but I could normally handle small talk for a few minutes. I was out of my element surrounded by all these sorority girls, which really wasn’t fair. I had no reason to think they were anything but nice people.
The presentation covered the basics of being on homecoming court. I was relieved to learn that unlike in high school, the girls weren’t required to wear formal dresses. The guys would wear suits, and the girls were expected to “dress smartly,” whatever the hell that meant. I would have to look up pictures online of past years’ courts because I’d never paid attention to the court in general, much less their clothing.
Campaigning wasn’t required either, which was another relief. Part of the reason I had resisted being on the court was that I didn’t want to have to sell myself. I wasn’t good at that. I was better behind the scenes, like in a lab. Hence the reason I’m majoring in biomedical engineering.
The court representatives had two major responsibilities—well, three if I counted the court presentation at the homecoming game. We had to film an interview that highlighted our platforms. These would be posted online for the student body to view. The other unexpected responsibility was attending the homecoming alumni event the night before the game, which didn’t seem like a big deal. Overall, I was getting off easy. Being on the court really wasn’t all that complicated.
Although judging from the serious and contemplative expressions on some of the other girls’ faces, they took it a lot more seriously than I did. I wasn’t willing to put in the effort it would require to beat them. While I was competitive, I also knew when to cut my losses. They had a whole sorority full of girls to back them. I had Hanima, Courtney, Nicole, and whatever WIE members we could actually get to participate. Sigh.
The presenter finished speaking and invited us to stay as long as we wanted to get to know one another. Um… no, thank you. I’d barely managed small talk with Blake without coming across as a dimwit. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was handsome, and with his preppy exterior, he was the exact opposite of my normal type, which was mainly Carson. Maybe getting to know him better wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
“What’s your platform?” I asked him.
“Breast cancer. My aunt is fighting it now.”
“That’s awesome.” I cringed. I should give up on the small talk. “I mean, it’s not awesome that your aunt is sick, but that’s an awesome platform.”
He smiled easily. “I knew what you meant.”
“Your platform makes mine feel silly.”
He looked at me expectantly. “What is it?”
“Oh, sorry. Promoting girls’ education in science and technology.”
He shook his head. “That’s not silly. It’s important too.”
“It is,” I allowed. And while I wholeheartedly believed in it, it still felt insignificant compared to finding a cure for a life-threatening illness that affected millions. My family was fortunate because we didn’t have a history with breast cancer, but a girl I’d known in high school had a scare when she was just seventeen.
“Think about it this way,” Blake said. “Girls think differently than guys, right? So we need girls in science. We need all the different perspectives we can get. A woman might be the one to cure cancer.”
The nerves that had wound themselves tightly in my stomach uncoiled. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For getting it. I feel the same way.” Our eyes met, and I looked away, feeling exposed.
The other candidates started filtering out. Guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to mingle.
Blake held his hand out for my empty water bottle then walked over to the recycling bin to toss both our bottles in. He turned back toward me. “We should exchange numbers. You know, in case either of us has a homecoming emergency.”
I arched a brow, suddenly feeling very much in my element. I definitely knew how to handle cheesy pickup lines. They were my favorite kind. “What constitutes a homecoming emergency?”
He grinned. “Anything at all. Basically, whatever gets you to text me.”
My heart fluttered. That was the first time in a long time it had done so for someone other than Carson. But for some inexplicable reason, that made me sad.
***
SO FAR IN the twenty-four hours since the homecoming meeting, I hadn’t had a “homecoming emergency.” What that really meant was I hadn’t come up with a reason to text Blake. Or maybe I just hadn’t yet decided