preggers?
“This sucks,” I muttered, picking at a piece of lint on my cords.
“Well, we’re not making any money being depressing and pouty,” Faith said. Then she stood up, plastered on a grin, and started shouting. “Face painting! Two dollars! Two dollars to be transformed into a totally original walking piece of art!”
Faith was just roping in a second grader and her mom whenAnnie came bounding over to us wearing her black-and-white-striped tights, a black tulle skirt, a black long-sleeved T-shirt, and a witch’s hat.
“Wow, you’re in the spirit,” I said flatly.
Annie’s brow knit. “And you are so not. What gives, Little Miss Frown?”
“Tonight’s the big reveal,” Faith said, looking up from the spiderweb she was drawing on her little customer’s face. “Jake and Chloe … you know.”
She rolled her eyes up at the kid’s mom, having enough sense, at least, not to mention what the big reveal was about.
“Ugh. I’m so sick of those two making you look suicidal,” Annie said, earning an appalled look from the mom. She pursed her lips and studied me for a moment. “You know what you need? You need a random hook-up. A revenge hook-up. Square things up between you and Jake.”
The little kid’s mother gasped and tugged him off the chair before Faith could finish her masterpiece. They disappeared into the crowd, the mom shooting dirty looks back over her shoulder. Annie didn’t even seem to notice.
“Great! You just lost us two dollars,” Faith groused, throwing her hands up.
Annie ignored her and started to turn in a slow circle, tapping her index finger against her chin. “Now, let’s see … who would be a good random hook-up for Ally Ryan …?”
“Annie, stop. I don’t want a random hook-up,” I said, glancing nervously at Faith, who had one of the biggest mouths in Northern New Jersey. Neither of them knew I had already, briefly, psychotically considered a random hook-up with Lincoln. And neither of them would ever know that.
“Yes, you do. You just don’t know it yet,” Annie said. She tilted her head as a pack of jersey-sporting football players strolled by. “Hmmm … Will Halloran’s kind of hot.”
I gave Will the once-over and mentally agreed. Will had one of those compact, muscular, running-back bodies that made girls swoon whenever he happened to take his shirt off. Couple that with the warm brown eyes, the killer smile, and the genuine nice-guy attitude, and he’d be a good hook-up for anyone. Just not me.
“Not my type,” I said, hoping she would drop it.
As the football team headed toward the popcorn booth, Lincoln himself sidled up behind Annie. He had an eye patch over one eye and a red bandana tied around his head. Wisps of his red hair stuck out over his eyes and around his ears.
“S’up?” he said, holding out his ever-present wax-paper bag. “Nonpareil?”
Annie turned and slowly ran her eyes over him. I blushed. Hard. Suddenly I recalled the feeling of his arm around me, his thumb hooked into my waistband, and I could hardly look him in the eye.
“How much sugar would you say you consume in one day?” I asked him, trying to be normal and pretend like I didn’t know my BFF was sizing him up for potential sexual relations.
“It’s less if you take one.” He smirked and shook the bag in front of me. I rolled my eyes as I plucked a chocolate. Annie stepped behind him, checked out his butt, and gave me a thumbs-up over his shoulder.
“Stop it!” I said through clenched teeth.
“Stop what?” Lincoln looked confused.
“Nothing. Forget it.”
I grabbed a handful of candy and stuffed it in my mouth. Annie stepped out from behind Lincoln.
“I’m gonna go check on the ice-cream stand,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Huge mistake assigning it to the jazz band. They’re eating the profits and then some.”
As she walked off, taking slow, sideways steps, she lifted a hand next to her cheek to block her lips from his sight, and
“This sucks,” I muttered, picking at a piece of lint on my cords.
“Well, we’re not making any money being depressing and pouty,” Faith said. Then she stood up, plastered on a grin, and started shouting. “Face painting! Two dollars! Two dollars to be transformed into a totally original walking piece of art!”
Faith was just roping in a second grader and her mom whenAnnie came bounding over to us wearing her black-and-white-striped tights, a black tulle skirt, a black long-sleeved T-shirt, and a witch’s hat.
“Wow, you’re in the spirit,” I said flatly.
Annie’s brow knit. “And you are so not. What gives, Little Miss Frown?”
“Tonight’s the big reveal,” Faith said, looking up from the spiderweb she was drawing on her little customer’s face. “Jake and Chloe … you know.”
She rolled her eyes up at the kid’s mom, having enough sense, at least, not to mention what the big reveal was about.
“Ugh. I’m so sick of those two making you look suicidal,” Annie said, earning an appalled look from the mom. She pursed her lips and studied me for a moment. “You know what you need? You need a random hook-up. A revenge hook-up. Square things up between you and Jake.”
The little kid’s mother gasped and tugged him off the chair before Faith could finish her masterpiece. They disappeared into the crowd, the mom shooting dirty looks back over her shoulder. Annie didn’t even seem to notice.
“Great! You just lost us two dollars,” Faith groused, throwing her hands up.
Annie ignored her and started to turn in a slow circle, tapping her index finger against her chin. “Now, let’s see … who would be a good random hook-up for Ally Ryan …?”
“Annie, stop. I don’t want a random hook-up,” I said, glancing nervously at Faith, who had one of the biggest mouths in Northern New Jersey. Neither of them knew I had already, briefly, psychotically considered a random hook-up with Lincoln. And neither of them would ever know that.
“Yes, you do. You just don’t know it yet,” Annie said. She tilted her head as a pack of jersey-sporting football players strolled by. “Hmmm … Will Halloran’s kind of hot.”
I gave Will the once-over and mentally agreed. Will had one of those compact, muscular, running-back bodies that made girls swoon whenever he happened to take his shirt off. Couple that with the warm brown eyes, the killer smile, and the genuine nice-guy attitude, and he’d be a good hook-up for anyone. Just not me.
“Not my type,” I said, hoping she would drop it.
As the football team headed toward the popcorn booth, Lincoln himself sidled up behind Annie. He had an eye patch over one eye and a red bandana tied around his head. Wisps of his red hair stuck out over his eyes and around his ears.
“S’up?” he said, holding out his ever-present wax-paper bag. “Nonpareil?”
Annie turned and slowly ran her eyes over him. I blushed. Hard. Suddenly I recalled the feeling of his arm around me, his thumb hooked into my waistband, and I could hardly look him in the eye.
“How much sugar would you say you consume in one day?” I asked him, trying to be normal and pretend like I didn’t know my BFF was sizing him up for potential sexual relations.
“It’s less if you take one.” He smirked and shook the bag in front of me. I rolled my eyes as I plucked a chocolate. Annie stepped behind him, checked out his butt, and gave me a thumbs-up over his shoulder.
“Stop it!” I said through clenched teeth.
“Stop what?” Lincoln looked confused.
“Nothing. Forget it.”
I grabbed a handful of candy and stuffed it in my mouth. Annie stepped out from behind Lincoln.
“I’m gonna go check on the ice-cream stand,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Huge mistake assigning it to the jazz band. They’re eating the profits and then some.”
As she walked off, taking slow, sideways steps, she lifted a hand next to her cheek to block her lips from his sight, and
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