It Had to Be You

by Lizzy Charles

  My eyes keep wandering over to the door of the banquet hall, my chest expanding every time it opens in hopes she’ll walk through. Maybe she’s too sick to come down. I whip out my iPhone and send her a quick text. How are you feeling? I bet I could convince one of the servers to bring up some of the leftover chicken noodle soup they had at lunch.

  “Jamie. How nice to see you alone for once.”

  Her voice makes me flinch. “Emma.” I turn around.

  She’s wearing a pink leotard with a barely-there tutu. Do not look down and check her out. That’s all she wants.

  “Great party. I heard you’re behind all this?” she says.

  “Just the idea. The rest of the council took it and ran with it. I was so busy with football.” When she steps in a little closer, purposely giving me an angle to look down past her throat at her chest, I glance up at the weird gauze they used to decorate the DJ booth, not giving her the satisfaction. “I had nothing to do with any of this.”

  The music shifts into a slow song. Oh no. There’s no way I’m getting stuck with this one.

  My arms immediately cross, and I jump back. Where is Edel? God, she must be really sick to be this late.

  Emma sighs. “James…” She reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck, starting to sway with the beat. “Dance with me—as friends of course.”

  “It’s not a good idea, Emma.” I pull her hands off the back of my neck.

  “Are you serious?” She laughs. “Come on, Jamie. Tear away what we did behind closed doors, and we were nothing more than friends. Why does the last part have to change?”

  “Maybe because you chopped my girlfriend’s hair off.”

  Those mascara-thick eyelashes bat wildly. “A little jealous moment, I admit it. But can you blame me?” Her hand floats to my bicep and squeezes it as she stumbles into my arms. “I’ve missed you.” There’s a scent of vodka on her lips. Of course she’d sneak in booze.

  I spin her around. “Emma, look at all those guys out there. Any of them would kill to dance with you.”

  “But I only want you.” Her giggle bubbles.

  “Listen. You don’t need any of them, and you don’t need me.” I catch sight of one of her groupies, another junior who is so quiet I don’t even know her name. I flag her down, and she’s at Emma’s elbow within a moment. “Make sure she has some water, okay?”

  “See. You do care.” Emma partially floats and stumbles her way across the dance floor in her friend’s arms.

  It’s true. Seeing her drunk makes me feel sorry for her.

  There’s a tap on my back, and it takes all my strength not to groan, knowing another girl will be taking Emma’s place behind me. This is what life will be like all the time by tomorrow morning. I can’t believe this was the life I used to want.

  She taps again. With a tolerant smile, I spin around.

  Edelweiss grins in a tight green costume and a pair of sparkling wings. “I’m a fairy.”

  “Tinkerbell. I get it.” My throat tightens. Seriously. Is she trying to kill me?

  She tugs at the dress that hugs her hips in a way that makes my knees weak. “I wanted to be a ghost, but Charlotte said the costumes were gone. The other girls are fairies, too.” She glances back toward one of the high-top tables, and when I see Ainsley in a little dark-purple number that shows a lot of thigh, I can’t help but cringe.

  She should not be allowed to wear that here.

  “So, Emma, huh?”

  Who’s Emma?

  Edelweiss’s jaw clicks. “I see.”

  Oh. Emma!

  “No, no, no. She’s drunk. Confused. I didn’t want to dance with her.”

  She cracks a smile and whispers. “It’s okay, James. Our agreement never stipulated you couldn’t date Emma after we were through. Granted, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least say that I think you deserve someone better.”

  “Like you?” The words are out of my mouth before I even know what I’ve said. Shit.

  Her eyes drop to the floor. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I mean a girl who wants to lift you up, not drag you down.”

  Drag me down. Like I’m doing to Edel.

  When she glances up, the lights bounce off her sapphire eyes. I lift her chin with a finger to make sure I get a good look. “Dance with me.”

  “Are you sure? Won’t that seem weird if we’re supposed to break up in an hour?”

  There’s no way I’m passing up the chance to dance with Edelweiss tonight. “Well, it’ll look odd if we don’t at least try to dance together. Don’t you think?”

