Amalia

Kade and I are out on the dance floor when Everleigh shows up. She sashays through the heavy doors like the bell of the ball, draped on the arm of a loser from my class. Randy Becker isn’t even cute. I noticed his bullying and snobbish behavior in seventh grade, and he’d never been a friend of mine. He’s spoiled because his family owns two clothing department stores in our town. Since Everleigh’s dad is the bank’s president, their parents likely belong to the same social group.

I glance at Kade as he shifts his eyes away from them, pretending he isn’t watching.

“It’s okay, Kade.”

“It is ... okay.” The exaggerated smile he summons does a poor job of covering his vulnerable state. “I really don’t even care. I mean, I do a little, but it’s not like I loved her.”

“I know, but you guys went out for a long time.”

A spark of humor ignites his eyes. “In dog years.”

I giggle. “I’m just saying. It’s okay to hurt over a breakup. Three months is ... Well, like you said. It’s...” I do the dog-year math in my head. “Twenty-one months. Almost two years. So, yeah. It’s a long time in dog or teenager dating years.”

He lights up with a truer grin. “Honest, I’m fine.”

I don’t believe him. Glancing back at Everleigh, I scowl. Self-absorbed girls like her irk me in the worst way. Hanging against him, I bury my nose into his neck. “Stop, Ama.” I’m tickling him because he chuckles while pulling away and glancing at my face. “You don’t have to do that.” 

“Do what?”

“You’re trying to make her jealous, aren’t you?”

“I am. She deserves it after how she treated you, and that guy’s a loser. You are far better than him in every way.”

He leans back in surprise at my comment, which surprises me. 

“Thanks, but I don’t need to play games with her. I’m having a great time.”

Unable to tell what smiles are real or fake, I raise my brow. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“All right, but I’m still getting her jealous.” It’s better than Kinsley punching her in the face. “Just go with it.”

I place my nose back into his neck and tickle him until he laughs, playing along by holding me tighter and breathing into my hair. I smile against his shoulder, happy to help, then grasp his hand as we exit the dance floor to spice up the scene.

We sit at our table. Kade leans over, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in the cups of his palms, staring at the floor. I lift one of his braids. “I didn’t realize how long your hair has grown, and it’s shiny and healthy looking.” 

He straightens back up, a thin smile tweaking his lips. “Yeah, but I’ll probably have to cut it when I get into high school next year. Because for real, who will want to date a guy with prettier hair than them?” 

I let out a chuckle, and though I know he is only joking, I tell him not to do that. “Your hair is hot.” 

He laughs and explains that he might have cut it years ago like Talan did if he didn’t have his mom and Kinsley to braid it for him occasionally and help keep it sharp-looking. 

I retake hold of his hand and wink at him, so he knows I’m moving back into character. I tilt my head discreetly because Everleigh has her eyes on us from the dance floor. Kade catches the signal and pushes his chair closer to mine, placing our entwined hands on his lap. The sparkly pink material of the dress, which I was sure I’d outgrow before I wore it, shimmers beside his black slacks. I didn’t tell Kinsley the color of my dress, so it was a satisfying coincidence that Kade wore a red shirt with a pink and black tie.

As I watch people, I discover Everleigh isn’t the only person with their eyes on us. Sebastian, a good friend and classmate, is also eyeing us from the back of the photo line leading to the Christmas tree where a photographer is taking pictures. Sebastian is with his new beau, Grant, a sophomore from Jaxon’s football circle. Kade and I acknowledge them with waves, and they wave back before Sebastian steps from the line approaching us, bobbing his head to the beat of the music. His blue eyes always stand out against his black, beach-wavy hair but are more intense against his blue button-up shirt. With a joyful grin, he asks, “Is there a new couple I should know of?”

Kade responds nonchalantly, appearing cheerful as he signals to the dance floor with a slight chin lift. “New breakup.”

Sebastian quickly glances at the dance floor, spotting Everleigh with Randy, then looks away from her extreme glare. “Well, that’s unfortunate.” 

It surprises me how truthful Kade sounds when he shrugs and says, “Not really.” 

“Say no more and keep doing what you’re doing because it’s working. Somebody out there is not a happy camper.” Sebastian holds his fist out for a bump from me and Kade before roaming back to Grant, who has reached the front of the line. 

His departure leaves behind an uncomfortable silence, and Kade gazes at nothing, so I say, “Kade, I don’t know if I should even mention this now, after the fact, but I didn’t really like Everleigh or you going out with her.”

He swivels toward me and stares at my face. “Oh?”

“I was nice to her because you liked her, but I think she is the type of girl who enjoys being a cliche. Think about it. You became the quarterback in the fall, while she became a cheerleader, and she followed you around until you got together. It made me suspicious of her.”

He repeats the word cliche and says, “Right,” blowing out a puff of air.

“There are a ton of reasons a girl would be into you, but the head cheerleader always dates the quarterback in the worlds of shallow people. And now that the football season is over, she pulls this?” 

“I don’t know. I’ve thought about it all afternoon, though, and the issue might be worse than that. Think about this. She asked me to walk her home to tell me she’s magically allowed to date the day of an event the kids around here look forward to every year. Then, in the same breath, she says she wants to go to this dance with someone else, but we don’t have to break up?”

Kinsley mentioned it, but hearing Kade say it himself appalls me. “Well, I hope you told her to fuck off.” The words may be harsh, but his situation justifies them.

He goes from a weighty expression into laughter as he confesses, “I did, but I didn’t phrase it like that, and she acted more offended that I broke up with her than hurt … Anyway, back to what I was saying. I’m not sure Everleigh ever couldn’t date.” I’m momentarily confused as he lifts his hand and taps at the back of it. “She probably just couldn’t date me.”

His skin.