I watch him until he rounds the corner, and I have to remind myself to breathe as I turn to open my locker and dig through it for my physics book.
“So how long have you two been a thing?”
I look up to find Michelle Randall and Lauren Cooke staring at me. Neither of them has spoken more than a few words to me in our three and a half years at Grand View, and I’m pretty sure this is the first time they’ve acknowledged my existence since my break-up with Ty.
I shrug. “It’s pretty new.”
“Isn’t that … sweet?” Lauren’s tone oozes fake.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a Darius Groves kind of girl,” Michelle says.
“Excuse me?”
“I just mean … ” She leans in and lowers her voice. “I feel like you could do better.”
And with that, the two of them take off into the crowd, Lauren’s faux giggle rising above the din.
Seriously? Did that just happen? Part of me wishes I had stood up to them—stood up for Darius—and explained how much he makes me laugh, and how sweet he can be, and how he may not be perfect but he’s a better person than they ever will be. But another part of me knows that not too long ago, I felt the same way they do. And a teeny, tiny part of me still fears that maybe they’re right.
The next couple of weeks fly by in a whirlwind of schoolwork, dance classes, and more than a few visits to Claymore Park. I’m so busy, I barely have time to notice the occasional stares and snickers that trail after me through Grand View’s hallways. Still, I do notice, and while I wish I could say it didn’t bother me, a girl can only handle so much snark.
Maybe that’s why I’m a bit jumpy one Friday morning when I feel a tap on my shoulder while I’m standing at my locker.
“What do you … want?” My voice goes from a shout to a strangled whisper as I turn to find Ty standing behind me, a giant candy cane in his hand.
“Hey. Can we talk?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, so I nod instead.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately, and I wondered if … Alicea, are you okay?”
I can’t take my eyes off the candy cane. I’m having a major flashback, with all the feelings I had a year ago—shock, excitement, and the general giddiness that goes with having a years-long fantasy come to life—except now they’re mixed with something else. Disorientation. Confusion.
“I’m fine,” I say finally. “Is that for me?”
“Oh, yeah. It is.” He hands me the candy cane, and I grasp it so tightly it cracks.
“Where are you heading?”
“Calculus.”
“Can I walk you?”
“Um. No.” My brain is whirling, and I have to lean back against my locker to stay upright. Is this for real? I’m not sure what to think or feel, and I have no idea what’s about to happen, but I do know one thing: I don’t want Darius around to see it. “Actually, let’s just talk here. If that’s okay.”
“Sure.” He leans against the locker beside mine. “So I wanted to ask you … I have tickets to see the Factory Boys at the 9:30 Club tonight, and I know it’s kind of short notice, but I thought maybe it would be fun, and—”
“I don’t think so, Ty.” My throat is so tight, I can barely say the words. “I mean, that’s really nice, but the timing … ”
“I know. Like I said. Short notice.”
I nod, though that wasn’t what I meant.
“The thing is … ” He leans in and lowers his voice. “My dad got these tickets from work. They’re in the third row, and there are a bunch of them, so you could invite some friends—including Maggs and Aiden. I know you’ve been trying to get those two together.”
I stare at his piercing eyes, the ones I’ve allowed myself to get lost in for almost four years, and that brilliant smile that still sends a thrill up my spine. “I don’t know.”
“Come on. It’ll be fun.” He puts his hand around mine and the now-crumbling candy cane. “I know you love the Factory Boys.”
I do, it’s true. And I have been running out of ways to get Maggs and Aiden in the same room. And then there’s the way he’s holding my …
I pull my hand away and take a step back. “Let me think about it.”
He grins. “Sure. Enjoy the candy cane.”
I avoid Darius’s gaze all through calculus. When the bell rings, he walks up to my desk, but I tell him I need to run to the bathroom. I take the long way to the rest of my morning classes so I won’t run into him.
Finally, lunchtime arrives. Maggs and Brie are already at our table when I walk in.
“Where have you been?” Maggs asks.
“G Hall,” I mutter.
