“Can we talk?”
Three of the scariest words in the English language—especially when coming from the maybe-ex-boyfriend you haven’t spoken to for two weeks.
The noise of all the other students in the hallway discussing their weekend plans petered out. Cole’s breath was warm on Lucy’s hair, but her shoulders stiffened, waiting to see what her body’s reaction would be.
Slowly she turned to face him, hands clamped to her sides.
“Talk,” she said.
Cole scuffed the toe of his sneaker against the linoleum.
“You missed the last meet of the season. We won—if you care.”
“Congratulations.”
“We won—I even set a new personal best—and I didn’t care.” He tore at the cuticles on his thumb, one of his few nervous habits, while staring at his feet. “I didn’t care because you weren’t there, Luce. Because you didn’t want to be there.”
Lucy felt a twinge of guilt, almost like a paper cut. It was true.
“You’ve got enough groupies,” she said.
Cole lifted his gaze. “You saw the photos.”
“The up-close-and-personal with Megan? Oh yeah. So why are we even talking? I seem to have been replaced.”
“Replaced?”
He curled his fingers around Lucy’s upper arm in desperation. No motion sickness this time, but what Lucy did feel was almost worse, like dangling from a slippery cliff. She’d hoped that the thief had done her a favor by removing the Tesla Egg from her possession, hoped maybe all her weird abilities would evaporate.
Nope.
“That’s not why I posted them,” Cole said, half plea, half growl, while shaking his head.
“Then why did you?” Lucy demanded.
“I needed to see if you’d get jealous.”
“You were trying to hurt me? I never thought you were a sadist, Cole.”
“What? No. I had to know if you’d care. But then you didn’t even confront me. You didn’t even seem upset.” His eyes traveled to where he was gripping her arm. “You barely touch me anymore.”
Channeling all of her frustration at Cole, Lucy shouted, “Of course I care!” and jabbed his shoulder, proving she could touch him when she wanted. “And you better believe I’m mad.”
A tiny crescent formed on his lips.
“Why are you smiling?” she said.
“Because you’re mad. You care.” Cole leaned into her and brushed his knuckles along her jawbone. “Please, Luce. I want things to go back to the way they were.”
She inhaled all the way from her toes. Lucy wanted things to be like they’d been before the cheating and the Tesla Suite too.
“Let me make it up to you,” said Cole. “Saturday. My parents will be out of town. I’ll make you dinner. I’ll be better.” He took a breath. “I promise.”
Lucy sank her front teeth into her bottom lip, undecided.
“Actually,” he began, “I was hoping you could tutor me—for real this time. I’m going to fail the physics final without you.”
“You mean now that you actually have to do the work?” Lucy couldn’t keep an edge from her voice.
“Yes.” Cole had the grace to look ashamed.
Lucy thought about what Claudia would say. She’d tell her to stop fixing Cole’s messes. And yet, here he was, genuinely asking for Lucy’s help. How could she turn him down flat? She didn’t want to be the reason Cole didn’t graduate. Besides, after her moment—or whatever—with Ravi, Lucy should maybe do some penance herself.
Cole plowed his fingertips through her curls and massaged her scalp the way he knew she liked. “So, physics and pasta. How ’bout it?”
Lucy’s gaze dropped to his lips, unable to take the intensity of his stare. Misinterpreting guilt for desire, Cole hugged her closer and kissed her hungrily. Her stomach turned over.
Coming up for air, Cole smiled as he said, “It’s a date.” The look in his eye was less confident than his smile.
He rested his forehead against hers so their noses touched. If she were honest, things had been strained between them for a while, but was she truly ready to say goodbye to the first boy she’d ever loved?
“It’s a date,” Lucy agreed. She kissed him back, softer this time, but she couldn’t rid herself of that nauseated feeling.
A tug came on Lucy’s shoulder, extricating her from the lip lock with Cole not a moment too soon.
“Share and share alike,” said Claudia, trailing her eyes from Lucy to Cole.
Cole goofy grinned. “What’s up, Short Stack?”
“I need to borrow your moll, doll face,” she replied in a Mafioso tone. Cole just stared. “Your better half is required elsewhere,” she clarified, casting Lucy a quick glance, and Lucy tried to hide her relief.
“She is?”
“You forgot.” Her friend’s voice hardened. Not good. Claudia could be scarier than all three of her brothers combined when she wanted to be.
Picking up on the tension, Cole evaluated his options and wisely chose a quick exit. “Saturday,” he whispered into Lucy’s ear as he kissed her cheek. Claudia kept her eyes on Lucy and she had that rampaging elf look about her.
Lucy opened her mouth to say … she wasn’t sure what, but Claudia cut her off.
“Cate and Stew are waiting. Hope the planetarium was real inspiring.”
She started toward the auditorium and Lucy trailed half a pace behind, regret gnawing at her. Claudia was the most loyal, dependable person ever. She deserved better from Lucy.
“Clauds—” she began as her friend swung open the backstage door and announced, “Welcome to Gangland!”
Cate and Stew were perched on ladders on either side of the stage, paintbrushes in hand, working on a series of eight-foot-high backdrops. Lucy’s eyes darted to a portrait of the Statue of Liberty with a mustache, holding an ice-cream cone instead of the Eternal Flame.
