“You’re okay with this?” I ask Wade.
“Sure. Helps pay the rent and you guys are making me a landmark.” He holds up his hands. “No complaints here.”
He checks the time and realizes we’re supposed to be open, leaving the two of us alone. I survey the mess once more and say, “So I guess we need to get this cleaned up.”
“Yep.”
I don’t tell him that I’m glad to have something to do today to keep my mind off the date with Trevor tonight. I also don’t admit that I like that he’s sticking close like this. He could have rented an office somewhere else—closer to Reese’s work.
We work through the day, me running back and forth to the front as needed. And finally, things feel a little bit back to normal. By the time we order pizza from Pie Whole and set up a spot on the floor, surrounded by dusty boxes to eat it, we both have relaxed.
He tells me a little bit about L.A. How fancy the hotel was and how the traffic is insane. He admits he embarrassed himself, almost gagging on the saki at the sushi place, and that the paparazzi camera flashes are no joke.
“For a minute I thought I was going blind. I don’t know how the celebrities do it every day.”
With my pizza in hand, I say, “What was your favorite thing?”
He chews, thinking about it. “Well, I did do one thing that I feel a little guilty about.”
Instantly, Reese comes to mind. The cheesy goodness forms a lump of paste in my mouth and I struggle to swallow and keep a neutral expression. He shouldn’t feel guilty about liking another girl.
With a pained expression on his face he confesses, “I went to see Stan Lee’s star on the Walk of Fame without you.”
I’d been bracing myself for the worst, so when he admits that, I stare at him for a moment, trying to process.
“I’m sorry. I know we agreed to go there together one day, but Aaron and I went down there and it’s not like I couldn’t look.”
He pulls out his camera and flips through some photos, stopping on one of his beat-up sneakers by the man’s name.
“It’s, uh, fine. Really.” I brighten my expression. It really is fine. “Send me a copy of that, okay? It will look great on your feed.”
“Yeah?” he looks surprised. He presses a few buttons and I hear the little “whoosh” that means the photo sent, followed by the buzz of my phone receiving it.
“Perfect, thanks.”
We eat a little more quietly, switching our focus on an old stack of Archie comics.
“I have a theory about these books,” I announce.
“Oh yeah?”
“Well, Archie and his gang are human characters living in a human world, but I truly think Riverdale is in an alternate reality. Obviously, anything can happen in a comic, but there’s always something a little off—and the things that happen to them are just weird. Like, at any time there could be a zombie outbreak or a superhero show up, or even aliens.”
Gabe’s pizza is long gone and as he often does, he pulls out a pen and flips it through his fingers. After a moment he reaches for my leg and tugs it across his lap, holding his pen over my ankle. Gabe has used me as a drawing surface for years. In fact, the very first character for Photobooth Society was sketched on my arm during lunch one day. It’s one of the normal things that makes it feel like we’re going back to the old way. Too bad his fingers touching my skin makes me want to catch fire.
“I can buy that theory,” he says.
I hold up a digest and through a mouthful of crust, I ask the age-old question, “Betty or Veronica?”
“There’s no right answer to that question,” he says, glancing up from the design he’s blocking from my view. The bridge of Gabe’s nose is smudged with dust and his hat is hanging on the doorknob, his hair sticking up in a million directions. He looks tired but happy. “Betty’s the perfect girl next door. She works on cars and bakes cakes and is an amazing friend. Veronica’s the gorgeous, spoiled rich girl that’s just out of reach. The contrast is timeless. It’s why ninety years later it’s still up for discussion.”
I roll my eyes. “Way to avoid the question.”
“What about you? Archie or Reggie?”
I try to get a peek but he bends over so I can’t see. “Please, I’m team Jughead all the way.”
His eyebrow raises and it makes him way too adorable. “Jughead? Really?”
“He loves food, sleeping, and his dog. He’s a devoted friend, a little snarky and wary of the opposite sex.” I shrug. “Also, he wears that goofy hat and you know I’m into skinny guys.”