“Why would you be all the way over in—”
“Ty gave me a candy cane.” I blurt it out, panic in my voice.
Brie reacts as I knew she would, lips puckered, eyebrows raised. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Brie.” Maggs shoots her a warning look, but it does no good.
“I can’t even. Alicea, you’ve been happier for the past few weeks than the entire time I’ve known you. And that includes last year when you were dating Mr. Golden Boy. Please tell me you handed the candy cane back to him and told him where he could shove it.”
“No. I did not.” I take it out of my backpack and hold it out for her to see.
“It’s in pieces.”
“It was whole when he gave it to me.”
She sighs, a long, dramatic sigh. “Okay. So what does this mean?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what to think. I had pretty much given up on ever getting back together with him, but then he goes and does this, and … you have to admit, it’s kind of sweet that he remembered about the candy cane.”
“Yeah. Though if I recall, the last time didn’t end so well.”
I glare at her. Brie knows how heartbroken our breakup left me. She knows as well as anyone that I don’t need to be reminded of it. “Seriously? Thanks for the support.”
“Alicea.” Maggs drapes her arm around my shoulder and squeezes. “You know Brie’s just—”
“Yes. I do know. I also know she has a point. That doesn’t make it any less hurtful.”
“Sorry,” Brie mutters.
We sit for a moment in silence, until Maggs clears her throat. “Well, I think the candy cane is kind of sweet. What did he say when he gave it to you?”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” I sit up a little straighter. “He asked me to go see the Factory Boys tonight. He has a bunch of tickets, so both of you could go, and Blake, too, since he’s in town. He’s also inviting some other friends. I think Aiden might be there.” I glance at Brie as if to say, See? This isn’t all about me. There may be an opportunity to do some good here.
“Well, that’s nice of him,” Maggs says. “So it would be more of a group thing.”
“Right. An outing. Not necessarily a date, per se.”
“And what about Darius?” Brie asks.
I close my eyes. It’s a question I’ve pushed out of my mind all morning. What about him? What about us? Because I can call this a “group thing” or an “outing” or whatever I want, but we all know it’s still suspiciously date-like. “Darius is awesome, and sweet, and funny, and I really like him, but he’s … not Ty.” I let out a long moan. “What should I do?”
Brie snorts. “You know what I think.”
I turn to Maggs, whose eyes widen. “Don’t ask me. I’m the queen of indecision.” She takes my hand in hers. “But whatever you decide, I’ll support you. We both will.”
She nudges Brie, who again snorts. “Alicea plus Ty equals A-Lie.”
I stick my tongue out. “And Brie plus Blake equals Break, but you two seem to be doing just fine.”
“Yeah, well, Blake’s not an idi—”
“Come on, you two,” Maggs pleads with us. “Don’t fight. I think we all want the same thing here, which is for Alicea to be happy.”
Brie rolls her eyes. “Fine. And if
Alicea insists Ty will make her happy, I’ll try to be supportive. Or at least, I won’t puke all over her like I want to right now.”
I can’t help but smile. “Deal.” That’s the best I’ll get from her anyway.
LIBBY Question #61: Your guilty pleasure involves:
A. Sweets
B. Reality TV
C. Boy bands
D. Show tunes
Both Ty and I picked “C.” No surprise there. Back when we were dating, I once caught Ty jamming to a One Direction song in his car, bobbing and weaving and shimmying as though he were Harry himself. It was seriously one of the most adorable things I’d ever witnessed.
I smile at the memory as I hop into the shower. I’ve accepted Ty’s offer to see the Factory Boys and have spent the past five hours shuttling back and forth on a bridge between Thrillsville and Guiltberg. With the exception of a couple of texts, I’ve managed to avoid Darius. He hinted at getting together this weekend, but I told him I have a lot stuff to do to get ready for Christmas.
I close my eyes and let the heat from the shower seep into my body. It’s just a concert, a night out with friends. Besides, don’t I owe it to myself to see whether Ty and I could still have a connection? I’ve invested way too much time and energy in him to simply walk away.
