curls—broke the silence. “Are you dating Cole Cozen?” she asked. I
glanced at her as I pulled two paper towels out of the towel holder. They were all staring at me. All except Maria. She was
staring at the floor.
“Yeah,” I said, trying to sound defiant. “I’m his girlfriend.” It felt weird saying those words, especially since I’d only
known I was his girlfriend for about five minutes now, but I couldn’t help smiling condescendingly when I said it.
They flicked sober looks at one another. “How long have you known him?” Freckles said.
I shrugged. “A little while,” I said noncommittally. If Maria was kind of crazy, like Cole said—and I totally believed him,
given how weird she was acting—chances were her friends were strange, too. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
Maria had reached over and tugged on Freckles’s sleeve, and they all started whispering again.
I threw away my paper towels and headed for the door, which meant I had to pass through their cluster. I could almost feel
a drop in the temperature when I walked past them, rolling my eyes. Jealous, much?
The theater had darkened, and the previews were just starting as I got back to my seat.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “I got trapped by your Pine Gatefriends. You’re so right about…” but I trailed off as I noticed that the big guy in front of us was gone. I pointed to the
empty seat in front of me. “Where’d they go?”
Cole grinned. “I convinced them to move,” he said. “Now you can see.”
This is it
, I thought.
This is the part about relationships I always knew existed. The romantic part. The soul-mate part. This is what I saw in those
photos of my parents—happiness, love, sacrifice. Real stuff. Here it is. It’s mine.
“I’ve got a better idea,” I said, reaching down and grabbing his hand. “Come on.”
We gathered up our sodas and popcorn, and I led him to the empty front row.
“But your headache!” Cole whispered, sliding into the seat next to me.
I shook my head. “Screw the headache. This is where all the action is.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I’m really starting to freak out,” Bethany said, sounding breathless on the phone. She’d been working out ever since our
first Vacay Day, saying if she was going to be scouting for hotties, she couldn’t be looking all flabby. I could hear the
whir of her treadmill in the background. “I mean, I need to know if we’re going to go in the summer or the winter, at least.”
“I know,” I said for about the billionth time.
“I have to think about college, you know?”
“I know,” I said again.
“Because if we’re going in the winter, I may not be able to go.” There was a beeping noise, and her footsteps got louder.
She was running.
“I know.”
“But there’s no good celeb-watching in the summer,” she huffed. “And I think Zack really wants to go in the winter.”
“Zack just wants some novice ski bunny to fall on him. I’m sure we could talk him into whitewater rafting with one word: bikinis.”
Bethany chuckled, and I heard more beeping, and her footsteps got even louder and faster. “I’ve gotta… go,” she said, sucking
in air. “Can we… get together sometime… before Saturday?”
“Sure,” I said. “How about tomorrow after school we’ll go to Shubb’s.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll text… Zack and… let him know.” There was more beeping. “Shit.” Bethany grunted and disconnected.
The next day went by slowly, pretty much like every day did now that Cole and I were official. It seemed as though the clock
barely moved all day long until seventh period, and then it would fast-forward. Cole had been pulling As in his English class,
so we mostly spent our lab time playing table football with a paper triangle, reading my old poems and trying to set them
to song, or kissing in the corner between the supply cabinet and the wall, where Mrs. Moody couldn’t see us if
glanced at her as I pulled two paper towels out of the towel holder. They were all staring at me. All except Maria. She was
staring at the floor.
“Yeah,” I said, trying to sound defiant. “I’m his girlfriend.” It felt weird saying those words, especially since I’d only
known I was his girlfriend for about five minutes now, but I couldn’t help smiling condescendingly when I said it.
They flicked sober looks at one another. “How long have you known him?” Freckles said.
I shrugged. “A little while,” I said noncommittally. If Maria was kind of crazy, like Cole said—and I totally believed him,
given how weird she was acting—chances were her friends were strange, too. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
Maria had reached over and tugged on Freckles’s sleeve, and they all started whispering again.
I threw away my paper towels and headed for the door, which meant I had to pass through their cluster. I could almost feel
a drop in the temperature when I walked past them, rolling my eyes. Jealous, much?
The theater had darkened, and the previews were just starting as I got back to my seat.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “I got trapped by your Pine Gatefriends. You’re so right about…” but I trailed off as I noticed that the big guy in front of us was gone. I pointed to the
empty seat in front of me. “Where’d they go?”
Cole grinned. “I convinced them to move,” he said. “Now you can see.”
This is it
, I thought.
This is the part about relationships I always knew existed. The romantic part. The soul-mate part. This is what I saw in those
photos of my parents—happiness, love, sacrifice. Real stuff. Here it is. It’s mine.
“I’ve got a better idea,” I said, reaching down and grabbing his hand. “Come on.”
We gathered up our sodas and popcorn, and I led him to the empty front row.
“But your headache!” Cole whispered, sliding into the seat next to me.
I shook my head. “Screw the headache. This is where all the action is.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I’m really starting to freak out,” Bethany said, sounding breathless on the phone. She’d been working out ever since our
first Vacay Day, saying if she was going to be scouting for hotties, she couldn’t be looking all flabby. I could hear the
whir of her treadmill in the background. “I mean, I need to know if we’re going to go in the summer or the winter, at least.”
“I know,” I said for about the billionth time.
“I have to think about college, you know?”
“I know,” I said again.
“Because if we’re going in the winter, I may not be able to go.” There was a beeping noise, and her footsteps got louder.
She was running.
“I know.”
“But there’s no good celeb-watching in the summer,” she huffed. “And I think Zack really wants to go in the winter.”
“Zack just wants some novice ski bunny to fall on him. I’m sure we could talk him into whitewater rafting with one word: bikinis.”
Bethany chuckled, and I heard more beeping, and her footsteps got even louder and faster. “I’ve gotta… go,” she said, sucking
in air. “Can we… get together sometime… before Saturday?”
“Sure,” I said. “How about tomorrow after school we’ll go to Shubb’s.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll text… Zack and… let him know.” There was more beeping. “Shit.” Bethany grunted and disconnected.
The next day went by slowly, pretty much like every day did now that Cole and I were official. It seemed as though the clock
barely moved all day long until seventh period, and then it would fast-forward. Cole had been pulling As in his English class,
so we mostly spent our lab time playing table football with a paper triangle, reading my old poems and trying to set them
to song, or kissing in the corner between the supply cabinet and the wall, where Mrs. Moody couldn’t see us if
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