Our eyes connect. Yeah, I’d basically just described Gabe. I swallow and toss the book onto the pile we’re donating to the girls' home. They have a book sale at the fall festival every year to raise money.
“I probably need to go check up front and see if Wade needs anything.”
“Sure,” he says, running his hand gently over the area on my ankle he’d been drawing on. He snaps the cap on his pen and I stand quickly, grabbing the pizza box and trash on the way.
It’s not until I’m outside the room that I look down and see what’s he’s drawn. I kind of expected a sketch from the Archie books but it’s not. It’s Thea and Gunther from Photobooth Society. The two best friends.
My heart hammers as I look at it, wondering if he’s trying to send a message or just confuse me even more. Because Thea and Gunther are best friends—nothing more—except people want them to be more. Maybe Gabe does too.
I don’t say anything about it. My mind and heart aren’t in the right places to delve into this right now. I need to focus on two things. My date with Trevor and moving on.
21
Norah
“Is that what you’re wearing?”
I look down at my jeans, sneakers, and T-shirt with the logo of one of my favorite YouTubers. “What’s wrong with it?”
“You’re going on a date, Norah, not hanging out at home,” Delaney says, walking from my bed where she’d been sitting over to my closet.
“If I was hanging out at home, I wouldn’t wear shoes or jeans. Leggings and fuzzy socks all the way.”
A shadow crosses my door and Olivia appears.
“Did you say Norah is going on a date?” my sister asks.
I ignore her and say to Delaney, “I think the real thing we need to be concerned with here is my hair.” I point to the frizzy mop. The humidity rose over the afternoon and I swear it’s bigger than ever. I sit at the vanity.
“I like your hair,” she says, “maybe you could just pull some of it back and let the rest hang loose.”
She pulls my hair out of the ponytail and combs her fingers through it. My sister watches from the doorway. “Use a comb. That’s what I do.”
Olivia is one of those girls that watches makeup and hair tutorials for hours on YouTube. Not that she applies the principles herself. She mostly wears black with an accent of black and her hair in the same ponytail every day. Unfortunately, she still has more style than I do.
She walks in and finds one on the vanity and hands it to Delaney. “So he finally asked you out.”
Delaney snorts. “Finally? He’s been asking her out every day for three years. It was getting pathetic.”
“Three years?” Olivia repeats. “I knew Gabe had a crush on you, but I didn’t know he’d actually asked you out.”
Delaney and I make eye contact in the mirror and I shake my head slightly, but I know it’s too late.
“Gabe didn’t ask her out. Trevor Salvatore did.”
Olivia blinks. “Trevor Salvatore.”
“Who’s Trevor Salvatore?”
“No one,” I reply.
“This guy in our class. He’s cute and wrestles and has been trying to get your sister to go out with him forever.”
I glare at my friend in the mirror. She doesn’t care.
“It’s not a big deal. And it’s not even for real. He just likes bugging me and I had a moment of insanity and agreed.”
“He�
�s totally into her,” Delaney says, ignoring my protests. Olivia, apparently fascinated by the turn of events, grabs the mascara wand from the pile of rarely used makeup and starts working on my eyes. “Big time.”
“How does Gabe feel about this?” Olivia asks.
I shrug, trying to play it cool. Now is not the time for them to find out that we dated for a few days—and made out a lot. “Why would he care?”
They share a look over my head and Olivia rolls her eyes. “What’s it like living in Denial? I hope the view is nice.”
Delaney laughs. “Your sister is funny. And accurate.”
“Don’t encourage her.” I say, but it’s too late. I can tell Olivia loves the attention. “Gabe is my best friend—not my boyfriend. He’s busy and completely involved with his business, and if you haven’t noticed from the photos on every gossip site out there, hanging out a lot with Reese Weatherly. I’m barely on his radar.”
“Ah,” Olivia says, forcing me to close my eyes. I feel her gently use the pencil on my upper lids. “So that’s how you two are playing it. Pretending to be into someone else. Be careful, this could backfire. If Trevor’s really cute, you could fall for him.”