My phone rings, so I shut off the water, grab my towel, and answer. It’s Maggs.
“What are you wearing tonight?”
“What?”
Maggs never seems to care much about her own clothes, much less what other people are wearing.
“I’m trying to decide between my pink-and-yellow paisley dress and a black ribbed sweater. What do people wear to Factory Workers concerts, anyway?”
“Factory Boys.” Boy bands are not Maggs’s guilty pleasure. I wrap the towel around my body and another one around my head and skitter across the hall to my room. “Say it with me. Fac-tor-y Boys. Have you been listening to their Pandora channel?”
“For the past two hours. Which honestly, has felt like two years. I mean, really? ‘We’re a sure thing. Like fellas in the cold.’ What does that even mean?”
“It’s Phelps. As in Michael.”
“What?”
“‘We’re a sure thing. Like Phelps winning gold.’”
“Oh.” She giggles. “That makes a lot more sense. But still. It’s all so … be-boppity. Remind me again why I’m going to see them.”
“Because you’re a great friend.” And—even though you won’t admit it—because you want to hang out with Aiden.
“Alicea?” Maggs’s voice is soft.
“Yeah?”
“I know Brie and I haven’t always been super fans where Ty’s concerned, but that’s just because … you know.”
“The epic dumping?”
“Yeah, that. And also, I felt like … ”
“What is it? Tell me.”
She sighs. “I mean, you’ve been trying to get back together with him for so long, and he kept going out with those other girls. I guess I wanted you to move on, too.”
“Wow. Have I really seemed that desperate?”
“Come on. Don’t take it like that. You know that’s not what I mean. And anyway, obviously I was wrong. Because he asked you to this concert, so clearly he does still like you. And if you really, truly want to get back together with him, I’m behind you all the way.”
“Thank you.”
“So do you?”
I lie down on my bed and pull the towel off of my hair and over my face. “I don’t know. Which is crazy. A month ago, this would have been a dream come true. But now … ”
“Because of Darius.”
It’s a statement, not a question, so I don’t respond. I close my eyes and take a deep breath and tell myself that everything will turn out fine and we’ll have a good time tonight. I’ll figure all this stuff out later.
“I gotta get ready, Maggs. See you in an hour. Oh, and go with the paisley. ’Cause that’s what you wear to a … what concert is it?”
“Factory Boys.”
“Good job, Maggs.”
Ty looks super cute in his Messi jersey when he and Aiden pick me up.
Aiden hops out and holds the passenger-side door for me. “You can ride shotgun.”
“Oh, you are such a gentleman,” I say. “You sure you’ll be okay in the back with Maggs?”
His laughs, his face reddening.
I point at him. “No blushing once we pick her up. Do you understand? I think she’s starting to really like you, but you need to play it cool. If she suspects this is a set-up, she’ll shut it down.”
Ty flashes a wide smile as I sit down next to him. I went with a short, flouncy red dress, black tights, and tan ankle boots. “Hi. Thanks again for the tickets. And for offering to drive.”
“Of course. You look really pretty.”
The way he’s gazing at me makes me feel simultaneously charmed and traitorous, so I bite my lip and turn my attention to my phone. “Let me text Brie to let her know we’re on our way. She and Blake said they’d meet us there.”
When we get to Maggs’s house, she emerges wearing the paisley dress. She raises her eyebrows when she sees the seating arrangements but climbs into the back next to Aiden without comment.
“So are you a big Factory Boys fan, Maggs?” Ty asks as we pull out of her neighborhood and head toward D.C.
“Oh, yeah. The biggest.” Her tone drips with sarcasm. “Dakota is my favorite.”
“Dakota?”
“You know. The one with the side shave.”
“You mean Montana.”
Maggs laughs. “Dakota, Montana, whatever. I knew it was one of those cowboy states.”
“Pop isn’t really Maggs’s thing,” I say. “Though I have a feeling she’s going to be all in after tonight. She’ll want to join the Assembly Line for sure.”
