Will was the bad candy, and I shouldn’t have any more. And at the time, I’d agreed.
So I had to find a way to make sure Jane understood there was something more with Will. Yes, there was cheating involved. And yes, it was complicated. But there was so much at stake.
Anyway, the really short version was, I didn’t want to be judged before seven in the morning. So I offered up the next best thing.
“Did I tell you that Emmalee and Simon almost hooked up?”
“What! No!”
“Yeah. In a big way. They made it to the boathouse before Will and I broke it up.”
Whistling low, Jane shook her head. She wore shock well. When people caught Jane by surprise, they felt the massive quake as it rolled through her. “People used to call that place the V Stop. ’Cause that’s where you stopped—”
“Being a virgin,” I said. “I know.”
“Holy crap, how did that even happen?”
Cracking my window a little, I sighed in relief. Cool air flooded into the car. It scrubbed at my flushed skin. I was suddenly so hot, I wanted to peel my clothes off and jump into a deep, dark pool. That stray thought brought memories of the pool back in vivid color. And thoughts of being wrapped around Will in the cool, shadowy blue made the flush worse.
Managing to steady my voice, I said, “The usual way. Too much party, not enough sober.”
“But they didn’t actually . . .”
I shook my head. “No. No. Nothing like that, just kissing. They were so slogged, I practically carried Emmalee back to the guesthouse. She texted me yesterday, said she was vee vee vee grateful that I saved her from the Balrog. Any idea what a Balrog is?”
“They’re fire demons with scourges,” Jane said. She whipped out her phone and started Googling, presumably trying to find a picture of a Balrog somewhere that she could show me. There was nothing Jane liked better than visual aids. Her Instagram was a wonder to behold.
I kept talking. “Yeah, so that was a visit from weird town. Oh, and by the way, I made out with Will again.”
Jane’s Googling came to an abrupt halt. And there went the quake. Jane’s eyes shifted from wide and curious to narrowed with incredulity. In fact, there seemed to be a little bit of betrayal in there as well. After all, she had helped me decide it would never happen again, and there I was, telling her she was wrong. “Excuse?”
Rolling my shoulders, I tried not to squirm. “He texted me, he wanted to talk.”
“You don’t talk to a guy like Will Spencer! You ride him like a pony, and you go, whee, I always wanted to have a pony, and then five minutes later you say, I’m over it now, thanks, bye!”
Defensive, I said, “He’s smarter than he looks.”
“So is a Slushy Magic, but you don’t hook up with it!”
Leave it to Jane to get real without hesitation. All my life, I’d told her basically everything, and she forgot
none
of it. Every kiss I’d ever had, every weird bump I’d ever grown, every nauseating, embarrassing phobia . . . Somewhere in that crazy genius head of hers, there was a running log: every dumb thing Sarah ever did. And now, there was a new event in the number-one slot.
Struggling against her seat belt, Jane seemed like she wanted to burst out of her seat and shake me. “One time is an accident, Sarah. Twice is . . .”
“I know.”
“If you know, why did you do it?” Then, randomly, she held up her phone. Sure enough, she’d found a horned demon brandishing a fire whip. I’m pretty sure if Jane had a whip, she’d have cracked it at me. “He has a girlfriend. You have a boyfriend. People’s feelings are at stake here.”
Frustrated, I flipped on my turn signal. “Yes, I am aware of that. I’m not proud of it. I’m just trying to figure things out.”
“I’ll help you,” Jane said, frowning. “Gird your ovaries and dump your boyfriend before you attempt to get a new one.”
I said nothing. Because Jane, if nothing else, was fair. And sensible. And
So I had to find a way to make sure Jane understood there was something more with Will. Yes, there was cheating involved. And yes, it was complicated. But there was so much at stake.
Anyway, the really short version was, I didn’t want to be judged before seven in the morning. So I offered up the next best thing.
“Did I tell you that Emmalee and Simon almost hooked up?”
“What! No!”
“Yeah. In a big way. They made it to the boathouse before Will and I broke it up.”
Whistling low, Jane shook her head. She wore shock well. When people caught Jane by surprise, they felt the massive quake as it rolled through her. “People used to call that place the V Stop. ’Cause that’s where you stopped—”
“Being a virgin,” I said. “I know.”
“Holy crap, how did that even happen?”
Cracking my window a little, I sighed in relief. Cool air flooded into the car. It scrubbed at my flushed skin. I was suddenly so hot, I wanted to peel my clothes off and jump into a deep, dark pool. That stray thought brought memories of the pool back in vivid color. And thoughts of being wrapped around Will in the cool, shadowy blue made the flush worse.
Managing to steady my voice, I said, “The usual way. Too much party, not enough sober.”
“But they didn’t actually . . .”
I shook my head. “No. No. Nothing like that, just kissing. They were so slogged, I practically carried Emmalee back to the guesthouse. She texted me yesterday, said she was vee vee vee grateful that I saved her from the Balrog. Any idea what a Balrog is?”
“They’re fire demons with scourges,” Jane said. She whipped out her phone and started Googling, presumably trying to find a picture of a Balrog somewhere that she could show me. There was nothing Jane liked better than visual aids. Her Instagram was a wonder to behold.
I kept talking. “Yeah, so that was a visit from weird town. Oh, and by the way, I made out with Will again.”
Jane’s Googling came to an abrupt halt. And there went the quake. Jane’s eyes shifted from wide and curious to narrowed with incredulity. In fact, there seemed to be a little bit of betrayal in there as well. After all, she had helped me decide it would never happen again, and there I was, telling her she was wrong. “Excuse?”
Rolling my shoulders, I tried not to squirm. “He texted me, he wanted to talk.”
“You don’t talk to a guy like Will Spencer! You ride him like a pony, and you go, whee, I always wanted to have a pony, and then five minutes later you say, I’m over it now, thanks, bye!”
Defensive, I said, “He’s smarter than he looks.”
“So is a Slushy Magic, but you don’t hook up with it!”
Leave it to Jane to get real without hesitation. All my life, I’d told her basically everything, and she forgot
none
of it. Every kiss I’d ever had, every weird bump I’d ever grown, every nauseating, embarrassing phobia . . . Somewhere in that crazy genius head of hers, there was a running log: every dumb thing Sarah ever did. And now, there was a new event in the number-one slot.
Struggling against her seat belt, Jane seemed like she wanted to burst out of her seat and shake me. “One time is an accident, Sarah. Twice is . . .”
“I know.”
“If you know, why did you do it?” Then, randomly, she held up her phone. Sure enough, she’d found a horned demon brandishing a fire whip. I’m pretty sure if Jane had a whip, she’d have cracked it at me. “He has a girlfriend. You have a boyfriend. People’s feelings are at stake here.”
Frustrated, I flipped on my turn signal. “Yes, I am aware of that. I’m not proud of it. I’m just trying to figure things out.”
“I’ll help you,” Jane said, frowning. “Gird your ovaries and dump your boyfriend before you attempt to get a new one.”
I said nothing. Because Jane, if nothing else, was fair. And sensible. And
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