Jase flipped me off. “Well, let’s see. Class let out early, so I came over here just in time to see you walking along like a good little boy. I called your name. You waved at me and kept going—or staring at her.”

My brows lifted as I wheeled around, heading for the doors. “That was you yelling my name?”

“Exactly,” he said, sighing. He looked at me, and all I saw was my face in his sunglasses. “Has she agreed to go out with you yet?”

“Nope.”

Jase shook his head. “Man, you are so fucked when it comes to this girl.”

Nine

Nine

“Apple pie for you.” I handed the small treat over to Avery and then dug the other one out of the McDonald’s bag. “And apple pie for me.”

Shortcake peeled open the box. “Do you think they use real apples?”

“God, I don’t really want to know.” I bit into the crust, groaning at the sweetness. “Ah, this shit is so good.”

Her eyes settled on me. “I swear. Every time you eat something, you sound like you’re about to have an orgasm.” She flushed as she said that. “Or whatever.”

“Well, now you know what I sound like when I come.”

She wrinkled her nose as she picked a section of the crust off. “That is something I’ve been dying to know.”

“Knew it.”

Shortcake laughed and then popped the crust in her mouth. “You are terrible.”

“I’m perfect.” I fixed my gaze out the windshield. We were sitting in the parking lot behind the science building. The dark blue of the sky was quickly turning to night, but the thick clouds rolling in looked ominous. “We should’ve probably picked a different night to do this.”

She picked up the bag and scraped off all the sliced apples into it, leaving the bottom crust cleared.

“That’s such a waste.”

Her eyes were warm as she cast me a side look. “You want to dig them out of the bag and eat them? You sound like you have a couple more good groans left in you.”

“Sweetheart, you haven’t heard anything . . .” I paused, winking at her. “Yet.”

She rolled her eyes. “More like never.”

“Does the lady protest too much, methinks?”

“You dork.” Shortcake laughed, and the sound was light. “It’s ‘the lady doth protest too much, methinks.’ ”

I reached over, brushing the thick strands of hair back from her shoulder. She didn’t flinch away, which was huge progress. “The fact that you can correct that is further proof.”

Another laugh bubbled up from her as she wiped her fingers cleaned. “Whatever. You ready?”

“Been ready, but you had to stop and get an apple pie.”

“What?” She flipped in the seat toward me. “That was your idea.”

I blinked innocently. “That is not how I recollect the past twenty minutes.”

She pinned me with a dry look.