“The Assembly Line?” Maggs asks. “Is that what they call their fans?”
“I don’t think it was their idea.” Ty says. “More like a Twitter thing.”
“Hashtag Assembly Line!” I flash Maggs a smile. “Seriously, I think you’re going to have a blast. Did I mention we’re in the third row? We’ll be able to count the grooves in Montana’s side shave.” I turn to Aiden. “And what do you think? Are you a fan?”
He shrugs. “They’re okay. I’m more of a Phish kind of guy.”
I nod and pretend not to notice how wide Maggs’s eyes have gotten at the mention of her favorite band. “I think we’re going to have to convert these two,” I say as I turn Ty’s stereo to a Factory Boys playlist.
Ty laughs and pumps up the volume, and together we sing the second verse of “Throwing Shade.” Beware that smile, that adoring gaze. Don’t you know she’s a double-edged blade? Her smile’s so sweet but she’s throwing shade.
I gaze out at the skyscrapers as we drive by Tyson’s Corner and try to relax back into my seat. This is just like old times. It’s what I’ve dreamed of ever since the breakup. It’s almost pure bliss. Almost.
The first three rows at the 9:30 Club are made up mostly of screaming girls, and Maggs, Brie, and I join the hysteria as the band takes the stage. They open with “Dream About You,” which is a song even Maggs and Aiden know, because you’d have to be living in Antarctica not to. I want to close my eyes. It’s all I want to do. ’Cause when I dream, girl, I dream about you. Your eyes, your lips, your sweet curvy lines. And in my dreams, I make you mine, so fine.
We all jump and sing and dance together, and I can’t stop smiling. Three girls in the row in front of us keep turning around to check out Ty. One of them gives me a once-over, pure admiration in her eyes.
In an instant, I’m transported back to last year. I’d been a nobody for so long, I practically blended in with the rows of tan metal lockers lining the halls of Grand View. But when Ty showed up with that first candy cane, I became a somebody. Now, dancing next to him, I feel that way again. These girls noticed me. They want to trade places with me. They want to be me.
At the end of the first set, the band slows things down with “Never Forget,” and we chill into our seats. I’m flushed from all the dancing, and so is Ty. I lean sideways toward him so our shoulders touch, my focus on Wilson as he croons into his mic. “So, what do you think?” I ask. “Are you having fun?”
Ty leans in to me. “Definitely. Are you?”
I glance at him, and he smiles, and the whole world seems to stop for a second. His smile has always made me feel as though I’m the only girl in the room, and this is a big room. With lots of girls. “I miss you.” It’s out of my mouth before I realize I’ve said it. My face grows warm, and seconds feel like hours as I wait for his reaction.
He nods. “Me too.”
I turn back toward the stage. Him too.
Wilson walks toward us and leans out over the crowd. I swear he looks straight into my eyes. “Like the sea and the sky and the mountains high. My love for you will never die. Never forget. Never forget. Baby, baby, never forget.”
After the concert, Ty drops off Aiden first and then Maggs. Since he and Aiden live practically in the same neighborhood, he clearly wants some time alone with me.
Is he going to tell me again that he misses me? Kiss me? Say he wants me back? As we drive through my neighborhood, past the festive red, green and white Christmas lights hanging from my neighbors’ trees, my head swims with the possibilities.
Ty pulls up to my house and cuts the engine. I unbuckle my seatbelt and shift toward him, curling my left leg up under me on the seat.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” he says.
“Thanks for bringing me. I had fun.”
“Me too. That’s why I wanted to drop you off last.”
“Oh?” I say this as though I hadn’t noticed.
He takes my hand in his and fiddles with my bracelet. He won’t look at me. It’s almost as though he’s nervous. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Ty nervous. Finally he meets my gaze, his eyes guarded. “I meant it when I said I missed you. Lately I’ve been thinking. I don’t know if it’s too late, but … ” He takes a deep breath. “I want to get back together.”
The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0 Page 12