ever hit on you because you were with Reed.” I stiffen at his words. If only Chase knew how much I wish what he was saying were true.
“I’m not with Reed,” I say, running a frustrated hand through my hair. “You know he’s with Danielle. And like five million other girls.” My voice comes out in a hiss and I hate how jealous I sound. It was never supposed to be like this.
Chase just shakes his head. “Nah, I mean, I know you guys aren’t dating, but you go together. You’re a pair. Nobody wanted to get in the way of that. Besides, he’s territorial as shit.”
“What?” I set my cup of punch down on the table and a bit of it splashes over the edge of the plastic rim, leaving a little red stain on the cheap white tablecloth.
“This one time in sixth grade, Ryder said something about how you were ‘growing up nicely.’” He motions his hands in front of his chest to indicate Ryder’s real meaning. “Andrew punched him.”
I remember that, remember Andrew getting suspended for three days. He told me Ryder had pushed him first, an easy story to believe.
“That’s why Ryder always made a show of treating you like one of the guys,” Chase continues. “That’s why we all did, I guess. We all like Reed, so you were off-limits.” He downs the rest of his punch in one gulp and tosses the empty cup into the trash can beside us.
I can’t help the pressure that starts building in my chest, like I’m slowly expanding from the inside out, filling up with air. Chase’s words are repeating in my head. You go together. You’re a pair. You were off-limits. It has to mean something, doesn’t it? Why would Andrew warn other guys away from me if he didn’t have feelings, if some small part of him didn’t want me for himself?
I scan the crowd behind Chase’s head, looking for Andrew, but he’s not there. I turn around to look at the tables behind us, scanning all the seats quickly for a sandy-colored head, but he’s nowhere.
Could Andrew actually like me back?
“Looks like you found a date anyway though,” Chase says. “It just took a dude who doesn’t go to Prescott to scoop you up, someone who doesn’t know the rules.”
I pick my cup of punch back off the table and notice that my hand is shaking. “And what are the rules?”
Chase grins. “It’s the guy code.” He leans toward me and lowers his voice like he’s letting me in on a secret. “Never ditch your bros for a ho . . . sorry,” he says when I wince at the word. “Never let a guy get in a fight alone, and never go after another guy’s sister. You might not be his real sister, but in terms of the code, you definitely count.”
And there it is. Sister. The word crashes down on me; the balloon in my chest pops and deflates. Of course that’s what Chase meant. He’s still grinning at me, like he’s proud that he’s let me in on the code, like I should feel special and not like my entire world has shattered into a million different pieces, my hope exploding like the Death Star.
I crush the empty plastic cup in my hand and throw it into the trash can.
“I have to go,” I say, suddenly filled with anger, like my veins are crackling with electricity. It all makes sense. I might have met a guy earlier, might not have stayed a virgin for so long if Andrew hadn’t gotten in the way. And it’s not because he’s been jealous, because he loves me back. It’s just because I’m like his sister.
“I would have hit on you, you know,” Chase says. “Just for the record. You’re totally cute.” And then he smiles and heads over to Danielle and Ava, throwing his arms around both of them.
My hands are shaking. I need to find Andrew. I move to the edge of the room, pushing through crowds of people. The whole world is whirling color, shapes moving together in and out of focus, and it feels like I’m drunk. But it’s just the