  “Okay.”

  The music transitions into another slow groove, and I tuck Edelweiss into my arms, letting my hands rest on the curve of her hips while we sway. Having her so near feels better than any touchdown.

  “James?” she whispers, pressing her hand lightly to my chest. “Do you think…”

  “What?” My hand wanders to the small of her back, scooping her closer.

  “Never mind.”

  “Please don’t say that.” I stop dancing, gazing down at the perfect little fairy in my arms. A fairy is fitting for this girl. Feisty and precious. Courageous and delicate. Edelweiss in a nutshell. “What do you want to know?”

  Suddenly, the white twinkle lights flick off, along with the DJ’s purple overhead lights. No! Not now. A thunderous boom that makes my ears pop blares from the speakers, and Edelweiss jumps into my arms. “What’s happening?” The windy theme music fades in, making the hair on my arms stand up.

  I spin her around and point her toward the concession tables. “Get behind one of those tables, right now.” She looks back at me, and those eyes are blazing wide. Worried. “It’s okay,” I whisper, accidently—okay, purposely—letting my lip graze her ear. “This is the prank. Just take cover, and you’ll be all right.”

  There’s a high-pitch screech that halts everyone shifting on the dance floor. Two beats later, as rehearsed, hands start smacking against the windows from the outdoors. Proctor prances forward, his smile so big you’d think it was his first Christmas.

  The side door opens and one by one, zombies straggle in. Edelweiss isn’t moving, so I take her hand in mine and tug her across the dance floor. I grab Ainsley as well and hand them both off to Gavin, who’s behind the concession table. “Do not let any of those zombies near them.”

  “No sweat, man.”

  I join most of the senior guys out on the dance floor. Girls shriek while the zombies wander in, reaching out but not touching anyone who isn’t a senior guy. The choreography of each death scene is perfect, each one happening one after another. People slide on fake blood as they bolt from the dance floor.

  The screams lessen once people figure out our football team is in on it. Instead, cheers erupt as each senior guy is slayed.

  Proctor puts on such a spectacle with tumbling over a table while a zombie eats his brain that the room breaks into applause. Looks like the forty-five minutes they took to choreograph that death was worth it.

  “Lighten it up a bit, don’t you think?” Julie nudges me with her shoe, and I glance up at her from my deathbed on the dance floor. “Do you know how long it’s going to take us to get the stain from those blood capsules off your shirt?”

  With a grunt, I stand up, admiring my masterpiece. All around me lay “dead” bodies with an apple-Jell-O brainlike concoction spilling onto the floor. This prank will be remembered forever.

  “Come on, it’s perfect this way.”

  “Some of the freshmen are crying. Your blood capsules destroyed their costumes. Lights on, now.”

  “Fine.” I flag the DJ, who flicks the lights back on, then hands me the microphone. Time to wind this down. “Everyone, let’s give the Dayton football team a round of applause!” The majority of the room erupts in cheers, and as planned, our freshmen football team step up with rags, quickly mopping up the mess on the floor and walls. Within minutes, the music is back on and the dance floor is packed.
<
br />   “I don’t recall approving twenty-one visitor vouchers.” Julie crosses her arms.

  “You did.” I pull out the paper with her signature. Sure, I played a little dirty, showing up at her house with pizza on a night I know she drinks wine with her favorite reality TV shows. After her third glass, getting her to sign wasn’t hard.

  “Did you check their IDs?” she asks after examining the paper.

  I tug out a thick square envelope from my back pocket. “All twenty-one IDs held and accounted for. I’ll give them back on their way out the door.”

  “I’ve got nothing on you, huh?”

  “Not this time. Sorry, Julie.”

  She rests her hand on my shoulder for a moment, then pulls it back. “Sorry, I forgot.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “I’ve been worried about you, James. You’re not acting like yourself lately.”

  “Nervous about tonight.” Worried that once I let Edelweiss go, I’ll fall back into my old life.

