by Randi Rigby
Erika assured me there would be other occasions to wear it. She’d even offered to take me to prom as her plus one, but sealing my high school experience as forever dateless—because you knew there would be yearbook pictures—didn’t sound at all appealing. And I had to admit, not a small part of me had been kind of excited for Luke to see me in it.
Stop being a baby, I scolded myself, bending over and hooking the straps of my heels in the crook of my finger. Throwing my bedroom door open, I burst out into the hall—right into Luke.
There was a flurry of fabric, flailing bodies, and grunting as he reached out automatically to keep me from falling over. “Harper,” he said, my name sounding almost husky as it fell from his lips. His arms were around me, our eyes inches apart. I could see the kaleidoscope of colors existing there all this time when I had thought they were only blue. It took my breath away. He quickly righted me and let go, stepping behind my brother.
Cal laughed. “You better slow down, or you’ll hurt someone.”
“Sorry.” I seemed to be saying that a lot lately. Luke wouldn’t look at me. I slipped the dress back onto its hanger as one side had fallen off in the collision. “Well, I, um, I should get going. Looks like I could really use that practice walking.” Then I paused. I had to try. “See you around, Luke.”
“Bye.”
Bye? I folded myself into the Fiat and thunked my head against the top of the steering wheel. Bye?
I wanted to scream.
10
Luke
It used to be a lot easier to ignore Harper. I could negotiate the silent treatment, the withering stares, the general sense that—given a choice—she’d prefer I did my breathing elsewhere. I’d spent Easter Sunday licking my wounds and reminding myself I’d been more than stupid. I would not get caught in that trap again. But this Harper?
I tried to get comfortable on my rolled-up towel pillow. Creeping back to the school late at night made me feel like a criminal, but I couldn’t afford to keep paying for a place to sleep. Thankfully, the rain had stopped.
Cal was getting suspicious. I’d never turned down offers for a ride home from him as much as I had in the last few days. I’d almost taken him up on it just so he’d stop worrying, but I couldn’t risk being seen by someone at my old house. And Cal was the kind of person who liked to wait until he knew you were safely inside before he’d drive away. So, I told him I needed the walk.
That, he could believe.
I’d been distracted all day. More than once, he’d had to repeat himself or pull me out of my fog. Anyone else but Cal would’ve been annoyed.
Why was she doing this?
Harper had turned heads all day. It was almost like she wanted to advertise she was now taking numbers for a replacement date to prom. And what was with the sandwiches? We’d had countless blow-ups over the years for which she’d done her fair share of apologizing—mostly at her dad’s insistence—but this time, when she said she was sorry, I knew she meant it. She’d stood there, so close I could smell her hair, remorse touching every detail in that expressive face of hers as if she was waiting, watching, wanting me to let her back in. But that wasn’t something I knew how to do.
Grunting, I pulled my layer of sweatshirts a little closer. A damp chill permeated the weight room. It was directly under the roof and poorly insulated. The rain picked back up again; the noise should’ve been soothing, but my eyes were wide open, and I’d never felt less like sleeping.
☆ ☽ ☆
Jasmine stood waiting for me at my locker the next morning. My mood instantly sank from dark to sour. I quickly scanned the hall for Cal, but he was nowhere in sight.
“Luke!” She was all smiles.
“Hey,” I acknowledged, spinning through my combination. The sooner I got my books and away from her, the better.
She ran a hand slowly down my arm, practically groping my muscles as she went. “You mind?” I said brusquely. My lock fell open, and I pulled away from her and opened the door to my locker at the same time. She started going on about some party at her place, but I could only see my Calculus textbook and the binder that had my completed homework inside. Throwing them both inside my backpack, I quickly shut my locker back up.
“So, can you come?”
“No.” I started to walk away. She followed.
“No? Why not?” She made her pouty face. I think she had the mistaken idea it was cute.
“I’m busy.”
“Doing what?” She teased. “You spend every free moment you have with Cal. Do I need to invite him too?”
I stopped, stunned. Then, shaking my head, I briskly split off and made my way up the stairs to my class. I felt like punching something. Cal did not deserve this. But how do you tell your best friend the girl he loves is playing him? I cornered him just before lunch. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” This was the Cal I knew. Instant concern. Ready to drop everything for me in a heartbeat. My brother.
Jasmine slithered up behind him and tucked her arm around his waist. His attention immediately fixated on her. “Hey, Bear. I’m having a little party Saturday night—you know, something quieter, a little more intimate. I figure that’s what everyone will be in the mood for after they recover from prom.” She winked at me from the safety behind his shoulder. “You can come too, if you want, Luke.”
I glared at her. “Like I said before, I’m busy.”
Cal missed the implication entirely. “You should come. It won’t be the same without you.”
“You really should,” she said, dragging her eyes over me, almost daring me to say something. “Think about it.” And pulling him by the hand, she led him away.
Who are you right now, Caleb?
“Don’t you just want to smack her?” Harper said, joining me at the railing as we watched them disappear down the stairs.
I stiffened.
