Besides, there’s nothing going on between us.
“There’s nothing to be cool with,” I tell him as I walk over to the mic stand and adjust it. “Lennon’s chill, but it’s not like that. We’re friends.”
“If you say so,” Storm mutters behind me.
Tilting my head, I glare at him. “Are you really that stupid, asshole? She’s not my fucking type.”
“All right, man. Goddamn. Let’s fucking play.”
CHAPTER 11
LENNON
“Everything will be great,” I tell him as we walk down the hall to Mrs. Herman’s room.
Phoenix doesn’t seem convinced.
I know he’s nervous, because what happens on that final determines his fate.
But I know he’s going to pass.
“I’ll buy you dinner after so we can celebrate,” I prattle on, hoping to ease some of his anxiety.
It doesn’t work. By the time we reach the classroom, he looks like he’s two seconds away from saying fuck this and bolting.
Grabbing him by the shoulders, I peer up at him. “You got this, you hear me? You’re gonna make this final your bitch because you’re Phoenix motherfucking Walker.”
I’m grateful the hallway is empty because I shouted that last part.
Not that I regret it because it manages to get a little smile out of him.
Mrs. Herman pops her head outside the door. “Everything okay out here?”
“Yes,” I answer.
She looks between us. “I’ll give you two another minute to say your goodbyes. Then I’ll need you to come inside so you can begin.”
With that, she disappears.
Phoenix’s voice is so low I almost don’t hear him. “What if I fail?”
“You won’t.” Closing the distance between us, I give him a quick hug. “I believe in you.” I walk backward. “Now get in there and kick that final’s ass. I’ll be waiting for you in the band room.”
I say a silent prayer that everything works out in his favor as he walks inside.
“Lennon’s chill, but it’s not like that. We’re friends.”
The tail end of the conversation I overheard the other day echoes through my head as I enter the band room.
Maybe it should have hurt because I have feelings for him, but he said we were friends. And I’ve always known that’s the most a girl like me could ever hope for when it comes to Phoenix.
I take a seat at the piano bench.
“Are you really that stupid, asshole? She’s not my fucking type.”
That’s the part that hurt.
Even though he didn’t insult me, hearing him say those words still felt like a punch to the heart.
Because it’s the truth.
I’ve been playing so long my fingers are starting to cramp up.
I look up at the clock on the wall. He’s been in there for over two hours now.
A horrendous thought slams into me.
What if he left already? Because he failed.
No. There’s no way he did. I refuse to even entertain the notion.
I’m on the last verse of the song I’ve been working on when the door swings open.
I’m on my feet so fast the bench almost tips over.
I don’t know what to make of his expression, or the fact he’s just standing there…not saying a word.
But then he gives me the biggest, most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen in my life.
“I got an eighty-one.”
A rush of exhilaration surges through me, and I race over. I’m so happy I feel like I could burst wide open with the force of it.
I throw my arms around him. “I knew you were gonna pass.” I grab his face. “I didn’t doubt it for a second. You’re—”
Soft lips crash against mine.
I’m torn between wanting to pinch myself because there’s no way this is real life, and not wanting to move or breathe ever again…because this is a dream I never want to wake up from.
He makes a noise deep in his throat and my back slams against a wall. That’s when I realize this isn’t a hallucination, after all.
Phoenix Walker is kissing me.
My mouth opens and his tongue ardently slides in, tasting mine.
I’m so close to the sun I go up in flames.
I was thirteen when I had my first—and until this moment, last—kiss with a guy named Kelly, who was visiting his grandparents for the summer. It was awkward, sloppy…and not even close to how I always envisioned the magical moment would be.
But this kiss? It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and then some.
He’s kissing me like he’s parched and I’m the only drop of water for miles. I arch against him as his tongue thrusts deeper and his hand cups the side of my neck, keeping me there…as though he’s afraid I might escape.
But the building could explode—hell, the earth could explode—and I still wouldn’t put an end to this kiss.
However, he does.
His eyes are wide as he backs away from me slowly…like we’re in an apocalypse and he just discovered I’m a zombie.
I can’t differentiate if the expression on his face is because of shock or horror.
Perhaps my kissing skills are worse than I thought, and I messed something up?
I’m not sure what went wrong. The only thing I am sure of right now is that he regrets it.
“Phoenix—”
As if the sound of my voice was some kind of alarm warning him of imminent danger, he turns and bolts out the door.
While I’m left standing there, wondering what the hell just happened…
And what I did wrong.
Later that night—after debating for hours—I finally give in and text him.
Lennon: I’m proud of you.
Yes, we kissed. But it doesn’t have to ruin our friendship.
He can chalk it up to a mistake he made due to his excitement over passing the final…and I can chalk it up to the best moment of my life.
Then we can go back to normal.
Only we can’t…
Because he never responds.
CHAPTER 12
LENNON
It’s been three days since Phoenix kissed me and took off. I knew he needed some space, but I figured he’d get over it the next day and we’d be cool again.
That didn’t happen, though. Not only did he avoid me like the plague in school and after, he still didn’t return my text.
I don’t want to come off clingy, but I really miss my friend.
Which is why I end up sending him another text.
Lennon: Congrats.
We’ll be graduating in less than an hour, so I’m sure he’s going to put an end to this silent treatment and tell me the same.
No such luck. Just like my last one, I get no response.
“Lennon, we’re gonna be late,” my dad hollers from downstairs.
Glancing in the mirror, I finish bobby-pinning the stupid blue cap to my head. “I’ll be right there.”
I check my phone one last time before chucking it into my purse. He can’t avoid me forever. Not only will I see him at graduation, he’ll be at the party tonight.