I faced Dallas again. “Are we dating? We never made that clear.” I’d clearly never gotten to the stage where I dated someone, which had always made me feel a bit out of place compared to my friends. Then again, they were all single now while I was holding the hand of the guy I loved.
“I don’t know,” Dallas said, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m not sure how this works.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Arielle asked, excitement in her voice. “You haven’t been smooching his face off in the past twenty-four hours for no reason.”
I gasped, my cheeks flaming in embarrassment. “His face did not come off!”
“Yeah, I misseda lot,” Oliver said, though he was smiling.
“I promise we’re done hiding things,” Dallas said as we sat beside each other at a table. “Now can we start the meeting before my cheeks burn off?”
“Okay, Rudolph the Red-Faced Reindeer,” Hayden said before standing up. “We already decided on the regular version of ‘She Looks So Perfect’ as our audition song. I’m thinking of adding little riffs to the end. Something to make it feel like a concert?—”
“Actually,” Arielle piped up. “Is it too late for me to join in?”
Hayden’s thin lashes fluttered. “What?”
“N-never mind.” Arielle looked away from him. “Sorry I interrupted you.”
“No, no,” Hayden said. “Keep going.”
“I-I just thought that maybe you guys would like an extra backup singer or something.” She twisted her long hair around her finger. “Not that Dallas and Raina aren’t good singers. But maybe I can use my tambourine.” She sighed. “Never mind, it’s a stupid idea. I’ll just be in the crowd for moral support.”
“You can join us for the competition,” Hayden said. “Maybe be our backup singer for when we’re doing live performances.” He looked at us. “What do you think?”
It was a big stretch. I’d remembered Hayden saying Arielle was more than someone who stayed in the background to look pretty. But hope glistened in Arielle’s eyes. I hadn’t realized she might’ve been feeling left out.
