dough ever a bad idea?”
“Genius.” He pulled me to the side so we could dodge another couple walking by. Carson had been putting his arm around me since we were kids, but I noticed it more now. Felt it. Like the new muscles he had were electric charged.
“You get us seats, and I’ll order?” I suggested, just to get away from the brain-fogging charge.
“Sure,” he agreed.
I went to the counter and ordered a small chocolate chip for myself and the largest, most chocolatey thing on the menu for Carson. He was ridiculous that way—he didn’t like just a little of a good thing; he went all in.
I paid in cash, then turned, holding the two cups with tiny spoons, in search of my friend I hoped could be more. I didn’t see anyone sitting at a table by themselves in the expansive food court, but then I realized: Carson wasn’t sitting by himself.
A girl from school named Sarah was sitting with him. And she was laughing, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder.
And he was laughing too.
My stomach clenched in a confusing way, and I started toward them. Why would I be upset about another girl talking to Carson? Even if she was pretty? What did that matter? Girls tried to talk to Carson all the time now that he’d hit puberty. That didn’t mean I didn’t have a chance.
I steeled myself and walked to where they were sitting. The problem? They didn’t even realize I’d approached until I set the cookie dough down on the table.
Carson and Sarah jerked back like I’d snuck up on them, not like I’d walked across the room in broad daylight with something I’d told Carson was coming.
“Oh, hi, Callie,” Sarah said, looking disappointed.
Carson’s eyes widened at the chocolatey mess in front of him. “This looks amazing.”
Sarah smiled. “Maybe we should get some together sometime?”
This was quickly going from bad to worse. I was clenching the world’s tiniest spoon as I dreaded and prayed for his answer.
With a grin, Carson said, “Definitely. I’ll text you. Can I have your number?”
My legs swayed, and I fought to stay on my feet.
Sarah nodded and bit her lip before extending her hand for his phone. He swiped it open to a new message, and she entered his number, then handed it back to him. “See you around, Carson.” As if realizing I was there for the second time, she said, “Callie.”
My heart had stalled in my chest, and my joints worked about as well as steel as I sat down across from Carson and his dopey grin.
Everything in me wanted to run away and cry, but I stayed for my friend. Tried to be as happy for him as he clearly was for himself.
He looked up at me from his phone, his mouth full of chocolate, and pointed at my cookie dough. “Are you going to finish that?”
I shook my head and pushed it forward. For once, I wasn’t hungry.
CARSON
Sarah’s house was perfect. Not in the same way the Copelands’ house was. Callie’s house felt like home. Sarah’s house felt like there would be a realtor walking in at any moment to show a trendy couple all the cool features that could be theirs if they just wrote a check. It made me feel like maybe I didn’t belong here.
Sarah pulled me past the entryway to the living room, where her parents sat in front of a big-screen TV watching what looked like a home improvement show. An old white dude on the screen was making lame jokes while his wife smiled and shook her head.
“Mom, Dad,” Sarah said, squeezing my hand tightly. “This is my boyfriend, Carson.”
I loved how easy things were with Sarah. I’d never even asked her to be my girlfriend. She just assumed, and I rolled with it. Simple. Not like with Callie, where I could put my whole heart out there and have it ignored.
Her dad lowered his reading glasses to examine me, making them hang so low on his nose I worried they’d fall off. But her mom, she practically jumped from the couch and came to greet me. “This is Carson?” She sent her daughter a massive wink, and Sarah’s cheeks grew pink.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, extending my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And polite?” she said. “Swoon.”
Well, I had Callie’s dad to thank for that. I definitely hadn’t gotten any kindness from my father.
“Mom,” Sarah admonished.
“Oh, it’s fine.” Her mom brushed my shoulder. “He can take a little teasing.