I roll my eyes. But there’s a tiny part of me that reacts to his words. The part of me that can’t help but ask, “About what?”
“Zayne isn’t who you think he is, Dot. He’s a liar. Anactor.He uses girls. He’s been known to get girls to fall in love with him, only to tell them it was all an act. I have a feeling he’s doing the same thing to you.”
My gut tightens with unease, because he’s the second person to say this to me. We stop dancing, and I rip my hand away from his. “Stop it. You don’t know anything about Zayne.”
He shrugs. Holds both his hands up. “I’ve known him longer than you have.”
My vision turns red. “And what about you?Youlied to me, Carlton. You lied about Zayne. Why would I believe a word you say?” I try to take a steadying breath to calm myself because the last thing I want to do is make a scene when everyone is already having a hard time keeping my name out of their mouth.
“I’m just looking out for you.”
I cross my arms. Like magic, Zayne appears at my side. He looks my face over and frowns. “Are you okay?”
I don’t answer, just shrug.
His jaw flexes and he spins to Carlton. His voice is so low, I almost miss what he says. “Don’t make me hurt you again.”
“Relax,” says Carlton. “I was just about to go back to my date.” He offers me a last meaningful glance. “Have fun, you two. Thanks for the dance, Dot.”
When he walks away, Zayne cups my cheek in his hand. “You look upset. What did he do?”
I shake my head. “No. Nothing, I’m fine.” I know telling Zayne what Carlton said would only lead to a confrontation, and I definitely don’t want a repeat of them fighting at Halloween.
The song changes to an upbeat club mix, and whoops and cheers explode around us. The dance tempo increases, making me feel claustrophobic.
I need some air.
“Can we go take a photo?” I ask Zayne. The balloon arch photo op looks empty. It will be the perfect break to clear my head.
He smiles, but the V between his eyebrows fails to disappear. “Yeah, let’s go.”
We make our way to the balloon arch. There’s only one couple in line ahead of us, and when it’s our turn, we position ourselves in frame under the arch. A short kid with round glasses and curly hair is behind the camera. I squint at him. “Jude?”
He doesn’t wave or smile at us and positions himself behind the camera with tense shoulders. “Smile, you two.”
I ignore him. “Why are you on camera duty?”
He sighs. “I volunteered, okay? Is that a problem?” Bright red spots appear on his cheeks.
“No, man. Relax,” says Zayne. “We’ll smile, okay?” He stands behind me. Wraps his arms around my waist.
We both smile.
Jude wordlessly snaps our photo. It’s probably going to be a good one. Not to sound conceited, but I know my angles. I know when I see the picture, I’ll admire my hair and makeup from tonight. I’ll stare with satisfaction at the effortless grin on my full lips, the way Zayne is holding me against him.
But right now, all I can think about is what Carlton said.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Zayne. “I’m going to find the bathroom.”
“Okay.” His voice sounds normal, but I notice the subtle tensing of his body, like he knows something is off. I know I probably should just talk to him about it, but I’m not ready yet. I want to clear my mind, erase the stupid thoughts and suspicions Carlton planted in my brain first.
I find the bathroom near the exit and sit in an empty stall. I take calming breaths and study the pencil markings on the stall door, trying to make sense of the meaningless shapes.
I know I’m being a bit ridiculous. I shouldn’t take anything Carlton says seriously. He’s nothing but a liar. I should go back out there with Zayne.
I’m about to unlock my stall when my phone vibrates. Probably Zayne checking on me. I turn on the screen and see the familiar, dreaded Little Birdie logo. My stomach drops. “No,” I whisper. “Not again.”
I read the blast with a thundering heart.
