“But she was humiliated in front of the whole school, and now she needs a win.”
“I thought she dumped him.” Not that he’d been paying that much attention.
“Yeah, but then he was a jerk to her.”
Christian clenched his hands against his side. That still didn’t mean he needed to take her to a dance. “She’s tough.”
“Come on, bro, she needs this.”
“She’d hate it,” Christian said. But then it dawned on him. If it made Maizie mad, maybe it was worth considering. She was due for some payback.
“It’s just a little dance. In a town where you don’t know anyone. Please? This will get me brownie points with Lindsay.” Jayce gave him puppy dog eyes that did nothing for him.
“I’ll make you brownies.”
“I don’t want your brownies.”
Christian dropped his head into his hands. This was not what he had planned for this summer. But when had things ever gone according to plan? That had all blown up almost two years ago. Maybe stepping out of his plan would be okay for one night. As long as it meant bugging Maizie to no end, it was bound to be a good time.
“Fine. What do I have to do?”
“Well first, my uncle Dan needs some help.”
* * *
The final bell rang,and Maizie felt like she could finally breathe. A week and a half from now, she’d be free of these claustrophobic walls and fake people.
“Hey, Maiz, you free Friday?” Rob asked at their lockers.
“Maybe. I’ll have to check with my dad. Why?”
“I was just thinking of going to see a movie.”
She shoved her books inside and pulled out her backpack. “Which one?”
“The new Marvel one, but I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet,” he said with a shrug.
The intercom whistled, and they both cringed. “Maizie Jensen. Please report to the office.”
“Oh, no, what’d you do this time?”
“It’s probably about my perfect attendance,” Maizie said, faking a smile.
Please don’t let it be about graduation again.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and smiled. “Yeah, that’s not it.”
“Only because I have to pick up Lindsay.”
“That was your first mistake,” he said with a laugh, then took a step away. “I’ll text you.”
“See you.”
Maizie slipped her bag over her shoulder and dodged through students on her way to the office. Her heart beat faster with every step she took, especially when she saw the two police officers. She hadn’t done anything that bad. Or had she?
Her feet slowed, and multiple students had stopped to figure out what was going on.
“Maizie Jensen?” The big burly one asked as she got closer.
