by Emily Lowry
And now there was no way out. “I, uh, I didn’t.”
Verity narrowed her eyes. “And why’s that?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but realized there was nothing I could say.
“You look at me, dear,” Verity said, her eyes ablaze. “That girl is special. And you’re something special too. But if you want there to be something between the two of you, you’re going to have to make a move. You can have all the kindling in the world, but if you don’t strike a match, it’ll never burn.”
I was about to reply when my phone vibrated.
“Thank you for the dance,” I said. “I have to take this.”
“Think about what I said,” Verity replied. “And don’t let once in a lifetime pass you by.”
She made her way back to the dance floor and found another partner.
That’s how Zoe would be when she was older, I realized. Full of life, dancing up a storm. I wanted to be part of that life. I wanted to be part of Zoe’s life. I checked the text on my phone.
It was from Tyler, and it only had five words:
Can we talk about Zoe?
46
Zoe
The Homecoming dance was only a few hours away, and I was still curled in Mason’s sleeping bag in the treehouse. I didn’t want to move. I had just enough energy to put on my still-wet clothes, go to the house for breakfast (and a change into my pajamas), then immediately come back to the treehouse.
As far as I was concerned, the best way to get through Homecoming was to sleep through it. I told Ty I had no plans to go to the dance, and that I would be in the treehouse if he needed me. And that I’d prefer if he didn’t need me.
I squeezed my stuffed unicorn.
Mason’s voice echoed through the treehouse. “What? How long does it record? Only fifteen seconds? Wait it started — oh no — Zoo! I picked this little guy up for you as a congrats for getting your first date. And a thank you for everything, I—”
I, what? What was he going to say at the end of the recording?
I closed my eyes and tried to drift into what I hoped would be a dreamless sleep. I tried not to think about Mason, about how he was probably getting ready for Homecoming right now. He’d have a corsage to give to Meredith when he picked her up. Then they’d go to the Homecoming Dance, and they’d win the competition, and be King and Queen, because of course they would. And I’d just be the average cliff note in his otherwise spectacular senior year.
The ladder to the treehouse creaked under someone’s weight.
Mason? No. The thought was ridiculous. But as much as I tried to shut it down, I couldn’t help but fantasize that the mystery person was Mason. That he’d come to take me to Homecoming, instead of Meredith.
Until he saw me. I hadn’t washed the makeup off my face from last night. I was wearing old pajamas. And I hadn’t showered. Or brushed my teeth. If it was Mason, he’d probably stick his head in the treehouse, then run screaming.
My mystery guest was not Mason.
It was Nina. She climbed in the treehouse, put her hands on her hips, and looked around, unimpressed. “You know you have a real home, right? With your very own bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom… a shower. And… are you in Mason’s sleeping bag right now?”
“Don’t judge me.” I held out the unicorn.
Nina gave it a squeeze.
The recording played.
She raised her eyebrows. “Well, that’s adorable. And also makes me wonder — why are you still sitting here?”
I put the pillow over my face. “Because I don’t want to go to Homecoming. And you can’t make me.”
“Why don’t you want to go?”
Wasn’t it obvious? I removed the pillow from my face. “Because he’s going to be there with her. And they’re going to dance. And win the stupid dance competition. And celebrate with a kiss, probably. My heart is barely intact as it is, you really want to risk all of that?”
Nina rubbed her eyes, looking very much like a band teacher fighting off a headache while trying to marshal her students through a challenging piece. “You’re smart, Zoe. You really are. So why are you being so dumb?”
Normally, a shot like that would offend me. But today I didn’t have the energy to be offended. “Because.”
“You know Mason likes you.” Nina stated it like it was an obvious, irrefutable fact. Like how the sky was blue, water was wet, and physics was the worst.
Hope sprang in my chest, but I quickly squashed it. Nothing could hurt your heart more than a little hope. “He doesn’t like me. He was being nice.”
Nina laughed. “Nice? He helped you throw a party. He took you on a ‘fake’ date — and turned this treehouse into a restaurant because you were grounded. He called me and asked about all of your favorite restaurants so he could make sure food you liked was on the menu. And he made you this.” Nina squeezed the unicorn.
Mason’s voice played.
She tossed the unicorn to me. “That’s not something you do to be nice. He could’ve taught you how to date through email if he wanted to.”
I played my trump card. “Then why is he going to Homecoming with Meredith?”
“Did you ask him to go to Homecoming?”
“No,” I said. “And I’d point out that he didn’t ask me either.”
“Did you ever tell him you were interested?”
“No, and again—”
“Did you ever indicate that you might be interested?” Nina asked. “He literally told you how to show a guy you’re interested, right? Get him alone, tell him about a place you’re excited to go, lick his lips or whatever—”
“Look at his lips,” I corrected. “And that was only for kissing.”
Nina put her hands on her hips. “So? Did you do those things?”
“We were alone together,” I said. “We danced together.”
“And? Did you tell him about all the places you were excited to go?”