“I spent three hours at her house yesterday. You were pretty much the only thing she wanted to talk about.” She crossed her arms and made a face. “I seriously thought about trying to record her, but she had my phone. She wanted to video me walking so I’d know what I was doing wrong. Spoiler alert—it was a lot.”
“How do you walk wrong?”
Harper’s green eyes lit up with approval. “Right?! Thank you! But apparently, these people expect you to ‘show off your feminine charms.’ Like it isn’t enough that I’m already in a dress. Trust me—unless your name is Gigi Hadid—nobody really walks like that.”
I had no idea who that was, but I got her point.
Harper sighed and stretched her arms, pushing her intertwined fingers out in front of her and cracking her neck like she needed to be limber. “Well, duty calls. I better get down there and run interference before Cal embarrasses himself more than he already has.” She started to walk away but then slowly turned around. “You know, any time you feel like being back-up again, Drake, I could really use the help.”
I hesitated, and she gave me a ghost of a smile before beginning her descent down the stairs. Flippin chicken. What power did this girl hold over me? “Harper, wait up.”
She froze. Students had to go around her.
I knew I would probably regret this. Already, I questioned my sanity. I met her on the stairs and, without another word, slipped my hand in hers. This time would be different. I’d spent all of Sunday beating myself up for forgetting why I needed to stay away from Harper Adams. The wall I’d built felt solid.
She gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
I hated the way it made me feel.
11
Harper
Cal broke out a big grin when he saw us approaching—two smiling people once again looking very much like a couple. He couldn’t tell that my tenuous hold on Luke’s hand and Luke’s loyalty to him were the only things keeping him here. “Look who made up.”
“You know me, I’m like Chinese water torture,” I said, meeting the surprise in Jasmine’s eyes. I smiled sweetly at her as we joined them at their t
able. Back off, girl—he’s taken. The weather outside still threatened more rain. A large number of our friends sat together in clumps or were wandering around the commons. It almost seemed cozy. “Luke can never stay mad at me.”
Not the biggest whopper I’d ever told, but I didn’t have the guts to brazen it out and actually look at him for his reaction. And Luke, being Luke, said nothing.
“So, you’re back on for prom, then?” Jasmine asked, already bored. She rested her head on Cal’s shoulder as if she were only making idle conversation. Everything about her said she couldn’t be less interested if we were or not. I, on the other hand, needed to know. Prom was in four days. I had an appointment already booked to get my hair and nails done, now very much up in the air. Erika and I still hadn’t gone shopping for my jewelry, and, after putting three hours of hard time in them at Jasmine’s, I was now rethinking my shoes. I’d thought they were all-nighters when I'd bought them, but after only an hour with them strapped to my feet, I found myself wishing longingly for my flip-flops.
I glanced at Luke, uncertain. He just nodded. He didn’t appear to be very excited or happy about it. Mostly, I got the feeling he counted it as a necessary evil. It promised to make the evening a memorable one.
Reaching for a smile, I rested my elbows on the table. “Definitely.”
“I wasn’t sure,” Jasmine said, suddenly playing with Cal’s earlobe. “I kind of mentioned to Brad and Sasha we might have room in our limo for them. I think they’re counting on it.”
I stared at Cal in disbelief.
“When?” Cal frowned. “You didn’t say anything to me.”
“That’s because I knew you wouldn’t mind,” Jasmine said—again with the pouty face. “You said yourself you didn’t think they’d be going now.”
“Well, they are. Brad and Sasha will have to figure something else out,” he replied.
“We can find our own way there,” Luke suddenly said.
We all looked at him in surprise. I turned in my seat. “So can they. Don’t you want to go with Cal and Jasmine?” We NEED to go with Cal and Jasmine. I almost kicked him under the table.
“We’ll see them at the dance.”
“What about dinner?” I said.
From the expression on Luke’s face, I could tell he’d forgotten about our dinner reservations at Charter, one of Sweet Mountain’s premier establishments for fine dining. “Do Brad and Sasha already have dinner plans?” Luke wanted to know.
“I told them they could come with us,” Jasmine said, still watching Luke.
“Fine. Harper and I will do our own thing and meet up with you guys later.”
Cal shook his head, “Come on, it’s our senior prom. I’m sure Brad and Sasha will understand.”
I nodded. But Luke just shrugged. “It’s not like we don’t see you guys all the time. We’ll find you. Besides,” he said, dropping a half-smile on me that made me swallow hard. “I kind of want to do something special with just Harper.”
His eyes lingered on me long enough that I forgot to breathe. I lost my train of thought—the one where I’d been about to lodge a protest. Strange how I knew his face so well, and yet sometimes, it felt like I was seeing it for the first time. I found myself marveling at the planes, angles, and shadows that made up Luke Drake. My eyes landed on his scar. It marred his otherwise perfect symmetry—a smudge on his ruggedly handsome face. I did that to him. Cal’s voice broke me out of my trance. “Okay. But only if you’re sure.”
“Harper?” Luke said quietly. He still hadn’t looked away.
I blinked. “Okay.”
