“Damn it!” He winces as he yanks his arm back.
“Oh no,” I say, and without thinking, grab a wad of paper towels and run cold water from the sink over them. I wring them out quickly and grab Luke’s hand, then press the damp pile of towels onto the underside of his wrist.
“It’s not that bad,” Luke laughs. “It just surprised me.”
“Still,” I say, taking the towels off and examining his wrist. “You don’t want to take any chances. I’ll feel really bad if I scarred you. Especially after you’ve gifted me with the world’s most fabulous spatula.”
The ice-cold paper towels are making my hand numb, but I notice Luke isn’t exactly complaining. In fact, he isn’t saying anything, so I glance up and he’s staring down at me, his expression at once soft and intense, if that’s possible. It makes my heart catch in my throat and I don’t feel like I can speak.
“You don’t know how badly I want to kiss you right now,” he finally says.
“You don’t know how badly I want you to,” I say.
With my hand still pressing the paper towels to his arm, he leans down and very gently kisses me. It’s like I touched the hot stove, such is the surge that runs through me, and I’m kissing him back in a matter of seconds.
“Wait,” I say, pulling back. “I just want you to know, I’m all in on us, okay? No more worrying about Hunter and Brynn’s group. No more reading The Buzz or giving a crap about what anyone says. No hiding or being on the down-low.”
“I think Jared knows better than to cross you again,” Luke says. “But I’m glad I can say out loud that the total badass who put him in his place is my gal.”
I laugh. “So, you’re only into me for my intimidating physical strength. Nice.”
Luke smiles and shakes his head and wraps his arms around me. “I’ve been into you since the day at the grocery store. You looked so cute in my sweatshirt. And I didn’t wash it for weeks because I liked the way it smelled.”
I wrinkle my nose in thought. “Funny, I think it was you juggling the oranges that, uh, did it for me.”
“So the Shop & Save is where romance is born, huh?” Luke says, reaching over and tucking part of my failed French twist behind my ear.
“And people think grocery stores are boring,” I say. Then I surprise him by pulling him down by his tie and kissing him like a guy who wears ugly aprons for my benefit deserves to be kissed.
An hour and a half, five side dishes, one dessert, and four more kisses later, I head down to the gym to find Isaiah and A.J. The gym is pretty packed with my schoolmates, who are either slow dancing or standing on the sidelines. I spot the snack table, which is being manned by one of Mrs. Sanchez’s other classes.
And almost instantly, my eyes fall on Hunter and Brynn, who are swaying to the music. I guess The Buzz item was wrong, seeing as how they’re here together, but they’re not really looking at each other as they dance, as they both seem to be staring off into space. Hunter must feel me staring because he suddenly meets my gaze over Brynn’s shoulder. I prepare for him to shoot daggers at me with his eyes, but he surprises me by giving me a small smile and nodding. An acknowledgement of me taking out Jared? An apology for the other day? I don’t know. And, refreshingly, I don’t even care. But I nod back with a smile of my own, then keep on moving.
Isaiah and A.J. have ensconced themselves in the corner, and they don’t exactly seem like they’re too thrilled to be there, if the looks of boredom (Isaiah) and yawning (A.J.) are any indication. But I can’t help but smile at how handsome they are in their suits and ties.
I give them a big wave, which catches their attention, but before I can say anything, A.J.’s all, “What happened to you?”
“I was suspended?” I say slowly.
“No, your hair,” A.J. says, pointing at my head. “It looks like you were fighting a tornado.”
“Oh!” I say, touching the sprung-free strands. “Well, I didn’t do such a good job of styling it.” And I was kind of too busy making out with Luke to have time to stop in front of a mirror, but that seems better left unsaid.
“Mrs. Sanchez said you were doing some kind of top-secret thing,” Isaiah says.
I nod. “It’s a peace offering. I feel terrible about what happened the other day.”
“Why?” Isaiah says, and it almost looks like he’s grown an inch or two in the three days I was out. “You had to do what you had to do.”
“Still, I didn’t have to be so awful to you guys and I know none of us are thrilled to be here,” I say. “So I need you to follow—”
“Ellie! There you are!” I turn around to see Alisha walking toward us in a cute black strapless cocktail dress with a royal-blue pashmina thrown over her shoulders. “You look great!”
“So do you!” I say. I notice A.J. is nervously tugging at his suit jacket and adjusting his tie. I suddenly feel bad that I’m taking him away from a chance at alone time with Alisha.
“I need you to come with us,” I say to Alisha.
“Me?” she says, blinking in confusion. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise. Follow me.”
“Are we going to get in trouble for leaving?” A.J. asks.
“Nope, we have Mrs. Sanchez’s permission to be gone until nine thirty.”
“What about Luke?” Isaiah asks.
“He, uh, helped out a little,” I say, knowing I’m blushing.
Isaiah grins, giving me a knowing look. “Oh, right, he’s your boyfriend now.”
“Yeah, that was a great weather report, yo,” A.J. says, batting his eyelashes. “Sunny with a chance
