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“Whatever, dude,” I said, shaking my head and turning away. “Like I said, she’s your problem now. Have fun.”
ally
“I can’t decide whether I want the centerpieces to be colorful and eclectic or sleek and sophisticated.”
My mom had been making figure eights around the four round tables of floral arrangements for at least half an hour. She paused in front of a spherical silver pot filled with white roses, and a tall, clear vase bursting with wildflowers. We’d left school together as soon as the last bell rang to squeeze in this shopping trip before my basketball game tonight. The biggest game of the year in more ways than one. I should have been hyped up and nervous. Instead I was tired and dreading it. In fact, I was dreading everything.
“Colorful and eclectic,” I replied, leaning my hip against the table.
“You think?” she asked.
“Mom, this is you we’re talking about. Look at you.”
She glanced down at her outfit—floral peasant top in deep purples, paired with jeans and mustard suede boots—and laughed. “You make an excellent point.”
“I know.”
I shrugged and glanced around the greenhouse. Up front, the florist was behind the counter, working the phones feverishly as he fielded his last-minute Valentine’s Day orders. He’d run off ten minutes ago to deal, promising to be right back, but we hadn’t seen him since. Now, just hearing him repeat people’s loving messages back to them made my heart hurt. After the way Jake had acted at school today, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be around him, let alone go out with him on the mushiest day of the year.
“Oh, and you can wear these gardenias in your hair!” my mother said, placing a pair of yellow flowers just behind my ear. “They’d be just the right pop of color with your black dress. And Jake could wear a matching tie!”
She shoved the gardenias into my hand, whipped out her notebook, and started making notes. I looked down at the blooms, twirling the stems between my thumb and forefinger until the color blurred. I wasn’t even sure that Jake was going to be coming to the wedding at this point. I mean, the thing was in May. Right now May seemed very far away.
“Ally?” my mom asked suddenly. “Are you okay?”
I blinked back my tears and tried to smile. “Yeah! I’m fine!”
“Sweetie, are you sure?” She put her hand on my shoulder. “You look like you’re about to cry.”
My heart welled up into my throat. I wanted to tell her what was going on. I so did. But she was so happy and excited. And this was the first time we’d gotten to do anything wedding related together without Qui
“I’m just happy for you,” I said, my voice thick.
You’d think I’d just told her I was going to be valedictorian, that’s how happy she looked. “Aw, Ally!”
She pulled me in for a hug, and I pressed my face into her shoulder, letting myself squeeze out a few tears. When she pulled back again, I was smiling. The remainder of my inevitable breakdown was going to have to wait for a better time.
“I love you, kiddo,” she said as the florist finally appeared at the open doorway.
I tossed the gardenias onto the table and stood motionless while one of them tumbled to the dirt-covered floor. “I love you, too.”
ally
Thirty seconds left in the first half. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck. My pulse pounded in my ears, muting the sounds of the crowd. The ball was in my hands. I looked left. I looked right. The Valley players were everywhere, blocking out my teammates, practically tackling them to the floor. I dribbled twice for good measure, stalling. What should I do? What the hell should I do? Take the shot from here? Take the ball to the net? Make the pass? What, what, what?
Twenty seconds left. My eyes darted around the gym. Coach screaming to make the play. The players from Rutgers on their feet. My mom, dad, and Gray, sitting together, cheering like crazy. Jake shouting his head off. It was too much. I had to focus. We needed a score to go into halftime up. We needed a score now.
Suddenly Sha
“Go, Sha
I hadn’t even realized she was here.
The buzzer sounded, and the ball swished through the net.
“Three points at the buzzer!” the a
I ran over and gave Sha
No. No, no, no. Not now. Please not now.
And suddenly the entire world zipped into focus. Will whirled around and slammed his fist into Jake’s jaw. Chloe and I both screamed. Everyone scattered away from them like ripples from a tossed rock, moving up the bleachers, across, toward the door. Jake recovered and threw himself on top of Will, and then they were both on the floor, wailing on each other like rabid animals.
“Jake! Stop it!” I shouted, starting across the gym floor.
Blood, I wasn’t sure whose, splurted across the boards.
“Ally, don’t.”
Coach Prescott’s hand was on my shoulder.
“What?” I looked over at her, confused and terrified.
“They’re watching,” Coach said, giving a surreptitious nod toward the stands.
My throat went dry. I didn’t completely understand why it mattered that my college coach and teammates were eyeing me—what that had to do with the fact that my boyfriend was staging an impromptu wrestling meet as a halftime show—but I decided to trust Coach and didn’t move. Seconds later, I completely understood. Two uniformed cops descended on the mess of flailing arms and legs and fists and feet and tore Will and Jake apart. Blood seeped from a gash across the bridge of Jake’s nose. Will’s eye was already turning purple. I glanced up at the Rutgers coach and held my breath. If she’d seen me go over there, she would have drawn so many conclusions. Conclusions about who I was, whom I chose to spend my time with. Right now, Jake looked like a psychotic loser with a violent streak, ready to go postal at any moment. If I’d run to his side, she would have forever associated me with him.
Coach Prescott had just saved my ass.
“Thanks, Coach,” I said, my eyes filling with tears as the police hauled both Jake and Will outside through one of the side doors.
Sha
“Holy shit,” Sha
“Tell me about it.” I glanced back again. I couldn’t help it. “Do you think he’s okay?”
“Who cares?” Sha
“As much as I don’t appreciate the language, Sha