Chapter 14

Chapter 14

June.

I whipped round and almost shed my fucking skin, first from fear and then from confusion and honestly there was just too much stimulation and my body had no idea how to process it, so I froze. She looked at me expectantly, mouth pursed in a weak smirk.

Her dress matched the bright red on her lips, straps wilting off the sharp drop of her shoulders. Her hair was coiled in its usual curls except she’d wrapped the pieces at the front away from her face, leaving room for the canopies of her eyelashes and the glitter she’d pressed on to her cheeks. She was beautiful – she was always beautiful – but her mascara was smudged, and her lipstick smeared, and broken red lines ran along the whites of her eyes.

I should have been happy to see her. I was, sort of. But something was wrong.

‘What are you doing here?’ I asked, because it had to be asked eventually so I figured I’d get it out of the way. I pocketed my phone nonchalantly, hoping that she hadn’t seen – or if she had seen, she wouldn’t ask.

‘So, it’s a long story,’ June said. ‘What are you doing here?’ I figured she was referring to the fact that I was behind the bleachers conferring with some balled-up napkins and stray confetti. I would have been embarrassed had I not been so worried.

‘It’s a long story,’ I echoed. ‘Did you just get here?’

‘A little bit ago, yeah.’

‘You came right as it ended?’

‘Mm. But I’m here now. So.’

I couldn’t decide what she wanted me to say. ‘Well, you kind of … missed it.’

‘I didn’t really come for the dancing. Also, your tie is coming off. How amateur.’ She grabbed hold of each end and looped it with her fingers dancing while my body stiffened at the sudden closeness.

‘You can tie bowties?’

She shrugged. ‘Heath.’

‘Where is he? Is he here?’

‘Nope. Just me.’

I didn’t know what else to say, so I said what I was thinking: ‘You look really nice.’

‘So do you,’ she said. My flesh rippled with goosebumps.

‘I mean, do you want to go, I don’t know – do you want to go do something? It sucks that you came all the way just to … Me and Leo were gonna go hang out at mine for a bit. You can come with us if you want. I mean, I’d also want you to come. I’m sure you’d get along with Leo. He, he goes to Collins and …’

June shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think so.’

‘What do you mean? What’s the matter?’