TSUNAMI

Monday, 10:46 A.M.

Back in my reporting days, nothing would have made me giddier than witnessing a scene like this firsthand. The story had everything—scandal, intrigue, a fall from grace—but I felt none of the usual excitement. Instead, the dead-fish smell combined with the wet, hot air overtook me, making the room start to sway. What if Stevie got in serious trouble? Worse, what if she ratted me out? I should have agreed to a freeze-out. Those were just as effective, sans the possibility of jail time.

Molly leaned next to me, knocking my knee with hers. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to smile.

“Hate to break it to you, Jarvis.” Quinn shuffled over to Zander, who was standing off to the side and glaring at the exit. Quinn slung his arm over Zander’s shoulders. “But your sister’s a total whack job.”

Zander borderline shoved Quinn, who stumbled back with a look of surprise on his face. “She’s not my sister.”

“Could he be any more emo?” Molly checked the reflection of her wide, satisfied smile in the glass, coming nose-to-nose with a heavyset trainer wielding a trash bag and some yellow rubber kitchen gloves. “At least now we can get back to planning the dance. Committee meeting tomorrow morning in The Square, okay?”

“Hey. Kacey.” Zander’s voice was strained. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” He nodded toward the stairwell, then disappeared through the exit door.

I froze, my eyes darting from Liv to Nessa to Molly. Did he know? I wanted one of my friends to say something reassuring, at least give me a look that said I’d be fine. But their eyes were wide. Unblinking. Petrified.

I considered bolting, but the stairwell was my only way out. And Zander was waiting.

Holding my head high, I strode through the door. I had starred in Guys and Dolls. I could totally pull off “innocent girl who definitely did not just frame someone for penguin vandalism.” That was, until I tripped over the first step and went down, palms first.

“Hey! Whoa!” Zander reached out to steady me. He was sitting on the third step with his back against the wall. “You okay?”

“I—sorry. I’m fine. Just a couple of scrapes.” I’m sorry for everything, I thought as Zander cradled my hands in his, inspecting my injuries. For possibly getting your friend, girlfriend, whatever she is arrested, even though objectively, she has the worst personality ever. For almost bailing on rehearsal.

“You’re bleeding a little. Here.” Zander shrugged off his yellow hoodie and dabbed my wounds with the sleeve.

“That was stupid of you,” I blurted, tears springing to my eyes for no reason. I felt like a kid, like Ella when she fell in front of my mom or me. Everything was fine until somebody took an interest. “Now you’ve got blood all over your sweatshirt.”

“So?”

I looked up at him, tried to find his eyes through the blue streak that kept slipping over his forehead. “I’m sorry Stevie got in trouble.” A snot bubble hovered dangerously close to the edge of my left nostril.

He shrugged. “Whatever. It’s her own fault.”

“Is she your girlfriend?” I didn’t realize how stupid the words sounded until it was too late to take them back.

“Huh?” Zander stopped playing nurse long enough to stare at me. “Stevie?”

It wasn’t a denial.

“Oh, come on.” My toes curled inside my boots. “You guys act like you’re… like you…”

“We were,” he said quietly after a few seconds had passed. “I mean, back in Seattle, we were.”

“Oh. Okay.” I fought the fresh wave of salty tears threatening to spill onto my cheeks.

“You really hate her.” He said it matter-of-factly, without judgment.

“I don’t—” I shuddered and took a breath. “I—”

“It’s okay. I mean, it sucks. I wanted you guys to like each other. But I know she can be tough.”

“You do?”

“Kace. Give me a little credit,” he said ruefully. He knocked my boot with the toe of his sneakers. “She comes off pretty strong sometimes. Kind of like this other chick I know.”

“Hey!”

He shrugged. “ ’S true.”

“You ditched me.” The words were out before I could take them back. “For her. Like you didn’t care if I was in the band at all.”

“What? No way.” Zander went down a step so we were at the same level. He looked genuinely lost.

“It seemed like it,” I insisted. “As long as you were with your girlfr—”

“She’s not my girlfriend, okay?” Zander’s laugh was harsh. “It didn’t work out. I don’t like her that way anymore.” He leaned over and stared at his sneakers. “And I didn’t mean to ditch you, or hang out with Stevie more, or whatever. I just wanted to give you some space.”

I blinked. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Because of the breakup. With Molly? I thought hanging out with you as much as I… wanted to would make things weird between you and her.”

As much as I wanted. My pulse raced. I couldn’t even look at him. Then… “Wait. You know about the Girl Code?”

“I know about the Bro Code. And if one of my guys ever broke up with a girl, and then I started hanging out with her…” He shook his head.

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Zander murmured. He rested his hand on the stairs, his fingers just inches from mine. “So, like, for example, Bro Code would totally forbid me to ask you to the dance on Friday.”

My mouth went dry. “Oh,” I said again.

“And Girl Code would prevent you from accepting.”

Finally, I looked up at him.

“Then again, if we went, like, in secret, without telling anybody…”

His silvery eyes locked with mine, and warmth spread through my body, making my fingers and toes tingle with anticipation. Zander and me, on a date? A real (secret) date? Did that mean we were…

I felt myself nod. “Okay,” I whispered.

“Okay.” Zander leaned close. Before I could think about how I was going to keep my feelings about him secret now that I knew how he felt—

—Zander Jarvis and I were kissing.

Kissing. As in, heads tilted, noses and lips pressed together, hearts racing, toes curling. KIS. SING. Zander’s lips were so soft that I barely noticing the rotting-fish stink swirling like orchestra music around us. He lifted his fingers to my cheek and lightly cupped my chin in his palm. It felt unfamiliar and completely comfortable at the exact same time. Like I was breaking in a brand-new pair of shoes with my favorite socks.

He pulled away too soon.

“But—I—”

“Okay,” he whispered with a sleepy smile. And then he kissed me again.