by Emily Lowry
I opened the blast, expecting to see me and Trey at my party, in a tender moment we hadn’t been careful enough to hide.
My chest froze.
The blast showed me and Trey, all right. But we weren’t at my house party.
We were under a streetlamp on Main Street, and it was very, very obvious that we were more than friends.
Great. Our first kiss blasted over Click. Isn’t that every girl’s dream?
At least now the scowls some girls were giving me made sense. After Trey’s performance, I lost count of the number of girls who ran over to him and tried to get his phone number or set up a date. It was like I’d offered them a piece of candy, then snatched it away before they could grab it.
Welcome back to being public enemy number one, Hailey.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and tried to ignore the stares as I marched through the halls of Evermore. What was I supposed to do? Denying our relationship, whatever it was, was definitely not an option. My reputation as the golden girl was likely in tatters — the golden girl did not make out with guys in the middle of the night on Main Street. Especially not with guys with a reputation, like Trey Carter.
A strange sense of calm came over me, a warm blanket wrapping around my shoulders. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t care about being Evermore’s golden girl. Maybe that’s not who I was supposed to be. Maybe that’s never who I was supposed to be.
Confidence surged through me. I knew what I needed to do. I didn’t have to hide.
I texted Trey.
Hailey: Meet me in the middle of the cafeteria.
Trey: When?
Hailey: Now.
Trey: So demanding.
I grinned. Instead of heading straight to the cafeteria, I skirted to my locker and dropped off my bag. I checked my hair and touched up my look. For this next part, I wanted to look perfect.
My head held high, I marched to the cafeteria. As expected, there were hundreds of students lounging around, and almost all of them looked towards me when I entered. Then they looked at Trey, who was standing in the middle of the cafeteria.
They were expecting an explosion.
But I was going to give them fireworks.
“Hailey—”
Before Trey could say another word, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his.
I felt his lips hesitate against mine for a fraction of a second, before he inhaled sharply. And then he kissed me back, making the world spin again. He wound his strong, muscular arms around me, his hands finding my lower back. Just to add to the effect, I kicked up one heel like we were in a movie poster. When we finished kissing, you could hear a pin drop.
And Trey?
Speechless.
I stepped back, smoothed my skirt. Trey was looking at me like I had gone insane, but I could see the passion still flickering in his coal dark eyes.
“I have to go,” I said. I gave him another quick peck, then strode out of the cafeteria.
37
Trey
I stood in the middle of the cafeteria, vaguely aware of what had just happened. A million phones were pointed at me. Gently, I touched my lips. Hailey had come out of nowhere and moved with the force of a hurricane. And me? I was in the eye of the storm, the one place it was completely still while the world spun around me. There was no way to casually play this one off, so I headed towards the exit.
I guess Hailey and I — whatever we were to each other — were out in the open now. And the wolves would descend.
“Carter.” That voice. That annoying, annoying voice.
I slowly turned around. “Zamos.”
Adam swaggered between tables, winding his way towards me like a snake through tall grass. His eyes were narrow, his fists clenched. What was this kid’s deal? First, he breaks up with Hailey, then he says he doesn’t want her and that no one else can have her, and now he was giving me a hard time because she kissed me. Move on, already.
“You know I saw that, right?” Adam said. His nostrils flared, a bull ready to charge.
“You know it’s creepy to watch?” I replied evenly.
“Hailey’s off limits.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“And why would I listen to you?” I asked. The Click paparazzi surrounded us. Was this what it would be like if my band ever got big? I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It was claustrophobic, in a way.
“Because I’m the captain of the football team.” Adam said this with no inflection, as if it was a fact evident to everyone within earshot.
“I don’t pay a lot of attention to high school sports, but I thought football season was over?” I kept my voice as polite as possible. The first person to yell, the first person to show signs they were losing their cool, lost. And it would not be me. There was no way I was losing to someone like Zamos.
“I’m still the captain.”
“You were the captain. Football season’s over, buddy. I know you want to hold on to it because it’s probably the peak of your life, but—”
Adam pressed a finger into my chest. He was pushing hard, trying to get me to take a step back. “You stay away from Hailey. She was mine.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Don’t like it when someone plays with your toys?”
“She’s not yours.”
I took a step back and looked Zamos square in the eyes. “Well, at least we can agree on one thing. She’s not mine. But that’s the difference between us, Zamos. I know that you can’t own someone. Hailey belongs to no one but herself.”
Adam’s nostrils flared again, then he swore, turned, and stormed through the cafeteria.
38
Hailey
That afternoon, I was standing in the locker room after changing into my cheer uniform. Trey and I texted throughout the day, which made the incessant staring from the entire student body in the hallways marginally easier to bear. Jordyn filled me in on his encounter with Adam, who was getting increasingly irritating. And of course, our cafeteria kiss was blasted throughout Click. I was pretty sure even the teachers knew about it by this point.