  “I see. Well, thank you for putting in the effort to make sure the senior prank didn’t target me.” She laughs. “God, it’ll feel good knowing that for one year, I don’t have to worry about my stuff being destroyed.”

  “See.” I nudge her. “I told you there’s a perk of having your nephew be the mastermind behind most of the school pranks.”

  “As long as there is one perk, right?” She tucks her hands into the pockets of her trousers. “Want to come to breakfast Sunday morning? I accidently ordered eleven pounds of bacon online instead of one. Tossed most of it in the freezer, but if you want to—”

  “You had me at bacon. I’ll be there.”

  Julie rolls her eyes with a grin before she walks right through the dance floor to break up a few couples who have started grinding. I use her sea-parting to get to Edelweiss.

  “That was something.” She steps out from behind the table. “I have to hand it to you—when you commit, it’s 100 percent. The attack looked like something from a movie.” She glances at the patio, which—as expected after the attack—the custodian has now lit. I knew he’d want to make sure no one else is lurking out there.

  “So, is this a good time?” she asks.

  No. I’ll never be ready to let go of you, Edelweiss.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Edelweiss

  The leaves crunch under our feet as I gaze up at the sliver of the moon. “You didn’t wear a costume,” I say to James. The wind howls, biting at the skin on the back of my neck, arms, and legs.

  James takes a seat a few feet away from me, as planned. The space feels awkward, and I can’t help but slide an inch closer. Usually, we’re right next to each other. He glances down at his football jersey. “Sure I did. I’m a football player.” His warm chuckle fills the night air. “Honestly, I was so busy prepping the prank this evening I totally forgot.” He glances back toward the windows at the dancers inside.

  Probably wondering what he’s missing out on. Or who, for that matter.

  “We can make this fast if you want.” My fingers fidget, so I ball them up in my lap. “I mean, fights are supposed to be quick, aren’t they?”

  He shakes his head. “Depends on the person. With you, it should start slow with talking. You’re too sweet to just go off on me without trying to speak things through first. Maybe we talk a bit, and then you can stand up and yell a little? I’ll come in like I’m going to kiss you, and you shove me away, stomping off. Or something like that?”

  I nod. The wind whips around the corner, sending shivers down my legs.

  “You’re cold.”

  “A bit, yeah.”

  “Here. I’ll give you my jersey.”

  I laugh. “No thanks.” His thoughtfulness is killer. “Handing over your jersey isn’t really breakup material.”

  He frowns, then a second later he tugs it off anyway, revealing a white T-shirt. “We’ll tell people I was hot from dancing. Take it.” Instead of tossing it over, he brings it over to me, then takes a seat on the bench right next to me.

  “Now this really looks like we’re breaking up.” Still, I put it on. The jersey is still warm from his body.

  He sighs, pressing himself off the bench and moving down to the next one over. “Better?”

  “More believable.” But not better. I press my toe into the ground, spinning it on a leaf to turn it into dust.

  “So, what are you going to do with your freedom?”

  “Sleep around, of course.” I toss him an eye roll, and I can’t help but catch the hiss in the back of his throat. “Kidding,” I add. “I’ll probably just hang out more with the girls.”

  “There’s no guy you’re waiting for?” He taps his lip. “Maybe Gavin would be good for you?”

  “Gavin?” I actually cough. Most girls swoon over a guy with a guitar, but it’s nothing compared to James. “No thanks. I’m not really interested in dating anyone. Once we break up, that item on my list will be checked off.”

  He nods. “Well, let me know if you need help checking off some of the other items on your list. I’m game.”

  “How? We won’t be talking much.”

  “Right.” He pulls out his phone. “I’m still going to text you after all this. Is that okay?”

  Texting. Yes! At least that’ll be some sort of connection we can maintain. “I’d be mad if you didn’t.”

  “So…” He frowns. “You should probably stand up and yell at me a bit.”

  A dreadful feeling sinks within my chest. “I don’t think I could ever yell at you.”

  “Sure you can.” He laughs, glancing down at the patio. “I got a good earful after the shower rescue.” When he looks back up, there’s a firm determination in his eyes. He wants this. No, he needs us to be apart.

