“Well, yeah,” I say. “I mean, you guys talk about all your weird bodily functions in front of me, so clearly you’re not—”

“No guys ever hit on you because you were with Reed.” I stiffen at his words. If only Chase knew how much I wish what he was saying were true.

“I’m not with Reed,” I say, running a frustrated hand through my hair. “You know he’s with Danielle. And like five million other girls.” My voice comes out in a hiss and I hate how jealous I sound. It was never supposed to be like this.

Chase just shakes his head. “Nah, I mean, I know you guys aren’t dating, but you go together. You’re a pair. Nobody wanted to get in the way of that. Besides, he’s territorial as shit.”

“What?” I set my cup of punch down on the table and a bit of it splashes over the edge of the plastic rim, leaving a little red stain on the cheap white tablecloth.

“This one time in sixth grade, Ryder said something about how you were ‘growing up nicely.’” He motions his hands in front of his chest to indicate Ryder’s real meaning. “Andrew punched him.”

I remember that, remember Andrew getting suspended for three days. He told me Ryder had pushed him first, an easy story to believe.

“That’s why Ryder always made a show of treating you like one of the guys,” Chase continues. “That’s why we all did, I guess. We all like Reed, so you were off-limits.” He downs the rest of his punch in one gulp and tosses the empty cup into the trash can beside us.

I can’t help the pressure that starts building in my chest, like I’m slowly expanding from the inside out, filling up with air. Chase’s words are repeating in my head. You go together. You’re a pair. You were off-limits. It has to mean something, doesn’t it? Why would Andrew warn other guys away from me if he didn’t have feelings, if some small part of him didn’t want me for himself?

I scan the crowd behind Chase’s head, looking for Andrew, but he’s not there. I turn around to look at the tables behind us, scanning all the seats quickly for a sandy-colored head, but he’s nowhere.

Could Andrew actually like me back?

“Looks like you found a date anyway though,” Chase says. “It just took a dude who doesn’t go to Prescott to scoop you up, someone who doesn’t know the rules.”

I pick my cup of punch back off the table and notice that my hand is shaking. “And what are the rules?”