I open my eyes and quickly stand. I’m tired of Olivia always being up in my business. “No one is playing anything. We may work together but that doesn’t mean it’s anything more than that. And nothing’s going to backfire because there’s nothing going on with me and Trevor, either.” I grab my hoodie off the back of my door. “You two need a life of your own, do you know that?”
Delaney nods in defeat and looks at my sister. “She’s not wrong.”
The doorbell rings and I shoot them both a glare. “Don’t even think of coming downstairs until we’re gone.”
“Norah,” Delaney says, pulling a sweater out of my closet. She walks over and exchanges it for my soft, comfortable hoodie. I sigh, knowing she’s right, and take it. “Have fun.”
I walk down the steps, taking deep breaths, bracing myself. Unfortunately, I move too slow, because my mother beats me to the door and I hear my name called up the stairs.
“Norah?” There’s a question in her voice. Why wouldn’t there be? Trevor Salvatore is not the normal type of boy that rings the front doorbell asking for me.
“Coming,” I say, turning the corner. I exhale slowly when I see that Trevor’s not dressed up but also in jeans and a nice shirt. He looks good, blond hair tamed, face tan. His clothes fit perfectly. He watches me come down the steps and my face heats up.
“I’m Norah’s mother, Jane.”
“I’m Trevor,” he says, shaking her hand. There’s little doubt my mother is impressed. Why wouldn’t she be? Captain America just showed up at my door.
“Nice to meet you. Where are you two going tonight?”
“I thought maybe a movie? Or really whatever Norah wants to do.” He smiles at me and the unexpected twist of nerves in my stomach alarms me.
“We should probably go,” I say. There’s no way Olivia’s staying upstairs for much longer and she won’t be as polite as Mom. Trevor smiles at my mom and we head out the door, his hand grazing my lower back. I freeze. Not just from his touch but because there’s another person on the porch.
Gabe.
“Hey,” he says, pushing his glasses up his nose. He shifts on his feet uncomfortably.
“Hey, man,” Trevor says, stepping forward in a completely friendly way. He and Gabe shake hands.
“I thought maybe you’d be gone already,” Gabe says.
“Trying not to see me?” I say, with a sharp edge.
“Uh, no, that’s not what I meant.” He holds up a thick envelope of papers. “These came to my house by mistake instead of here. It’s the contract stuff. For the job.”
“Oh right.”
I’ve never felt so awkward. Not even that time I wore my shirt backwards with the tag in the middle of my chest all day at school and no one told me until fifth period.
“I’ll just leave them with your mom,” he says, gesturing to the house.
“Good idea. I’ll look over them when I get home.”
We hold one another’s eye for a moment and I swear something flits across his eyes, but it’s gone in an instant.
“You guys have fun,” he says, stepping into the house.
“Thanks,” Trevor says stepping off the porch. If he knows how unfortunate that encounter was, he doesn’t act like it, but something makes me doubt it.
I can’t help but take one last look over my shoulder, recalling how I’d told Gabe we’d never done this. An official date. Nothing. All we did was rush into something I didn’t feel like I could control.
Something that very likely shifted the dynamic between us forever.
22
Gabe
I hear the car doors slam in the driveway as I walk in Norah’s house, and use every ounce of willpower not to freak out about what I just saw. I mean, Norah told me she was going out with Trevor. I guess I just had a little hope that maybe it wasn’t true and I had to see it to believe it.
I may not be the only one, because three figures converge in the entry; Delaney and Olivia running down the stairs and Mrs. Saddler peering out the window.
They all pause when they see me.
“Gabe,” Mrs. Saddler says, eyes shifting toward the driveway. “You probably saw that Norah just, uh, left.”
“I did,” I say, well aware that they’re all staring at me. I hold up the envelope. “I needed to drop this off and told her I’d bring it in.”