  My heart nose-dives to the patio. There must be another girl.

  What’s wrong with me? None of this is real! I was never his girl to begin with. “I’m being silly. Of course I can yell at you.”

  A grin spreads across his face. “Then get to it.” There’s an arch in his brow, a playful challenge.

  I jump to my feet, my heart fluttering like a humming bird. “James Parson!” My voice cracks.

  “You call that a yell?” He laughs. “God, you are adorable.”

  Adorable? No! I want to be desirable. “Don’t. Call. Me. Adorable.”

  “There we go. That’s the anger we’re looking for. Now shake your finger at me.”

  I do.

  “Oh my God.” His palms pull down his cheeks with a groan. “I knew I should have had Emma teach you the ropes of a good argument.”

  “Emma?” I stand back. “You wanted me to learn from Emma?”

  “There you go! Now you look pissed off.” That’s because I am.

  He jumps up and in one stride closes the distance between us, scooping me into him with his arm. When his lips touch mine, it’s bold and brilliant.

  And then I’m gone.

  My lips part, and I can’t help but let him kiss me, and oh how he kisses me. How am I supposed to push him away? Logic defies me with the heat from his lips and the way he curls me into his chest.

  “Edelweiss,” he whispers, pulling away briefly.

  “Just—” I stretch up on my tiptoes and brush my lips against his once more.

  “Trying to make it look real?” he asks.

  My response is another kiss.

  “I’m thinking you should take up drama club.”

  “Maybe.” Heat floods my cheeks. What am I doing? I press my palms into his chest, glancing up at those deep, brown eyes, focusing on those golden flecks so I’ll never forget how mesmerizing they are.

  “Edel.” There’s an ache in his voice. He’s begging for this to end. Now.

  If that’s what he needs, I’ll give it. Even if he has no idea he’s walking away with my heart in his hands.

  “Go,” I hiss, pressing into his chest with all my force. He staggers backward, his eyes popping wide in shock. Maybe he should be the one taking up d
rama club.

  “Edelweiss!” He calls after me, and I force myself to ignore him, bolting back inside before I lose brain function and maul him with my lips one last time.

  …

  “What do you mean it’s over?” Tuti’s warm hand rests on my back. “You two were just kissing on the patio.”

  “He…” God, I can’t even say the lie he wanted me to tell people—how we just stopped feeling our spark. “It’s just over, Tuti. We’re not right for each other.”

  Her fingernails gently scratch my back. “I’m so sorry, Edelweiss. I know how much you liked him. Maybe you guys just need to talk things out?”

  “No. We tried that.” My voice cracks, and as it does, my heart goes with it. My eyes burn into my pillowcase, tears squeezing their way out.

  It’s really over.

  Our bedroom door flies open. “Is this real?” Ainsley asks while she charges through the room, waving her cell phone in the air.

  “He’s such an ass!” Charlotte runs in behind her. “Oh, heavens. Look at you!”

  I try to drag my head off the pillow, but it’s almost like there’s a weight pinning me down, the universe demanding that I stay put while it figures out where my heart went.

  Charlotte kneels, her forehead puckering as she shakes her head. “You’ve got it bad, girl.”

  “And you think that’s helping?” Ainsley groans, yanking her back. “Edelweiss, please.” She holds up her phone, showing me Proctor’s Instagram post from the party still going on downstairs. It’s a photo of James with a girl in his math class dancing together. She’s pressed in so close that her boobs look like they might pop out of that little angel gown. The image makes me sick, but the caption makes my skin prickle and the hair on my arms stand on end.

  How could he say that about me?

  “What does it say?” Tuti asks, taking the phone and reading aloud. “Closed legs means a new girl for the King of Brockmore.” She drops the phone. “Oh my god. That’s horrible. He broke up with you because you didn’t want to have sex?”

  I can’t even answer the question. Man, he must have wanted distance from me fast if he was willing to say that. My stomach turns over, and I groan, reaching for my trash bin.