I frowned. I thought about all the signs I was supposed to give. All the little things I could do to show I was interested in someone. I hadn’t done a single one of them to Mason. He literally gave me a playbook on how to show him I was interested — risk-free — and I hadn’t given him any of the signals he would’ve looked for. “He still could’ve asked.”
“Don’t be difficult,” Nina said. She sat beside me and looped her arm around my shoulders, giving me a comforting squeeze. “He told you everything you needed to do to show you were interested. And you didn’t do any of those things. So he probably assumed you weren’t interested.”
Probably. Not that it helped me now.
Nina hugged me. “I’m proud of you. You put yourself out there to get a date with Kevin.”
I gestured to the mess that was my current situation. “And that went so well.”
“You tried. It didn’t work out. You should still be proud because you tried,” Nina said. “Think about it. At the start of the year, would you have actually gone for a boy if you liked them?”
I waited for her rant to continue. When it didn’t, I asked, “is that a real question?”
“No,” Nina said, answering her own question. “You admired Kevin from afar, drooling at him from across the street.”
“You make me sound super attractive.”
Nina ignored me. “Even when the boy wasn’t much of a prize. But Mason? Mason’s a prize. And now you have a choice. You can either sit back and admire him from afar, watch as he lives his life, and yes, maybe gets together with Meredith. Or you can do something about it. I mean, how are you going to live with yourself if you don’t at least put yourself out there?”
I could see the logic. But I was terrified of Mason in a whole different way than I was of Kevin. When things went poorly with Kevin, nothing bad actually happened. Like I didn’t lose Kevin, I just never had him.
But Mason? If things went poorly, I could lose him forever. Years of friendship, childhood memories, perfect time spent together… all up in smoke. “What i
f I ruin what we have?”
Nina shrugged. “What if you spend the rest of your life wondering what could’ve been?”
Ugh. “Sometimes, I hate you,” I said. “Especially those times when you’re right.”
“Like now?”
“Like now,” I said. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll go to Homecoming. I’ll cause a big scene.”
“That’s my girl.” Nina squeezed me once more and wrinkled her nose. “But first, you need to shower.”
47
Zoe
I climbed out of the backseat of our rideshare, hitching the long, silky skirt over my ankles to make sure it didn’t get caught in the door. Mom and I had picked out this dress together months ago, and it had been hanging in my closet waiting for tonight. It was gorgeous — floor length, shimmery deep gold, with a sweetheart neckline and delicate spaghetti straps. For once, I felt beautiful.
Nina paid our driver and then hopped out of the car and twirled. She looked amazing herself, rocking a black ballerina dress with a poofy, tulle skirt. It was super unique, super Nina. I loved it.
And then I looked past Nina at the surrounding scenery.
“Are you out of your mind?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Um, everything?” I didn’t know what kind of game she was playing, but we were nowhere near Beachbreak High. In fact, forest surrounded us in every direction. We were just on the edge of the trail that led to Highline Hideaway. “Homecoming is at school, unless something drastically changed in the last hour.”
“Weird. Something must have changed.” Nina winked and skipped past me. “Plus, I didn’t say we were going to Beachbreak’s Homecoming.”
“Now you’re just lying,” I said. “I distinctly remember you saying I should go to Homecoming.”
“And you are.”
I could not have been more confused.
Nina grinned. “You’re not going to Beachbreak’s Homecoming. You’re going to your Homecoming.”
“What?”
Without another word, Nina turned down the trail. She pulled a small flashlight out of her purse and flashed the beam over the dirt path, pointing out any roots. Not that she needed to — I’d walked this path so many times I could probably do it with my eyes closed.
But I was still confused. And she STILL wasn’t answering any of my questions. In fact, whenever I tried to get any information from her, she just said things like “interesting question” and “great observation” and “oh my goodness you talk a lot.”
The trees broke, and a breath later, I was standing on Highline Hideaway.
For the first time in history, the beach was completely empty.
Except for one thing.
My inflatable unicorn, Sparkles, was sitting on the sand. Twinkling fairy lights were looped around his neck and horn. It was like he was waiting for me.
“Nina,” I said, my mouth suddenly dry. “What’s—”
“Go look.”
My stomach was a tangle of nervous knots. I slipped off my shoes and let them dangle by my side as I walked across the cool sand. The closer I got to Sparkles, the more my hopes rose. I tried to stay calm, to keep my heart in check, but it was like trying to force a lid on a boiling pot. No matter how hard you shoved the lid down, pressure built up and pushed it off. “Don’t get your hopes up,” I muttered.
Sparkles smiled at me. There was a bottle on his back. It looked like there was something inside the bottle. Something that looked a lot like a message.
Despite the warmth of the evening, it was getting difficult to breathe. My chest rose and fell and my hands trembled as I reached for the bottle. After a moment of struggle, I pulled off the cork. There was a loud popping sound.
I turned the bottle upside down and shook out the message.
It fell to the sand.
I picked it up. Unraveled it.
Mason’s handwriting.
You know the place. M.
“What’s it say?” Nina asked.
