Instead, I send Lisa a barrage of heart eye gifs and every heart emoji I can find.
JJ: How about 20 questions then? I’ll go first. Animal, vegetable, or mineral?
She’s a quick thinker, I appreciate that. I think for a moment, then fire back a response.
Me: Vegetable
A text from Lisa pops up while I wait for JJ’s response.
Lisa: They are so cute together. I’m not sure who was more nervous, Hannah or Trevor. But I managed to distract everyone else so they could have a minute alone and they’ve been like this ever since. Don’t know what he said, but it worked. And it turns out, he’s pretty fun. Kinda dorky, but fun. He and Hunter would get along.
In our separate text thread, I dig a little more into their first week of classes.
Me: So how was the first week? Anything I need to know? People I need to murder?
Lisa: They’re definitely singling Hannah out in our class and there’s a pack of Sixes out to get her. I swear, I caught one of them eavesdropping on our conversation at dinner the other night. But Gloria and Uri caught onto it and started making up some outrageous stories from YIGP (at least, I don’t THINK they’re true. I hope they’re not true) and she got all offended and backed off.
Me: Hahahaha! Are they bothering you at all? Have you been deemed guilty by association?
Lisa: Not too much. I’ve been hanging out with Elena too. She’s cool. She seems as overwhelmed by everything as I am.
Me: Good overwhelmed or bad overwhelmed?
Lisa: Definitely good overwhelmed.
The last two hours of the drive pass quickly, between Lisa’s updates on Hannah and Trevor and playing multiple rounds of twenty questions with JJ. Jack and Hunter wake up with groans and a few choice words about an hour before we arrive and, of course, Jack has to butt in on my game with JJ.
As we pull into the parking lot of a motel in Green River, Utah, my phone buzzes again.
Hannah: while I agree with all the above sentiments, you guys know I can read this whole conversation, right?
Hannah: But thank you for that picture, it’s very cute.
Chapter Nine
Hannah
“I forgot how tall you are,” was the first stupid thing to come out of my mouth as Trevor approached our little group in the downstairs lobby of our dorm building earlier this afternoon.
He’d laughed and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “I forgot how short you are,” he’d said, rocking back on his heels. “It’s good to see you,” he’d added, his eyes roaming over my face. We’d stood there for a moment, staring at each other—the butterflies in my belly tripling in number, not knowing where to look or what to do with my hands. The dress I’d changed into after showering the sweat of morning classes off didn’t have any pockets so I twisted my hands around the handle of my purse instead.
Lisa had let the silence drag on for a moment before clearing her throat, reminding me that everyone else was there. “This is Lisa,” I pulled her up next to me, holding her arm like a security blanket. Trevor had smiled at her and everyone else while I made introductions, then suggested we head to the nearby train station since his car wasn’t big enough for all seven of us.
Gloria and Uri led the way, laughing and goofing off with Thomas and Noah, while Lisa and Elena joined in from time to time, leaving Trevor and I to bring up the rear of the group. I didn’t know if it was on purpose or not, but I had been glad for a moment to regroup. Walking so close to him, and yet, on display in front of my friends had sent my nerves into overdrive.
Finally, Trevor had broken the silence between us by reaching around my shoulder and pulling me against his chest for a hug. The second his arms wrapped around me, my brain stopped whirling. A few seconds after that, I’d relaxed against him, my arms snaking around his waist, the weight of my head resting against his chest. Trevor’s heartbeat in my ear, even though it was racing like mine, grounded me. “Hi,” he’d whispered above my head, giving me an extra squeeze. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
I’d pulled back far enough to look up into his face, giving him a shy smile. “Me too. Are you as nervous as I am? ‘Cause I am more nervous right now than I was backstage at the finals.”
“God, yes. I’m trying so hard to be cool right now.” The giggle that escaped me at his pained expression was cut off by Uri, his shout sweeping down the sidewalk toward us, shattering the remaining awkwardness between us.
“Come on lovebirds, the train’s almost here!” With a laugh, Trevor had taken my hand and pulled me down the sidewalk to catch up to everyone else.
Now that we’re all walking around the streets of Seattle, laughing and chatting, Trevor’s hand holding mine is the most natural thing in the world. The sun is out and warm enough that Gloria and Elena haven’t complained about it being cold once, while the breeze off the sound is keeping it from being too hot. We’ve explored Pike Place Market, wandering through all the little shops, stopping to watch the fishmongers put on their show of tossing enormous fish.
Thomas and Uri put on a competing show by tossing Gloria between them, she’s so tiny she weighs less than the biggest fish those guys are tossing, earning the applause of some scattered tourists and the fishmongers themselves.
