Chapter 3

I stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing my outfit of shorts and a tank top. Lee was chattering away at me, but I found myself not really listening. Lee noticed and paused, tilting his head. “What’s up?”

I just bit my lip, suddenly nervous. I could feel my heart thudding hard against my rib cage, and I gulped.

I knew things couldn’t be completely the same this year, sure. I knew that things might even be a little weird now that Noah and I were a couple and not just hanging out anymore. But it had only just hit me: the realization that this felt like dinner with Matthew and June as Noah’s girlfriend, not as Lee’s best friend.

“Shelly.”

“It’s nothing,” I answered. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

But really?

Yeah, I was kind of freaking out inside. What if things were really weird? What if things were awkward now? Should I be trying to make a better impression? As Noah’s girlfriend, should I be dressing up a little? What if—what if—what if—

Lee’s stomach growled.

“Shelly, are you coming or what?”

Do I have a choice?

“Sure. Sorry.” I forced a smile for him, but I knew he didn’t believe it for a second.

We went outside, where Noah and his parents were just sitting down. Plates were loaded with food. I was half expecting the table to collapse under the weight of it all.

“I hope you kids are hungry,” June said.

Lee’s stomach growled again in answer to his mom, and we all laughed. Lee and I sat down in our usual seats. And of course, my usual seat was between Noah and Lee—so they wouldn’t fight at the table, June had always said. I’d never had a problem with it, even when they were arguing across me.

Never had a problem with it until now, anyway. Because now, I felt kind of claustrophobic, sitting between my best friend and my boyfriend.

If anyone else felt as irrationally paranoid as I did, they didn’t show it. The boys were stuffing their faces on either side of me, and June and Matthew were discussing plans to visit an art gallery the next day. Noah must have noticed something was up, though, because he nudged my knee with his, catching my eye to give me a reassuring smile. I breathed a small sigh of relief, wanting to laugh at myself for being such a complete idiot, and dug into my food.

Once I did, the atmosphere was just as relaxed as it always had been, and I was glad that at least something was unchanged this year. Soon enough, I’d forgotten why I’d even been so worried in the first place.

“So, Rachel’s getting here at—”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Lee.”