Luke’s eyes dropped as he exhaled. He seemed visibly relieved. Maybe he’d grown tired of being in Jasmine’s company. Maybe the prospect of spending a night fighting her off while trying to negotiate his first dance had seemed overwhelming. Whatever it was, his mood suddenly seemed a little lighter, more relaxed. I mentally shifted gears. He’d agreed to go. I could give him this.
He walked me to my next class, his hand in mine. I realized as we passed Bella and Logan in the hall, that all our friends had grown used to seeing us together. In their eyes, we were a couple, just like them. It occurred to me that I liked it—the idea of there being an us. I’d been a twin, an Adams, a best friend, a Panther, and now I was someone’s pretend girlfriend. Luke’s. The strong presence of his fingers intertwined with mine felt real and solid. “You’re being awfully quiet,” Luke said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I moistened my lips. “This is for Cal, right?”
We’d arrived at my graphic design class. He leaned against the doorframe and watched me. “You change your mind?”
I shook my head. “I still think this is the best way for us to stay close to them.”
“Did you want to spend the whole night with him?”
He thought I was talking about prom. “I meant, you and me, what we’re doing right now—pretending we’re going out.” Suddenly, I wanted more than anything for him to say it was no longer an act.
The first bell rang. Luke straightened to let some students through, but I could still see him over the top of their heads. “Yeah. It’s for Cal,” he finally said, his attention following their progress into the classroom.
I sighed. What else were you expecting?
Right. We had a job to do. “I’m coming to your game this afternoon as soon as I get done with track practice. Can I wear your away jersey?”
Luke looked taken back. What was he afraid of? I’d return it—washed. “If you want,” he said.
“Good.” I flicked my hair over my shoulder. “And get that bracelet back on, Drake. We need all the help we can get.” With that, I went inside and sat down at my desk.
☆ ☽ ☆
The next day Sweet Mountain had an away track meet at Meridian. I noticed a pole vaulter from their school watching me as I stood around with some of my teammates stretching. “I think that guy likes you,” Chen said, watching him over my shoulder as he walked past. “He won’t stop staring at you.”
I released my quad. “Did a bird poop on my shirt again?” I immediately began checking my shoulders and the top of my head.
She laughed, remembering when one had. I’d been the butt of team jokes for weeks. “No. But—don’t look now.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s coming over.”
“Harper Adams, right?” He carried his pole in one hand, and the other shaded his eyes from the sun. He was blond and lanky and definitely cute. Compared to Luke, he seemed short, but then again, so did everyone—he was still a little taller than me. I nodded. “Justin Tribaldi,” he said, flashing a mega-watt smile. “You’re fast.”
“Thanks,” I replied, very aware that Chen might be drooling. She hadn’t let go of my arm or blinked. I cleared my throat. “When do you compete, Justin?”
“After the girls get done.”
Chen bumped me. I looked at her from behind my sunglasses. What?! “Good luck,” I said with a pleasant smile.
“We should go cheer him on,” Chen chirped. I stared at her. Okaaay.
“I’d like that,” Justin said. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be my lucky charm.”
“You’re on the opposite team,” I reminded him. “He’s the competition,” I said to Chen.
He grinned. “Come watch Sweet Mountain then.”
I had a ready excuse on the tip of my tongue, but Chen, beaming, assured him we would. After that, I couldn’t shake him. He followed us everywhere and flirted non-stop. He was in the group of people waiting to hug me after my win in the 400m. “I took a picture of you crossing the finish line,” he said when the excitement died down. He pulled out his phone to show me. Why didn’t the yearbook use pictures like this? For once, I didn’t look like I was grimacing or about ready to hurl—I appeared determined, focused, and slightly Olympian.
“Wow. You’re good. Would you send me this?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said, opening his contacts so I could give him my phone number. He picked up his pole. “
Looks like I better head over for my event.” He indicated this with a nod of his head in the direction of the mats where the girls had just finished wrapping up. “You’re coming, right?”
Chen answered for me. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
Justin could jump. He easily won his event. We waited around afterward to congratulate him on his performance. “I’m hoping to walk on at Duke,” he said.
“Harper’s going to Duke!” Chen clapped with excitement, like that was worthy of applause.
“For track?” Justin asked, impressed.
“For an education.”
“Didn’t you go to State last year?” He crossed his arms. “I’m sure you’ll be there again. No one can touch your times.”
“Maybe,” I shrugged, supremely uninterested. “I guess we’ll see.” The double-edged sword of being so competitive was once I started a race, I had to win—and I had the genes and training to pull it off. Not the best strategy when you were trying to quit the sport. But I actually had no aspirations beyond that race. If Mom hadn’t forced me, I would’ve gladly hung up my cleats. I definitely didn’t want to do it at the college level. It made her crazy to think of “my wasted talent,” and it had been an open sore in our relationship.
Justin’s text with my picture pinged in on our bus ride home. Hey, fast girl, thanks for cheering me on today.
I stared at the photo for some time, lost in what it captured. I certainly looked like someone who loved running. Maybe in that moment, I did. I dropped my phone back into my bag, feeling like there must be something wrong with me.
Luke and Cal were both sitting at the kitchen table when I got home. “How did it go?” Cal asked, looking up from his homework.