I jumped. “Way to sneak up on me.”
Nina looked at the note eagerly. “What’s it say?”
“He wants me to meet him at our cove.” I glanced from Nina to Sparkles. I would need to take the unicorn to get there, and there was a very real risk of ruining my dress. Not that I’d ever been one for fancy dresses. “If I go, I need to take Sparkles.”
“If?”
There was a lump in my throat. “What if it doesn’t work out?”
48
Mason
Waiting on the beach made me as nervous as every big football game I’d played put together. It was my own personal Super Bowl, the most important game of my life. Except this wasn’t a game. It wasn’t practice. This was the real thing.
If she came.
I adjusted the collar of my dress shirt and straightened the cuffs on my jacket. I held a corsage in my hand, a single deep red rose — beautiful and classy, like Zoe herself. I was wearing a navy-blue suit, and to be honest, it probably looked a little ridiculous because I didn’t have shoes or socks on. Dress shoes were uncomfortable.
I paced across Secret Cove. Earlier in the day, Ty had called me. Actually called me, not just texted. He wanted to talk to me about Zoe. Apparently, her date with Kevin hadn’t gone well, and she was completely miserable. The idea that her first date was a disaster broke my heart. I wanted her to be happy, even if she wasn’t with me, and I told Ty as much. Then he told me that the happiest he had seen her was when she was with me.
And then I told him everything I’d been feeling, how I had fallen for Zoe without ever planning to. How spending time with her had made me see something that had been right there, in front of me, for most of my life. I told him that Zoe had my heart. All of it.
And then I asked if I could ask out his sister.
“You don’t need my permission, dude,” Ty said. “All that matters is what she wants.”
“Do you know what she wants?”
“Nope,” Tyler said. “That’s for you to find out. I promise nothing.”
And then, after helping me set up, Tyler was off, on his own date to Homecoming with Parker. And me… I was still waiting.
The wind picked up, a warm October breeze.
My phone buzzed. A message from Meredith. She said everything was okay, that I clearly liked Zoe, and that she hoped I got her. I thanked her for her message and apologized again.
Then it was back to waiting.
My nervousness was getting worse. And why wouldn’t it? Waiting for something to happen was always the worst — or best, depending on how it turned out. Being in the locker room before the game started was more nerve-wracking than being on the field. I took a deep breath and looked up.
There was something coming around the bend.
Something bright.
Lights reflected off the water.
And past that reflection was a floating unicorn with the most beautiful girl in the world.
49
Zoe
In my life, I have never been more awkward than when I was lying on an inflatable unicorn in my Homecoming dress, trying to paddle Sparkles around the bend to Secret Cove. I was probably the most ridiculous thing in the Pacific Ocean that night. And I was probably completely wrecking my dress, thanks to the steady spray of salt water. But I needed to know what was around the bend.
Then I saw it.
And I lost my breath.
Secret Cove was decorated like something out of a dream. Two strands of fairy lights climbed the palm trees on either side of the hammock, and tiki torches marked the shoreline. There was a picnic blanket with plates of food and a cooler of drinks. Above the blanket, stretched between two trees, was a banner announcing Homecoming King and Queen.
But there was something better than all the incredible decorations: Mason.
He was standing barefoot in the sand, wearing a navy-blue suit that made his eyes glow sapphire. His beautiful face was lit up by the sparkling fairy lights. He was s
miling.
For the umpteenth time in the last twenty-four hours, I wanted to cry. But this time it wasn’t from sadness or pity. I rubbed the tears from my eyes, mildly agitated that they were blurring my view. I paddled as hard as I could, completely ignoring the cold ocean water soaking the hem of my dress. I needed to get to the cove. I needed to get to Mason.
He kneeled, rolled up his pant legs, and came out into the surf. Without a word, he grabbed Sparkles, and pulled the unicorn — and me — onto the sand.
I felt like there was a giant lump stuck in my throat. What was I supposed to say? What could I say? I climbed off Sparkles and stared at the beach, our own private Homecoming. But why?
Mason tapped his phone and music played from hidden speakers.
A waltz.
He inclined his head slightly and extended his hand. “Zoe Walsh, will you be my date to Homecoming?”
There were so many butterflies fluttering around my stomach that I was worried I’d open my mouth and one would fly out. So, instead of speaking, I nodded.
I took his hand, and he pulled me close. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine. When he spoke, his voice was low and breathy. “In that case, may I have this dance?”
We waltzed across the beach, staring into each other’s eyes. Mason danced with confidence, not needing to look at his feet anymore.
He bit his lip. “I spent the last two hours rehearsing a speech, but one look at you and I can’t remember what I was going to say.”
My cheeks burned red and my heart skipped a beat. I smiled. “Try?”
We did a perfect outside spin, his eyes still on mine. “You are the most beautiful, most amazing person I’ve ever met. My cheeks hurt for hours after we’re together because I’ve been laughing so hard. And when I’m with you, all I want to do is stay awake because you’re better than anything I could dream.”
