“You wouldn’t happen to know where the men’s bathroom is?”
“Nope,” I say. Normally, I’d make a joke about how he’s an awful detective, but seeing him and Sarah again like this was surprising. Suddenly, my mouth is all dry.
“So…you and…,” I start to say, but then I realize it’s none of my business. Here I am at a chocolate-making class with another guy, not to mention chasing the paper hearts of a mystery admirer. Obviously, Andy knew I was never interested in him and he was free to do whatever he wanted. But there’s still a part of me that feels dumb for thinking there could’ve been something between us.
“Better get going. Pete wants to start dipping the chocolate balls as soon as they’re out of the freezer.”
“We’re definitely not going to win, so we’ll be okay,” he laughs.
“Well, it would’ve helped to keep the chocolate in the pan,” I retort.
He raises an eyebrow. I realize I accidentally just admitted I was watching them. “The whole class could hear you two giggling.” I shrug, covering up for it.
“We didn’t mean to be a distraction,” he responds. But when he looks at me now there’s a glimmer in his eyes that makes me think that was his intention this whole time.
“Oh, I was far from distracted. In fact, I really do think we’re going to win.”
“Better get going, then,” Andy says. “Wouldn’t want Paul to have to accept the award alone.”
“Pete,” I correct him.
“Oh right, I knew that.”
He did. Why is he being like this?
“Okay…,” I say, walking away slowly. Normally, he would’ve said at least one flirtatious thing by now. What, is he afraid Sarah is going to hear him? I keep walking, and nothing. I don’t know what I expect, but the silence is deafening. The only sound is from my boots hitting the floor.
When I’m back at the kitchen, Pete smiles widely. “Just in time!” he says before telling me what I missed while I was in the bathroom. We begin dipping the chocolate balls into the different bowls in front of us, some with nuts, others with sprinkles and more garnishes.
Once everyone is done, the teacher walks around taking notes to determine the winner. She pauses when she gets to Andy and Sarah, but I force myself to look away before I can see her reaction.
Was the reason I was so bothered about Andy and Sarah because I was jealous? So what if he didn’t flirt with me back there? That’s all it was before, flirting. Not the romantic kind of love I really want.
Right?
Suddenly, I feel Pete nudge my shoulder. The woman in front pulls out three ribbons.
“That blue one is for us,” he whispers.
I smile weakly. The third and second place teams are called and then I hear our names as Pete fist-pumps the air next to me. We won.
I glance back at Andy to see if he’s watching me, but the chairs he and Sarah were sitting at before are empty. They didn’t even bother to stay for the awards. What could they possibly be doing together that’s more fun? I turn back to receive the ribbon and Pete’s frowning, like he knows why I was looking back.
And even though we’re technically winners, I feel like the ultimate loser.
Chapter 18
After the longest shower of my life, I no longer smell like a chocolate bar.
I wrap myself in my fluffiest bathrobe. It’s white, and whenever I wear it, I feel like a polar bear, which makes me love it even more.
As I walk to Ashley’s room, the faint sound of the music playing from her speakers becomes louder. I knock on her door as drums blare from the other side. I wonder if she can even hear me, so I knock again.
“What?” Ashley yells.
“Can I come in?”
There’s a long pause. Then she yells over the music.
“Sure!”
As I enter the room, Ashley’s turning the music down. “What’s up?” she says from her bed. Her eyes are rimmed with eyeliner but when I join her on the bed, I get a closer view. It looks like they’re red underneath, like she’s been crying.
I sigh. She was mad at me this morning, but this must not just be about me. I pry gently.
“I came with a peace offering,” I say, handing her the bag of chocolates. “Disclaimer, Pete already took two, but it was the least I could give him for leading our team to first place.”
“There was a competition?” Ashley says, cracking a smile that also cracks the tension in the room.
“Yes. And you should’ve seen Pete. He wanted to win so bad like it was a championship game or something. It was intense. So know this peace offering was made with blood, sweat, and tears.”
I hand the bag to her.
“Want to share one?” she asks. Her hand is already grabbing one out of the bag. She splits the chocolate as evenly as she can, then holds the two pieces out for me to choose from. Our mom taught us this trick when we were young to keep us honest.
I grab the one on the right and pop it into my mouth. Ashley takes a bite and then whips her head toward me.
“Mmm. I love the taste of blood.”
“Okay, now you sound like a vampire.”
“I don’t hate that.” She smiles. “I’d make a great one.”
“A great vampire?”
“Sure,” she says, taking another bite and chewing while she talks. “Instead of going to bed, I could go to concerts all night. You could join me if you want, but you’d probably end up reading from sunset to sunrise.”
“I think you’re forgetting about the whole biting-other-humans part.”
“Small sacrifice.”
“Oh boy. Glad I brought a peace offering. You know, to avoid getting my head bitten off.”
“I was tempted earlier,” she says.
I know this is my opening to take the conversation from vampires to serious sister stuff, so I go for it. “Do you…do you want to talk about it?”
“There’s not much to talk about,” she says, crossing her arms. “You didn’t invite me. I was offended. End of story.”
“But you never invite me anywhere.” I don’t say it to be mean, only to speak the truth. Deep down I know this has to do with Steve, not me. Right now, Ashley should be listening to her emo music with him, not alone. “Where is Ste—” I start to ask, but she cuts me off.