Smooth, Maybelle.
His grin widened. “I was with Liam last night. There was this party, and…I might’ve had a little too much to drink. So, uh, he drove us here in my Jeep and—” He brushed a hand through his messy waves of hair. “Guess he tucked me in on the couch.” He shrugged, a hint of what might be shyness lacing his tone and movements.
Like Trey Turner could ever be embarrassed in front of me. Yeah, not a possibility.
My eyes darted to the couch that was a pile of blankets and cushions.
That was my new favorite couch.
“So, is everything alright?”
I turned back to the boy. The boy I still wasn’t sure was real or a figment of my imagination. I tilted my head curiously. “Is what alright?”
“You seemed upset after the rehearsal yesterday and Liam was a little off last night. Everything okay between you two?”
Scatter-brained, I nodded aggressively, sputtering out the first excuse I could think of. “Totally fine. I just—started my period…so Liam offered to rush me home.”
If only I were in the middle of oncoming traffic. I wouldn’t hesitate before throwing myself in front of a bus. I waited for Trey to grimace, look a little disgusted at the mention of a menstrual cycle like most boys would. But Trey only nodded thoughtfully.
“Are you feeling well enough to go to the party tonight? I hear there’s going to be karaoke.” He gifted me a teasing smile that just about did me in.
I swallowed, collecting myself.
“I’m feeling better, but I honestly wasn’t planning on it.” I looked down, knowing I was being ridiculously awkward and curt, but I couldn’t help it. Trey heard me sing. No—what he heard was more like shrieking. He saw me dancing. Playing the air guitar like, I was the lead guitarist, Angus Young, ripping out a world-altering solo. I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, refusing to look him in the eye.
From my peripheral, I could tell Trey was leaning over the kitchen counter that stood between us, resting his forearms on the flat space.
“Why not? This istheparty, even bigger than prom.”
I shrugged, unsure of what to do with myself. “I am not a huge fan of parties.”
That was a lie.
I just wasn’t a fan of making myself look like a loser by showing up alone. Which would absolutely happen because I was a friendless turd.
“Oh, come on, May. I get it if other parties, even prom, hadn’t been worth your time, but you can’t miss tonight. You’ll regret it if you don’t go.”
The smile in his voice made me want to giggle—or barf. A lot of confusing and warring emotions were happening all at once in my muddled thoughts.
All because of him.
I was an obsessive psycho for this guy, and why?
Well, one, look at him!
He was jaw-dropping beautiful. And two, he was kind, personable, a friend to all. Trey had all the looks and a stunning side of personality to go with them.
And maybe—it was the way he looked at me the day we first met all those long months ago. The way he opened my car door for me, smiled so sweetly, and toldme he thought I was pretty. I fell hard that hot summer day between our sophomore and junior years.
I was at the school, picking up Liam from a week-long football camp. I was wearing a lazy pair of soft jean shorts and a blue pajama tee. My hair was in a sleep-crazed knot on the top of my head, and that crazy, attractive boy had told me I was pretty.
It was a wild phenomenon I couldn’t understand and refused to believe in, so I ducked my head and ran.
From that day on, I continued to run anytime he so much as looked at me, let alone tried to speak to me. Trey had only been trying to be nice to his new best friend’s sister. Why else would he want to waste any of his energy on me?
I peered up from my hands that folded together as I recalled the long-ago, shoved away memories. “I don’t know. We’ll see how tonight goes.”
His lips turned up into a winning smile. “That’s not a no, I’ll take it. So, where are you headed so early?”