I stared at myself in the mirror, tugging at my black and silver uniform. When I kissed Trey in front of everyone, I felt so confident. Powerful, even. But during the afternoon, that confidence had slipped away, and now I was stripped bare of everything but my insecurities. Was kissing Trey the right move? It’s not what the golden girl — what the good girl — would have done. What were people thinking about me now?
It was impossible to know.
Madison sidled up to me, her dark ponytail bouncing. “So you and Trey Carter aren’t dating? Could have fooled me.”
I slammed my locker shut and glared at her. I hadn’t lied to her — we hadn’t been together last time she had cornered me. And what did it even matter to Madi if we were dating or not?
“You’re gonna get yourself a reputation, Hails. Nobody believed that Click video of Trey saying nothing happened in his van, and now you’ve just made it worse by making out with him for everyone in school to see. Rumors are flying, Hailey. And when Trey discards you, just like Adam did, then what? People don’t like damaged goods.”
“At least Trey actually wanted me.”
There. I’d said it.
Hurt flashed through Madi’s eyes for a moment before she recovered her big, fake smile. “I’m your friend, Hailey. I’m just looking out for you, you know.”
“Go away, Madison.”
Some freaking friend she had been.
She raised her eyebrows coolly. “If that’s what you want.”
I watched her walk away, cheer skirt swaying. I had sounded confident, but what if Madi was right?
My phone vibrated. It was Trey.
Trey: I can’t stop thinking about that kiss
Hailey: Me either :)
Trey: Who even are you? :)
Honestly, I wasn’t sure of the answer to that. I had laid all my cards on the tab
le, put myself and Trey in the center of the spotlight for all to see.
But doubt swirled inside me. When I kissed Trey so publicly, did that come from inside me? Or was I just attempting to play a different role? Was I doing things because I wanted to do them, or was I changing who I was to fit into someone else’s life, like I had done pretty much since I was a kid?
I exhaled. Stared at my reflection in the mirror. My phone buzzed again.
Trey: I changed your name in my phone. You’re no longer Rich Girl.
A jolt of electricity jumped down my spine at his words. I smiled down at my phone. I sure didn’t feel like I was playing a role with Trey.
I looked back at my reflection again. “Cool it, Hailey. You can get through this.”
I could, couldn’t I?
39
Hailey
The winds of March thawed Evermore. While it was almost constantly overcast, most of the snow melted and spring was just around the corner. Since my cafeteria stunt, Trey and I had been Click’s new It couple, replacing Chase and Abby from last semester. Everywhere we went, someone was trying to snap a picture of us, so mostly we stayed in or went to Prohibition — the only place safe from Click’s clutches. The only time we weren’t at Prohibition, we were at Trey’s house.
I measured a cup of flour and poured it into the mixing bowl, which already had creamed butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. I stirred in the flour and added some chocolate chips. Trey and I were at his house making dessert — a quick batch of chocolate chip cookies. Perfect for an overcast Sunday afternoon.
Trey tried to stick his finger in the batter.
There was a loud THWACK as I swatted him with the spoon.
“I was just gonna test it,” Trey said, licking the batter off the back of his hand. “Make sure you’re not poisoning us.”
“I’m not much of a baker, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure these cookies won’t be poisonous.”
“So there’s a one percent chance they will?”
“Yes.” I tilted my head to look at him, defiant.
Trey laughed and lunged at me. Screaming, I ran away.
Trey caught me easily. He wrapped an arm around my midsection, lifting me off the ground. I squealed as he mercilessly tickled me.
“Get offfff!”
Laughing, he set me down gently on the countertop. Sweaty and breathless, we locked eyes, still laughing hysterically.
Trey placed a hand on the back of my head and pulled me towards him, his lips crashing into mine. My head spun as we kissed, my body felt like it was on fire. His kiss was powerful, hungry for more. I could never get bored with kissing this boy. It was everything.
He pulled back from me, breathless, staring down at me with those incredible coal dark eyes.
“You are straight up beautiful.”
My throat tightened. Did he really think so?
Adam had never called me beautiful. Hot? Yes. Sexy? Sure, when I dressed up for parties. But beautiful? Never.
The word sounded so perfect on Trey Carter’s lips.
I moved forward to rest my forehead on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight.
I was beginning to think I liked Trey way too much, more than he could ever like me.
He held me for another moment before releasing me. “You ok?”
I smiled and jumped off the counter. “Definitely. We should get these cookies finished. Isaac is probably starving.”
Trey grinned. “Nice of you to think about Isaac.”
“Always. Isaac is the best.” And he was. The more time I spent at Trey’s house, the more I got to hang out with Isaac. He was like the baby brother I never had — I liked my stepbrother Jacob and everything, but he was only a year younger than me, and it’s not like we were close.
I resumed my place in front of the bowl of cookie dough, scooped the cookies onto a baking sheet. “You know how we’ve been thinking about the best way to promote Stonewash Sunrise?”
