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I keep promising to give him my number and then forget before I get the chance.
“It would be nice to be able to text him instead of just waiting until the next time I bump into him to talk to him.” She ripped the piece of paper from her notebook and held it out to me.
I felt like my whole world was tilting as I took it from her hand with shaky fingers.
“O-okay…”
Her smile was back. She slung her backpack over her shoulder again. “Thanks, Dorothy. You know, Ace is really lucky to have you in his life. He talks about you all the time.
“If he hadn’t called you his best friend when we first met, I would probably think you were his girlfriend. That’s how close the two of you seem.”
Her words felt like a slap. I lowered my gaze.
“You two do have amazing chemistry. I don’t think anyone can deny that,” she continued lightly. “Would you ever consider…getting together with him?”
We both knew why she was asking me this. She wanted to know if I would be a threat if she and Ace started dating. She wanted to know if I would try to steal her man.
Her man.
Not mine.
My heart shattered into a million little pieces.
“No,” I whispered. “Not really. Ace and I will always be just friends.”
She nodded slowly. I barely even processed what she said next.
“Hm, well, you two would make the cutest couple. Maybe you should consider it.”
She looked back over at Ace. “Do you know who he’s on the phone with? He looks upset.”
I followed her gaze back to Ace and noticed how tense he looked. His hand was curled into a fist at his side, and his body was rigid. He was speaking too quietly for me to hear what he was saying.
“No,” I replied. “I don’t, actually.”
Clara pursed her lips. “Hmm, strange. I’ll have to remember to ask him when I see him later tonight. Looks like it’s important, whatever it is.”
My eyes darted to hers. “You’re seeing him tonight?” She was the important plans that Ace had tonight? He was turning me down to go out with ~her?~ Oh god, I was going to be sick.
Clara seemed a bit taken aback by the shock in my voice, and a deep groove appeared in the flawless skin of her forehead.
“Oh, um, yeah.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I thought Ace would have told you his plans.”
I looked back at him. Shame heated my face. “Ace doesn’t tell me much of anything nowadays. And I’ve quit asking.”
“Oh. That sounds…pretty frustrating.”
I didn’t reply.
“Well, okay… I should probably get going.” She took a hesitant step backward. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
No. ?“Yes. I’m fine.” I just needed her to go away.
She nodded slowly. “All right. I guess I’ll see you around, Dorothy.”
I watched her and all her perfectness walk down the hall, away from me and, more importantly, away from Ace. Thank god.
“You ready to get demolished during kickball, Dorothy?” a new voice asked. “I heard we’re on opposite teams today.”
I blinked and turned to see Madoc standing across the hall, at the entrance to the boys’ locker room.
He had gym with Ace and me and loved to make fun of how small and nonathletic I was.
It didn’t matter that I was one of the best dancers at the school and very strong in my own way; my strength was nothing compared to theirs.
I wasn’t surprised to see him so happy. He loved gym far more than any other class I had with him. Physical activity was where he and Ace thrived, and was when they released their pent-up energy.
I swear, they would spend all day racing each other around the track like little boys if they didn’t have other classes to attend.
“What?” I replied.
“I asked if you were ready to get demolished at kickball today,” he repeated, cracking his knuckles.
“Oh. Yeah, sure. That sounds good,” I responded dismissively.
His forehead puckered.
Did I say something weird? I don’t even care.
I glanced over my shoulder at Ace to make sure he wasn’t paying attention to us. He was still on the phone, his back turned.
“Can I, uh, ask you a quick question?”
Madoc nodded slowly. “Um, okay. What’s up?”
I took a steadying breath. “Do you know what’s going on between Ace and Clara? I feel like there’s something Ace isn’t telling me.” In fact, I was almost positive about it.
Madoc’s lips ticked up at the corners. “I’m not sure I’m supposed to tell you. But let’s just say, you may be Ace’s favorite girl, but you’re not going to be the only one in his life for much longer.”
He patted my head in a gesture that I was sure he meant to be comforting but that just felt patronizing when I was already so close to breaking. “Better get used to sharing his attention.”
My heart dropped so low in my stomach, I swear it fell out of my ass. “Oh,” I whispered in response.
“Now, come on, Doe!” he exclaimed. “Go get dressed so we can play some kickball! I fucking love kickball!”
He made a whooping noise and punched the air several times before turning and disappearing into the locker room.
***
I didn’t end up playing kickball. I didn’t even set foot inside the gym.
Instead, I fled. I dropped my backpack and ran down the hallway, making sure Ace wasn’t watching me before I sprinted away.
I wasn’t even sure where I was going. All I knew was that I needed to get away. I had to. I needed a moment to think and process the horrible turn of events that had become my life.
After exploding out the main doors of the school, I raced toward the woods behind the parking lot. I didn’t have a car to go home, so my next best hope for some privacy was the curtain of green trees.
I had always loved forests. Ace and I would spend hours surrounded by nature, especially during the summers, going for swims in hidden lakes or having picnics after long hikes.
Nature, all of it, was our spot.
But it was looking like we wouldn’t have a spot at all anymore. How could I continue hanging out with him if he liked someone else?
I was sobbing hard by the time I reached some random hiking trail behind the school, tears and snot dripping down my face. I felt like a child throwing a tantrum.
Damn, this hurts.
I don’t know how long I walked. I just kept going.