Mrs. Saddler takes the envelope. “Sure. I’ll make sure she gets it.”
I glance up at the girls and nod. “Hey.”
“Hey, Gabe,” Olivia says. “I heard about the deal. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” I smile genuinely. “I’m pretty excited.”
“I have an idea,” Delaney says, eyes twinkling, “we should go celebrate.”
Olivia nods. “That’s a great idea. What do you think?”
I’ve never been anywhere alone with Olivia or Delaney before. Any time we’ve spent together has been either as a group at school or, with Olivia, our families. Olivia’s always been younger and I’m aware that last year she had all those problems. Delaney…well, she’s just more Norah’s friend than mine, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out. Right?
“I don’t have any plans,” I say, thinking about how I told Monica I couldn’t see her tonight. The lines between people liking me for me and people liking me for my success is growing thin and confusing. I may not usually hang out with these two girls, but at least I know their motivations.
“Great,” Delaney says, walking down the steps, “I could use a burger from Davie's.”
“Yeah,” I say, realizing I hadn’t eaten since lunch and I gave Norah all my crust. “That sounds perfect.”
And that’s how I end up in a booth at the landmark Ocean Grove diner on a Saturday night with these two girls. The two girls closest to my best friend. My recent secret ex-girlfriend. The girl who was out on a date with one of the most popular guys in school.
When had this all turned so complicated?
Oh, I know, when I kissed her that night on the beach.
I shove a handful of fries in my mouth and try not to think about how much my life has changed in a matter of days.
“So,” Olivia says, sucking on the straw of her chocolate milkshake, “tell us everything. Well, everything that you can.”
I wipe my greasy hands on my napkin. “I don’t even know where to start. The whole thing is kind of surreal.”
“I bet,” Delaney says. “I can’t imagine having all of this in my life all of a sudden. I want to perform on Broadway one day, but that seems so far off. Everything with your deal has happened so quickly.”
I nod. “It is fast. Like, we’re supposed to start working on the script and casting in the next week. Apparently, it’s a hot, fast-tracked property. Sometimes I feel like my head is spinning.”
“I bet i
t’s nice having someone like Reese by your side,” Olivia says. “She’s got the experience to navigate it. Avondale just exploded when it first went on the air.”
“She’s a huge asset,” I agree. “And a huge fan. I’m lucky she’s involved.”
The two girls across from me share a look.
“You guys looked really close in those photos,” Olivia says, casually leaning her elbow on the table. “Is something going on there?”
“With me and Reese?” My voice cracks when I speak and inexplicably, my cheeks heat. I know it’s because Reese is an incredibly beautiful woman and sure, I find her attractive. Why wouldn’t I? She’s gorgeous and kind and really smart. But definitely not my type and absolutely not into me. “It’s just a work relationship.”
“Just like you and Norah, right?”
I look at Delaney, possibly for help, but her expression is just as curious as Olivia’s. I think I’ve walked into a trap.
“So what’s the deal? Do you like my sister?”
Does she know? Does everyone?
“Your sister is on a date right now.”
She shrugs. “You were out with Reese two days ago and you just said it didn’t mean anything.”
I pull off my cap and run my hand through my hair, feeling like I’m under interrogation. They both stare at me—hard--and I squirm in my seat. My hands get clammy and I rub them over my thighs. Finally, I cave.
“We kissed.”
Delaney gasps. Olivia yells, “You and Reese?”
“No!” I whisper shout back. I look around to see if anyone heard, but no one is paying us any attention. “Me and Norah.”
Delaney’s mouth curves into a wide grin. Olivia just looks suspicious. “Have you been sneaking into her bedroom again?”
I hold back my own surprise. Does this kid know about everything?
“That’s not where it happened,” I say, not exactly lying. “It was at the bonfire.”
“Oh, so that’s why you ran off so fast,” Delaney says.
“It was a weird spontaneous thing. A mistake.”
Norah and The Nerd: Best Friends Romance (Love in Ocean Grove Book 4) Page 10