Sparks - Wendy Higgins Page 0,104

and pretended to play on my phone, but really, I was snapping a picture of Raymond and Willa and sending it to the whole friend crew.

I hadn’t planned on eating my fries here, but they were still talking, so I crouched over my food and drink in a corner booth and ate it like a psychotic Gollum. Salty, greasy, potatoey goodness washed down by bubbly, sweet nectar. With every bite and gulp I felt a little more alive.

Finally, they stopped flirting when a big group came in, and I noticed Willa walked out with more sass in her hips than she’d had when we walked in.

“Girl,” she said when we got outside. She sipped her frozen mocha. My only response was to clap my hands and laugh. I felt human again.

“I can’t…I don’t even.” She was smiling so big.

“Please tell me you got his number,” I said.

“No, but he got mine and he better use it.”

“Oh, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” I assured her.

Rhea was jogging up the street toward us in full workout clothes and tennis shoes.

“Get it, girl!” Willa said, slurping the dregs of her frappe.

“I cannot believe you went for a run,” I said, wanting to sweat just looking at her.

“I was so pumped up after all that dancing last night!” she said, letting us into the building after a series of impressive air punches. “And I didn’t drink that much.” She proceeded to jog up the stairs and say, “Come on, guys!”

Willa and I stopped long enough to stare at each other and then bust out laughing. Yeah, not happening.

“I think I’ll make vindaloo tonight!” she said.

“Yes!” I called up the stairs. Curry! “I need to make you something southern one day. Ohh, I know! I’ll make sausage gravy and biscuits.”

“Ew!” Rhea yelled down the stairwell, her feet tapping quickly.

“Whatchu mean ew?” Willa said. “That’s delicious!”

“Passss,” Rhea sang, making us laugh. She sounded like she was at the top now.

When Willa and I got up the stairs into the living room, Beth and Holly were sitting properly side-by-side with their feet on the floor, posture perfect, as if awaiting something. Willa and I both stopped in suspicion.

“Um, yes?” I said.

“We were thinking.” Holly looked at Beth, who nodded, then back at me. “That you should go back on Sparks.”

I let out a sigh and Beth spoke up. “Honestly, there are a lot of new guys on there lately and I keep thinking, ‘Oh, this guy looks like someone nice for Harlow.’”

Skepticism caused me to narrow my eyes at her, but Beth continued to smile hopefully.

“I think it’s time,” Holly said. I thought about what Silas had said last night about how it was time for him too. Was he really on there?

“Fine.” I crossed my arms and eyed Holly. “I’ll reopen my account if you go on too.”

Her face went pale against her brown hair. “Uh…I actually have a date with someone.”

I raised my brows, remembering a key bit from last night. “Dean?”

She made a scared face. “Are you okay with that? I know you guys had matched, and you looked happy when you were talking to him—”

“Holly, that’s great!” And I meant it. She visibly relaxed, then smiled.

“I didn’t see you talking to anyone,” Beth said.

“It’s while everyone was dancing,” I said, not wanting to bring up the fact that Beth had been on a bad date with him.

I thought about Silas again and morbid curiosity slinked through me. Would I come across his account? If he was on there, he probably had a thousand matches and at least as many naked pictures by now. Would he go through a man-whore phase? Would he meet someone and fall in love quickly? Suddenly my stomach felt unsettled again.

“Why are you making that face?” Willa asked with a laugh. I schooled my expression.

“Fine, I’ll join again.” But not so I could date. Yet. I wanted to stalk Silas, and I kind of hated that I was setting myself up for heartache again. “I’m going to go lie down first.”

They all watched me, so I smiled to show I was fine.

“So, Willa,” Holly said. “Tell us all about this big, sexy specimen.” She held up her phone and I dashed into the bedroom as Willa took the phone and began to exclaim how stupid she looked and why was she smiling like that, and she was going to kill me for taking it.

Inwardly I laughed like a maniac.

I lay on my soft pallet and sighed