“Hey, do you want to wait in here?”
He stopped, looking hesitant. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, why not? You can help me pick out an outfit like old times,” I teased.
His smile was sad, and I knew he was remembering the other part of that equation. Our missing puzzle piece.
“Okay, sure,” he said finally, stepping past me into the room. “Jesus…” he muttered, lifting his head to stare at the ceiling, then the rest of the room in awe. “They stuck you with a dump, didn’t they?”
“The absolute worst.”
“I mean, three couches, really? Everyone knows less than five is tacky.”
I giggled, and that seemed to delight him. “I’ve missed you, Cait.”
At that moment, it was as if no time had passed between us. We were kids again, playing hide-and-seek in the woods, and teens going for drives to do absolutely nothing after we’d gotten our licenses. Things were always simple with Sam, and I hated that I’d ever let him slip away.
“I’ve missed you, too,” I admitted.
“Can you believe it’s been ten years since we were here last? It doesn’t look like the place has changed a bit.”
“I was thinking the same thing. It’s like a time capsule.” Both the items and the memories.
He looked away, nodding slowly before saying, “So, Prince Charming didn’t come?” He shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly.
“He’s home with the twins. Mom’s having unexpected surgery, so she couldn’t keep them like we planned, and Dad has to help her.”
He winced. “Oh, I hadn’t heard. Is she gonna be okay?”
I waved off his concern. “Oh yeah, she’s a trooper. You know her.”
His laugh was warm and sincere. “I do, indeed.”
“I’m going to blow-dry my hair,” I said, touching the towel still atop my head. “Just…make yourself at home.”
He’d plopped down on the couch before I made it out of the room, flipping on the TV. I walked back into the bedroom, digging through my luggage for an outfit suitable for going out.
I felt oddly conflicted.
In a way, it was easier to be in this place with Sam. I felt safe with him, maybe safer than with anyone else. On the other hand, being with him just made me miss her.
It was always the three of us.
At least, until it wasn’t.
Chapter Four
Age Fifteen
I waved goodbye to Mr. Donnell on my way out of history, passing the first hallway of gray lockers on my way toward the gym. When something caught my eye, I stopped so quickly Derek Mathis smacked straight into me.
“Jesus, Logan, watch yourself,” he groaned, brushing off the front of his shirt as if nerd were contagious.
“Sorry,” I apologized, sidestepping and ignoring the pain in my back where his binder had stabbed me, too transfixed by what I was seeing. I squinted my eyes.
What the…
Jamie was standing at the end of the hallway, near the double doors that led to the breezeway between the computer and science labs. She was giggling incessantly, lost in conversation with none other than Grant Du Bois.
“Hey, Cait!” Someone was standing beside me. I looked over, surprised to see Penny there. Her arms were loaded up with books, her frizzy red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was distracting me from what I was trying to see, and apparently that was written all over my face. “Sorry, I… I was looking for Sam. Have you seen him?”
“No,” I said, looking back down the hall, wondering if it had all been a mirage. No, they were definitely still there. It was real. My jaw dropped, watching them.
“He was supposed to meet me in the library between classes. I borrowed his book last night and—”
“I haven’t seen him,” I said, not looking at her. I kept my gaze focused on Grant and Jamie, feeling as if the floor had been ripped out from under me.
His body was close to hers, so close I’d bet she could smell his cologne, and he was smiling too. Like…really smiling.
I’d never seen any of The Populars look at us like he was looking at her. Almost as if she belonged with him. I watched them, her knee cocked casually, one thumb tucked into the back of her jeans. She tucked her side swept bangs behind her ear, her chest poked out a little extra.
He touched her upper arm, his hand resting on her bare skin for so long I thought my heart was going to burst, and when he released it, he shoved open the double doors and walked out, so much confidence in his walk it didn’t seem possible.
Jamie stood there for an extra second, as if she was processing what had just happened, then glanced over. When she met my eye, her jaw dropped open slightly, her pale cheeks pinkening.
I wiggled my fingers at her—a half wave—then shrugged, wanting to ask when we stepped into another dimension. She raced toward me, her smile wide. I realized then that at some point, Penny had walked away from me, but I hadn’t noticed, too transfixed by what was happening. What was happening?
“What was that about?” I asked as she grabbed my arm, almost the exact way Grant had just held hers, and forced me to turn so we were walking in the opposite direction.
“Grant Du Bois just asked me out,” she said with a squeal, her eyes wide.
“What?”
She pressed her lips together, nodding, her face still pale. “I…I mean, you saw it, right? I didn’t just black out and hallucinate that it happened?”
“I saw it,” I confirmed as a sinking feeling settled in my stomach. “What did he say?”
“He asked if I wanted to hang out Saturday night,” she said simply with a small no big deal shrug, though we both knew it was anything but no big deal.
“Is he sick? Did he hit his head?” I joked, blinking rapidly as I tried to make sense of it all.
She gave me a sharp glance, her eyes narrowing at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I…I was joking.”
“I told you we had fun together last year in class. Is it impossible for him to like me?”
“No, of course not, Jamie. He’d be an idiot not to. I said I was only joking…” But, in all reality, I wasn’t. Sure, my best friend was beautiful and hilarious and smart and charismatic, but no one had ever noticed that before. Not one of them, anyway. I was worried it was all going to be a prank, that he’d invite her somewhere and not show up, and then she’d be the laughingstock of the school.
I wanted to tell her that, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, not when she was obviously so happy. The bell rang overhead, interrupting us, and I cast a worried glance down the hall.
“I’ve still gotta get to my locker. See you during lunch?”
“Okay, have fun in gym,” she said, emphasizing the word gym and rolling her eyes. “See you later.”
With that, she was gone, and I rushed to my locker to pull out my gym clothes. I felt selfish for not being happier for her. This was all we’d wanted for so long…to finally feel like we belonged.
But if they hurt her, it would be devastating.
I needed to talk to Sam. He’d know how to approach the subject. Then again, once Jamie made up her mind about something, it was rare we could persuade her to see our side of things.