“Kinda, but really, I was just thinking that it’d be pretty hard for you to ditch me,” I said, raising our joined hands for emphasis.
“I’d never ditch you.”
“No, I know. It was dumb.”
He tugged me closer, then released my hand to throw an arm over my shoulder. “Nah. It sucks, being stood up.”
I snorted. “Like you’d know.”
He glanced down at me. “Excuse me?”
“No one would ever stand up Ace Collins.” I said it teasingly, but I one hundred percent believed it. Ace was one of those golden people: gorgeous, smart, likable. He would always have people who wanted to be near him just to bask in his coolness.
He snorted. “I’m glad you think so highly of me.”
“Everyone thinks highly of you.”
“Not Jessica Walters.”
My stomach clenched. I was almost afraid to ask. I knew Ace couldn’t be mine, but the thought of him in love with someone…
“Senior year of high school. Don’t you remember how your brother and I went stag to the prom?”
“Yeah. He just said you guys were tired of high school girls. Ready for college women.”
Ace chuckled. “That’s Jeremy. Always putting a positive spin on it. If he wasn’t going into finance, he’d be perfect for politics.”
I groaned theatrically. “Don’t tell him that. He’s too ambitious already.”
Ace nodded. “Truth.”
“So … I’m guessing you didn’t go stag for that reason?”
“Nope.” He popped the P. “Jeremy did me a solid by being my wingman after Jessica Walters bailed on me. He’d planned to skip the dance altogether because his love life was in the tank after a nasty breakup, but he already had the tux, so…”
“Jeremy’s a good guy,” I said, because it was true. My brother could be ambitious, a control freak, overprotective … and more than a little annoying to a little brother always left in his shadow, but he had a good heart.
“Yeah,” Ace said. “It wasn’t the same as being stood up the night of prom. I didn’t get left waiting for her, but … she canceled the same day. No way I could have gotten another date.”
The theater was lit up, its marquee spelling out “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” We paused out front, a few feet from the ticket window.
“Prom is a big deal,” I said, even though I’d never gone. “That’s worse than a random date. I mean, you spent money on a tux and stuff.”
“Yeah.”
“Why did she cancel?”
I knew now that Kaleb was just afraid to face his sexuality — and had probably used me a little for help with his art project. That knowledge didn’t feel great, but I didn’t think he’d set out to be malicious. He was afraid, not mean, and that made it easier to forgive. But I couldn’t imagine why a high school girl would have ditched Ace like that. He was like … a high school girl’s dream come true, surely. At least, he’d been a high school gay boy’s wet dream.
“She got back together with her ex.”
There was something he wasn’t saying. “And?”
He smiled wryly. “He had the money to rent a limo, and I drove a clunker. Lived in a trailer park.”
“So you were the bad boy from the wrong side of town?” I joked.
His smile grew tight. “Something like that.”
I turned for a better look at his face. This clearly still bothered him, and it was a revelation to see that even a guy like Ace didn’t live a charmed life. Of course, I’d known he didn’t have the best family life, but I’d assumed everything else went his way. After all, he was Ace. Anyone would be an idiot to pass him by.
“I thought girls were all about bad boys their parents didn’t approve of.”
“Well, I guess they are until it interferes with their perfect prom night experience.”
I pulled a face. “Her loss.”
His smile snapped back to life. “Yeah. And your asshat’s loss too. We’re awesome.”
“Yes, we’re smart, beautiful—”
“And out of the trailer park,” he added.
I reached out, taking his hand. “That girl was an idiot. I’d have gone to prom with you. I’d have swooned over that fucking clunker of yours.”
Ace laughed. “Wow, should I be jealous of the clunker? You wouldn’t swoon over the sight of me in a tux?”
“I’d have swooned over the sight of you in jeans and a T-shirt,” I admitted.
Our eyes met a beat, and something magnetic made me want to move closer.
Which was when I suddenly remembered this wasn’t a real date, and I wasn’t supposed to be revealing my real feelings. Ducking my head, I pulled Ace toward the ticket booth. “We better hurry if we want popcorn.”
“Oh, I definitely want popcorn,” he said. “But you’re going to have to buy. I’m out of the trailer park, but my ass is still broke.”
Ace
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was always a good time. We threw popcorn, we shot off tiny water pistols Benji had carried in his hoodie pockets, and we stood up and danced like idiots, laughing and singing with the audience, who somehow were transported from strangers to friends through the magic of fandom.
Benji had dropped some of his walls on the walk to the theater, and we just … clicked.
It was a nice feeling, and I was still buzzing with it when we walked out after the movie. “That was awesome.”
“I know, right?”
Benji was grinning, looking happier than I’d seen him in a long time. He was so freaking adorable with his dimples and his gorgeous red hair sparking under the street lamps.
I wanted to kiss him.
Turning, I bumped shoulders with him instead. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight.”
He smiled at me shyly. “Thanks for helping me practice dating.”
“Doesn’t seem like you need any practice,” I admitted. “But it was fun.”
“Well, watching a movie isn’t exactly the part of the date that has me worried.”
My heart seized as our eyes met. Shit. Now I really wanted to kiss him. Could I? Could I possibly cross that line? It would push the limits of belief too far to offer kissing lessons, even for an inexperienced guy like Benji.
If I went there … there would be no going back.
What would Jeremy think if we got together? I’d never really let myself consider it. It felt wrong, like it wasn’t my place to change our long-established roles. Jeremy was my friend, and Benji was the little brother, but … Jeremy was gone, and I felt closer to Benji than I did anyone else right now.
I’d never told anyone besides Jeremy about Jessica Walters standing me up, and I’d never even told him the real reason why I thought she’d done it. Only Benji.
We fell quiet as we walked. The theater was off campus, but downtown was within walking distance. Halfway there, I noticed Benji was shivering.
We both wore hoodies, but on the border between fall and winter, the nights were growing chillier.