Page 73 of The Forever After Bet

She pats my head. “Fine.”

I look up at her, resting my chin on her chest. “It takes a lot of courage to ask a guy to a dance. “

“We could tape a note to your back or hang up a notice on your locker.” Hannah’s trying to be serious, but she can’t keep a straight face.

I sit up so she’s between my legs. I grab her waist, sliding her head off the armrest, and tickle her sides and neck. She screams, laughing. “Okay, okay.”

“No scheming. Promise me.”

“I promise. I promise,” she huffs, out of breath.

I lean down, kissing her and pushing her messy curls off her forehead. “Thank you.”

“I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything,” I say without hesitation.

Hannah quirks an eyebrow.

“Anything, just name it.”

“I want to know all the girls who ask you to the dance.”

I lean in, kissing her. “I promise, I’ll tell you.”

“Thank you.”

By Thursday, I’ve had six dance proposals. Besides Bree and Violet, all the proposals have been from girls I don’t know.

I need to worry more about our basketball game tonight against Central Valley. Instead of dance drama. We haven’t won a basketball game against them in over five years. Last year, they took third at State. We’ve started our season off strong. We beat Ravenwood who we hadn’t beaten in the previous two years. Tonight will be a good game.

Hannah, Leah, and Aubrey come skipping down B hall arm in arm. Hannah breaks away from them, running and doing a round-off and three consecutive back handsprings. When she’s done, she examines her hands and then wipes dirt off them. “Yuck, this floor is nasty.”

“What are you girls doing? School’s over. You’re supposed to go home.”

Leah comes up and leans against Hannah’s locker. “A little birdy told us you haven’t opened your locker all day.” She taps her knuckles against my locker. “We’re here to see how much treasure falls out.”

“Did Jack have any treasure?” I ask.

“Oh yeah. Over a dozen notes. We’re headed to Hannah’s after this to open all of them.”

“Ty had seven that he gave us.” Aubrey pulls a bunch of little notes out of her cheer jacket.

“Where is Jack? I thought he was with you?” I ask Leah.

“He had to tinkle.”

Hannah giggles next to Leah. “I’m totally using that on him. He’ll hate it.” Hannah glances at me and then at my locker. “Sometime today would be nice, Cross.”

“Fine.” I shrug and put in my combination, then stand back, gesturing for Hannah to open it. She rubs her hands together excitedly and clicks my locker open.

“What?” She exclaims when nothing falls out. There are no notes in my locker.

“What did you do with all of them?” Aubrey asks.

I shrug. “I guess I didn’t get any. I must be losing my sex appeal.”

Hannah narrows her eyes at me. She leaves my locker open and scoots over to hers. She slowly opens it, peeking in. “Holy…” She opens it wide, and dozens of notes fall out.

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