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Jake laughed and I blushed.
“I know. It’s stupid.” I shook my head, looking down at my hands. I’d never told anyone about that daydream before.
“It’s not. I get it.”
“Anyway. That’ll never happen. I guess I just have to get used to the idea of my mom and Gray. Together.”
Tears filled my eyes and I stopped. I felt like an idiot. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear this crap,” I said. “It’s your birthday.”
“No. It’s fine,” he replied.
I took a deep breath, gazing out at the placid surface of the water. Across the lake, the window wall on the ballroom of the country club glowed with yellow light. A thousand memories of late-night parties with my parents, of sack races by the lake on summer Club Day, of swimming races in the pool with my friends, suddenly flooded my mind. My heart was full of all the things that I’d had to give up. Things that, clearly, I was never going to have again.
“I really never thought I’d be back here.”
Suddenly Jake’s fingers closed over mine. My heart completely stopped. He turned his hand so that it was under mine, our palms touching, and laced our fingers together. Every nerve ending in my body was in that hand.
“Ally.”
He said my name almost like a plea. I looked into his eyes.
“I know,” I said simply.
And then we kissed.
And it was just as amazing as I’d always imagined.
jake
Sunday at noon I rang the doorbell at Sha
“Hey,” I said with a smile, lifting my keys. “Wa
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh. So now the birthday boy suddenly decides I’m worthy?”
My arms fell to my sides. “Come on. I told you I had stuff to do last night.”
She let out a short laugh. “Stuff. Good one.”
What was that supposed to mean? “Look, it’s totally nice out. We can go to Jump and get those bialys you like.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and put her hand on the door. “I already ate.” Then she started to slam the door.
I reached out and stopped it, my hand flat on the surface. “Wait.”
“What?” she snapped.
“I don’t know why you’re so mad—”
She went to close the door again. I blocked it with my foot this time.
“But I just have to ask you something,” I said, feeling desperate. Like I had some kind of ticking clock behind me.
“What?”
“You’re not go
She laughed. “You are unbelievable.”
“What? I just . . . don’t think she should find out that way,” I said, my face hot. “Think about it. If you were her, would you want to find out that way?”
She narrowed her eyes again, still holding on to the door. “No. I wouldn’t.”
“Good, so just . . . don’t. I think if he wants to see them, he’ll go see them. It’s none of our business.”
As I said the words, I suddenly felt very confident about them. It didn’t matter that I knew what I knew. It wasn’t my place or Sha
“Fine,” she said. “I won’t tell her anything.” There was something hard and final about her face as she looked at me. “Are we done here?”
I moved my foot out of the way of the door, feeling lighter somehow. Sha
“You sure you don’t want to go for a drive?”
She rolled her eyes one last time and slammed the door in my face.
april
Do you have a date for the prom yet?
What? It’s over a month away. Why? Do people
already have dates?
Um, yeah! Josh Schwartz asked Melissa Ferreti in homeroom this morning, and now everyone’s asking everyone.
Co
Chad Lancaster asked Lisa Rinaldi. . . .
Ohmigod. Who am I go
Has Jake asked anyone yet?
Ohmigod. Jake Graydon is my dream date.
Well, maybe you should ask him.
Please. And be that pathetic?
If you don’t do it, someone else will. That boy will be
snapped up before third period.
Ohmigod. This is so stressful. I’m going to the nurse.
If you do, you might miss your chance. And then you’ll
be stuck at the dance babysitting some dude from
St. Mark’s who you don’t even know just because you’re
vague Facebook friends and there was no one else left.
I loathe the prom.
jake
I gri
“Jake! What are you doing?”
“This.”
I pulled her to me and kissed her, cupping the back of her head with my hand. Ally giggled and melted into me, her whole body melding with mine. Two seconds later, though, she pulled away.
“We can’t do this. We’re so go
“No one ever comes into this hall at lunch,” I said, glancing at the door to Barry’s Custodians Only closet. Ally looked up and laughed.
“This is kind of our place,” she joked.
“Where it all began,” I joked back, tugging her to me with my arms around her waist. It wasn’t exactly true. It had begun at my house that day back in August. But it was those detentions that had forced us to actually talk. That was where I’d really started to like her. Not just daydream about her. I leaned in and touched my lips to hers, giving her a long, slow kiss. When I broke it off, her eyes stayed closed and her head tipped back.
“You really want to go back to the cafeteria?” I whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear with my fingertips. I could practically hear her heart pounding. Or maybe that was mine.
“Mm mm,” she said, shaking her head.