Trey eyed the cookie dough and nodded absently.
Silly boys. Put some food in front of them and it was all they could think about. I guess the old saying was true — the way to a boy’s heart really was through his stomach.
Over the past few weeks, Trey and I had grown closer and closer. He was all I could think about. We’d worked on our Wuthering Heights project — I had him convinced to do the musical portion, but there was no way he was wearing a costume — and, more importantly, we’d worked on ways to get his band on stage at Prohibition. Lucy loved the Click blasts, but she would not put him on stage. She said Prohibition was too big of a first step. If she saw Trey play somewhere else — and do well — then she’d extend an invitation.
The problem was there weren’t a lot of live music venues in Evermore, and most of the venues in Denver wouldn’t let Stonewash Sunrise in. We needed to get creative. Which is where I, publicist extraordinaire, came in.
“What about the Riverwalk?” I asked.
“We’ve already talked about this,” Trey mumbled, still trying to figure out how to steal more cookie dough. “None of the restaurants have the right fit.”
“I’m not talking about playing at a restaurant,” I said. “I’m talking about playing along the Riverwalk.”
“Like a busker? Just set up and go? I don’t know if Lucy would count that.”
I could barely contain the excitement in my voice. “What if you played on the river?”
“Like, in the water?” Trey looked confused.
I couldn’t blame him. My idea was pretty out there, but I was sure it would work. “On a raft. We set up Stonewash Sunrise on a small raft. You guys play a short set while floating down the Riverwalk. I’ll get Jordyn and Chase to paddle and steer. You don’t play at one restaurant — you play at all of them.”
Trey finally took his attention away from the cookie dough and put it where it belonged — on me. “Hailey Grace, that might be the best idea you’ve ever had.” He grabbed my hand, spun me in the kitchen, then pulled me in to steal another kiss. He hugged me and rested his chin on my head. “You are incredible.”
“I know,” I said with a laugh. I might have acted egotistical, but it still felt amazing to hear Trey Carter call me both beautiful and incredible in the space of minutes.
I nuzzled into his chest.
I felt his jaw slowly move, but he wasn’t talking.
“Trey?” I asked.
“Mmm?”
“Did you just steal some cookie dough?”
“Idunnowhatyou’retalkinabout,” he mumbled, his cheeks packed with cookie dough.
40
Trey
The raft rocked in the gentle river water. It was long and sturdy, big enough for our band plus Chase and Jordyn Jones. Hailey wouldn’t be joining us on our adventure — she needed to walk alongside the raft and record for Click.
“Dude, you sure this thing will hold all of us?” DeAndre was still safely on shore. He placed his hand on one of the rough logs, rubbing his thumb along the bark. When I asked Hailey where she got the raft, she told me her stepdad was feeling guilty for not spending any time with her, so he called in a few favors.
Her response bothered me, like she was purposefully leaving information out. But when I tried to ask, she told me it was better if I focused on the music instead of asking questions.
“It’ll hold,” I said. I tried to sound more confident than I felt. I unpacked my guitar and took my place near the center of the raft. DeAndre joined me and Leo took his place behind a severely stripped-down drum kit. Jordyn and her twin brother Chase grabbed paddles and climbed onboard. They’d be responsible for keeping us in the center of the river, which had been fully thawed by the early April sunshine.
I eyed the water warily, silently praying this wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
The plan was relatively simple. We had a battery pack hooked to our amplifier so that people along the Riverwalk would hear us. We’d float down the river — which was fairly slow — a
nd play our music. At the end, Chase and Jordyn would paddle hard to shore and we’d arrive at Beachbreak Burgers, our final destination.
“Are you ready?” Hailey asked. She was the only person still on shore.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.
She blew me a kiss that left me feeling warm.
“Good luck.” Hailey gave the raft a hard shove, and we floated away from shore. Chase and Jordyn paddled furiously to center us in the water.
Thankfully, the raft was stable. I’d expected it to wobble with every movement, making it next to impossible for us to play. Or worse — having it tip over and send us, and our equipment, into the drink. Losing all of our equipment was unthinkable, so I tried not to fixate on that possibility.
So far, so good.
We slowly cruised around a bend and the Riverwalk came into sight. It was unseasonably warm, so some restaurants had their patios open for the evening. Plenty of people were strolling on the walkway, and our presence on the raft was already drawing attention. People were pointing, whispering, getting their phones out. It was time.
“Let’s get this show started.”
I struck the opening chord.
41
Hailey
I dodged between people, slipped between shoulders. I had to be careful — I needed to capture as much of the concert as possible for Click, but I needed to do it without running into anyone or dropping my phone. This was a one-shot deal.
Trey looked amazing in a tight black Henley shirt that showed off his muscular form, and gray jeans. He was a total rockstar. He held his guitar at his waist and strummed. His voice, his beautiful voice, carried over the river and hushed the audience. Everyone sitting on the patios that lined the Riverwalk stopped eating so they could watch.
