Page 14 of The Publicity Stunt
I shove my hands into my coat pockets and shout out a quick “Bye” to Theo. He might be a little twisted, but that’s no excuse for bad manners. Plus, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of him.
Holly and I start strutting down Canal Street, and somewhere around the third traffic light, she breaks the silence. “So … Parker?”
I shake my head and hook my arm around hers. “Let’s not talk about it,” I say. “This is a huge city. I’ll probably never run into him again.”
I hope I don’t.
“And I’d rather talk about the little show you put on earlier,” I add. “Please tell me you didn’t make the poor guy drink your spit.”
Holly laughs, a sound that doesn’t leave her mouth very often and says, “He wishes.”
We spend the rest of the journey talking about work and espresso martinis. By the time we get home it’s already dark, and it’s a long, long time before I fall asleep.
ChapterFour
Fifteen Years Ago
HAYDEN
The first time I’ve had a girl in my room and we’re on my bed … watchingSpider-Man 2. Could be worse. We could be watchingSpider-Man 3.
April’s cheek rests on my shoulder, her auburn hair barely showing with that unicorn hat covering her entire head. It’s green and furry and has long white strands dangling on either side. She shifts closer and wraps her arm around mine, squinting at the laptop screen.
“Not a fan of Maguire?” I ask.
“He’s all right.” Her nose crinkles in thought and she looks up at me. “But Mary Jane’s kinda annoying.”
The white fur of her hat covers half her eyes and I push it up. “Yeah, Gwen Stacy’s better.”
April smiles, agreeing, and goes back to watching the movie. The bright blue unicorn horn pokes into my neck.
She’s been wearing the damn thing to school for the past few months. Some idiot at school yanked it off her head and started tossing it around the cafeteria. A bunch of other guys joined in, heckling and mocking her, and she nearly cried. Obviously, I got the stupid hat back and flipped the morons off, but that’s not gonna stop them from bullying her tomorrow, and the day after that. I just don’t understand why she still insists on wearing the damn thing to school like some badge of honor. Maybe it’s kinda brave, standing up to her bullies in a silent protest, I dunno, but must she be brave every single day?
Mary Jane is walking down the stairs with her astronaut fiancé when April speaks again. “I bet I could play a better MJ.”
That makes me laugh. I readjust my back against the wooden headboard. “You already have the hair for it.”
April snuggles further into me, and a warm sensation spreads tight across my chest. I stare down, my mouth twisted in a frown.
“You don’t like my hair?”
“What?” My gaze lifts to her face.
“My hair,” she repeats. “You don’t like it?”
“Of course, I do.” My neck and ears grow hot. “Why would you say that?”
“You don’t like MJ, but you compared my hair to hers. That’s all.” Her tone is all calm and composed, almost analytical. Like there was a hidden meaning behind my words, one visible only to her. Was there?
“You’re nothing like MJ,” I say.
Her next question is instantaneous. “Am I like Gwen?” She looks up and brushes away a few strands of flyaway hair.
I couldn’t be more on edge if I tried. “Do you want to be like Gwen?”
Her eyes stay trained on my face for a beat too long, brows drawn, like she’s trying to solve a math problem. “No, I don’t think so.” She shakes her head and looks away. “I don’t have the hair for it.”
We keep watching the movie. The lights in my room are switched off so it’s pretty dark, but the faint glow of the laptop screen washes over April’s face, highlighting her dainty little nose. Every ten seconds or so, I catch her glance up at me. The fifth time, I decide to speak up. “What is it?” I ask, mildly annoyed.