She nudged Claudia. “Why is Lady Liberty sporting a Movember ’stache?”
“It’s Dada.”
Lucy attempted a sage nod but Claudia saw right through it. “Dada was an art movement in the 1920s that criticized the commercialization of art,” she explained. “Poked fun at high culture. They painted mustaches on the Mona Lisa and framed toilet seats—which you would know if you’d read any of the emails I’d sent you this week!”
Emails?
“Did you even glance at the sketches I sent you?” Claudia said.
“I’m sorry.” Guilt spread over her like a rash. Lucy had become self-absorbed and a liar. Her eyes flitted around the auditorium. “It’s a really cool concept, Clauds. Like a 1920s Occupy,” she said, cajoling a tiny smile from her friend.
“It was Jess’s idea. Who knew anti-establishmentarianism could be so hot?” They shared a laugh. Claudia surveyed the backdrops, then snapped her focus back to Lucy. “So, mon amie, are you going to make my Dada Speakeasy electrifying?”
“I’ll do my best.” That was Lucy’s specialty, after all.
“Good. Let’s join the rest of the worker bees.”
As if on cue, Cate greeted them with a double-dimpled smile.
Over the next hour or so, Lucy studied the half-painted sets and the sketches strewn around the stage, determining which color gels she could recycle from the fall musical for the lights and what she would need to order. In addition to Lady Liberty, there was a panorama of the New York City skyline complete with King Kong in a top hat. Since there wouldn’t be any alcohol at the prom (at least, not school-sanctioned), Claudia had designed a trompe-l’oeil beveled mirror lined with shelves of multicolored liquor bottles to sit behind the fruit punch stand. She’d even stenciled MOONSHINE in capital letters on empty wine bottles that would be filled with Kool-Aid.
Stew suggested they sprinkle some sawdust on the gym floor to make it feel like an authentic bootleggers’ paradise. They all agreed that was genius, and Lucy added it to her shopping list for the hardware store. By the time they were finished for the day, she felt more like her old self. She clung to that feeling—with all her might.
Cate and Stew waved goodbye but Lucy was so concentrated on double-checking her notes she hardly noticed. The seat beside her whined as Claudia plopped herself down in the front row. She traced a finger along the sketch of a theater marquee Lucy was holding.
“Think we can really pull it off?” she said with an uncharacteristic quaver. This meant a lot to her friend. Lucy wouldn’t flake out again.
“Definitely. We’re Broadway-bound, baby.”
Claudia had been thrilled with Lucy’s idea to have Times Square–style billboards dangling from the ceiling, dotted with halogen lightbulbs to capture the Prohibition Era ambiance.
“I guess the stars really did inspire you,” Claudia said. She pulled one of her curls straight. “I shouldn’t have been so snarky.”
Lucy stopped scribbling. She shifted in her seat, angling her body until their knees touched. A burst of warm energy radiated from the spot.
“Does that mean our fight is over?” she asked.
“That wouldn’t even come close to qualifying as a fight in the O’Rourke household.”
Lucy drilled the tip of the pen against the notebook. “It’s as close as I ever want to get.”
Claudia’s hazel eyes searched hers out and the truth began pushing its way to the surface.
“Listen, Clauds.”
Her friend listened.
“I didn’t go to the planetarium.”
Head nod.
“I went to see my neurologist.”
Nod.
“I’m fine.”
“Why didn’t you want your mom to know?”
Trust Claudia to get to the heart of the matter. “I thought I might have had a seizure. I didn’t want her to overreact.” One day Lucy would be suffocated by her pile of half-truths.
“That’s why you weren’t riding Marie Curie,” her friend deduced. Lucy smiled guiltily. Her bestie really did know her better than anyone else.
Claudia didn’t smile back. “Why didn’t you tell me, Luce? You promised.”
Lucy nearly uttered the phrase It’s complicated before deciding she would sound exactly like Cole had trying to justify his sins of omission.
“I was scared.” Finally, the truth.
Nod.
Lucy lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“But you’re okay now?”
“We adjusted my meds.” The rest of the truth cut at her insides, but she was still too afraid to let it out.
“I understand why you’ve been distracted. I just wish you knew by now that you can trust me.” Lucy raised her eyes to Claudia and she instantly wished she hadn’t. Her confusion was mirrored back at her. “I’ll always have your back, Luce,” she said, as solemn as any vow.
Lucy nodded because her throat was too scratchy. She drew Claudia into a tight hug and they stayed that way for a good long while. They both ignored the crackle of static in the air.
Regaining her voice, Lucy asked, “Wanna come over? Hang out?” The question was hesitant, her chest tight. “Or are you working at the Gallery? I could come with?”
Claudia pulled out of the embrace. She bit her lip.
“Jess’s expecting me at her dorm. Soon.”
“Right. Wouldn’t want to stand in the way of young love!” Lucy said with forced cheer. Five weeks and dwindling. Lucy didn’t want to share Clauds with Jess for any of them.
“I can drive you home first.”
“Nah. I’m good. I could use the fresh air. And I wanna double-check the gels again.”
“You sure?”
“Sure. Have fun.” Lucy beamed a smile brighter than the lights of old Broadway as Claudia left for her date.
She sat in the quiet for a bit, then turned off the auditorium lights one by one.