“I can’t wait for pas de deux to start next week.” Gloria waggled her eyebrows at Uri as we wandered down the street. This time, Trevor and I are in the lead, since he’s the one who knows where we’re going, his hand warm in mine.
“Hannah and I have never done pas de deux,” Lisa says, “well, not real pas de deux. We’ve tried to partner each other in class, but it’s not the same.” We don’t have any guys at Ms. Parker’s at all, well, unless you count the under ten crowd, then there’s a few.
Uri and Noah both turn to face us. “Seriously? Here,” Noah holds out his hand to Lisa who takes it gingerly. “Pique into an attitude, I got you.” Lisa does, stepping onto her right foot, left lifted and bent behind her. “Ok, now brace your arm and I’ll promenade you.” Noah pulls Lisa around in a circle while the rest of us laugh. It’s a bit of a disaster since Lisa’s shoes keep sticking to the sidewalk, and she has to swing her leg up high to the side to avoid kicking over a display of knickknacks outside the store we were passing.
“I’m sure it works better on Marley,” Lisa says, laughing as she falls over.
“Pas is much easier in pointe shoes, less sticky,” Elena says.
“What do you think?” Trevor says in my ear. “Are you excited to try it next week?” Is he asking because he’s curious or because he’s jealous of the guys who’ll be touching me in class? I study his face for a moment before I answer, trying to find a hint of what he’s thinking in his eyes.
“I’m excited to learn new things, yeah.” Feeling brave, I ask, “You’re not worried, are you?”
Trevor looks over at the other guys. “Should I be?”
“No?” Wait, that’s not a question on my part. “I mean, no. Definitely not. I just…”
“Hannah?” Trevor squeezes my hand.
“Yeah?” His face is sincere and a tiny part of me relaxes.
“I’ve done my research, I know what pas de deux is. I thought we established I’m not a Neanderthal. Dancing with the guys in your class is important to you, right? Important to your training?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s important to me. Besides…” He raises his voice enough for the rest of the group to hear him. “These guys will keep an eye out for me, right?”
The guys chime in with assurances that they’ll keep an eye out for both me and Lisa, putting my mind at ease. It’s not that I don’t trust Lisa or myself, but we can only defend ourselves so much, if we have the other guys running interference for us it will make me feel better.
We have a blast wandering around Seattle, exploring and being led around by Trevor. T
here’s a cool underground tour that we all decide to go on next weekend since we miss the last tour of the day by the time we get there. Trevor always finds some excuse to touch me, whether it’s holding my hand as we walk, or a hand resting on the small of my back. My favorite is when he runs his fingers down the back of my arm before twining our fingers together. It tickles and sends goosebumps down my spine, but not in a bad way. It’s like the scared feeling you get in the pit of your stomach right before you get on a roller coaster. Terrifying but also promising an exhilarating rush. I could easily become addicted to this feeling.
“We should get back, curfew is in an hour,” Gloria reminds us as the sun starts dipping in the sky. “We don’t want to miss dinner.” She pokes Uri in the stomach. “Gotta keep this one fed or else he gets hangry.” The feeding Uri jokes last the entire train ride back to campus, not stopping until we get to the dorm entrance.
“Thanks for showing us around man.” Thomas reaches out to shake Trevor’s hand. “Hopefully we’ll see you soon.” With a nod, he heads inside, Noah and Elena following after saying their goodbyes as well.
“We’ll grab you some dinner, see you in a bit,” Gloria adds as she pulls Uri through the doors, waving and winking.
“You okay?” Lisa checks with me before leaving. “I’ll save you a seat. It was good to finally meet you Trevor.” With that Lisa takes off inside, leaving Trevor and I alone for the first time all afternoon. The setting sun casts a golden glow around us, even if the front entrance of the glass and steel dorm building isn’t the most romantic setting I could have imagined.
Nervous, I grasp my purse handle with both hands, rocking on my heels. “So you, uh, move into your dorms tomorrow, right?”
Rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, Trevor looks almost as nervous as me. Everything had been easy once we got used to having everyone else around, now that we’re alone, an awkward silence descends between us. “Yeah. I still don’t know which building, but I’ll text you when I find out. I think for sure we’re sharing the dining hall here with you guys, I looked and it’s the only one that’s open right now. So we’ll at least get to eat together, if our schedules match.”
“That’ll be good.” I wrack my brain for something else to say but come up empty. “Why is this so awkward?” We both laugh, breaking the tension between us.
“Come here.” Trevor pulls me in for another hug, just like he did earlier. I don’t know what it is about his hugs that put me at ease, but they do. “Don’t worry about it, I’m not going anywhere. You put up with my million and one texts a day, I think we can handle a little awkwardness now.”
“I guess that’s true.” I say into his chest, trying to memorize his woodsy scent and the feel of him against me. The steady thump of his heart in my ear, the evenness of his breaths—they ground me. When we were a thousand miles away he could calm my anxious thoughts with a few words. I had no idea how much more powerful that sense of security would be in person. I tuck the feeling away in my heart, saving it for a rainy day. Something tells me I’m going to need it before the intensive is over.
Trevor’s arms squeeze tight before he pulls back to look down at me. “You should go eat. I’ll talk to you later, yeah? Maybe even see you tomorrow?”
I nod. “Yeah. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.”
We stand there for a moment, neither of us wanting to be the first to let go. Trevor’s eyes drop to my lips when I unconsciously lick them, his eyes dark in the waning light. He unwraps one arm from around my waist, his hand cupping my cheek. I don’t want to move, enjoying the moment, the tension between us too much to break the spell. “Night Hannah,” he says softly, leaning down to drop a kiss on my forehead. Then, before I can say anything he steps back, releasing me.
“Bye, see you later,” I manage to say, my mouth dry. That’s it? A kiss on the forehead? That was not as magical as I was hoping. Then, I guess this isn’t the most romantic place in the world.
With a wave, he turns and leaves me standing in front of the building, happy but a little disappointed.
Chapter Ten
Katy
“To your left is the student union building. The main dining hall is there on the bottom floor, you’re welcome to eat there while you’re here.”
Mom asks about meal plans and dining room hours as the tour guide continues to lead us across campus. I trudge along behind my family with Cole—neither of us interested in the tour. Cole’s already in his junior year at UCLA and I’m not interested in moving to Boulder for college. We’re here for Jack, one of the CU scouts got in touch with him and asked him to come check the campus out. They tried to convince Hunter as well, but he has his heart set on staying in California, determined to get an internship at SpaceX or JPL. It doesn’t hurt that it would keep him near Lisa.
“How come you decided to come with us?” I ask Cole as we trail along. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Why? You didn’t want me to come?” He grins at me, not quite the carefree grin I remember from when we were kids, but it’s better than the grumpy scowl he’s been sporting since he came home for the summer.
“Of course I wanted you to come. Geez, can you imagine the torture I would have to put up with if it was the Wonder Twins and me? Ugh.” I give a dramatic shudder, hoping to get another smile out of Cole. I don’t know why he’s been so grumpy since he came home, but I’m determined to find out. “It’s just that this is more of a ‘college tour for Jack and Hunter’ than family vacation kind of trip.”
“Feeling left out?” Cole’s question cuts to the heart of my own inner grumpiness. Not that anyone else has noticed. “I needed to get out of my routine. It was a tough year.”
“You want to talk about it?” I’d wondered if something had happened at school. Maybe it was a girl? Or his old shoulder injury? “I’m good at keeping secrets you know.”
That gets a real laugh out of Cole, loud enough to have my dad looking back over his shoulder at us. I wave him off with a grin. “You mean, like how you didn’t tell anyone about me kissing Natalie Lay behind the bushes?” I shrug, it had been worth Cole’s revenge dunking when my dad turned the cold hose on them. Natalie was a bitch, she called our mom “the help” when she brought out some snacks. And her friends had told me to “go play with Barbies” when I tried to teach them how to play Quinn Ball. It was their own fault when a stray ball gave that one girl a bloody nose.
We follow the rest of our family across campus, the green trees overhead giving us plenty of shade from the warm sun. I appreciate how nature-y the campus is, but I’m already short of breath and all we’ve done is walk around.
“Still not sorry.” I dance out of Cole’s reach when he tries to put me in a headlock. Why do they always go for the headlock? “I’ve only shared secrets when it was for your own good. Was it a girl?” Sometimes I can pester the info out of them, the advantage of being the lone girl.
“No, it wasn’t a girl,” Cole growls, his face going dark. My brothers all share the same square jaw and defined cheekbones, Jack and Hunter may be identical, but Cole could pass for an older version of either of them. I know that dark look well, I’ve seen it on all three of their faces over the years. It’s the look that says, “Quit prying Katy, I don’t want to talk about it.” Experience has taught me that right now is not the time to push, but that he’ll tell me eventually—once I’ve sun shined the answer out of him. I just need to bide my time and wait for the right moment. Some stupid Katy antics and twin jokes will wear him down.
Jack does some of the work for me a second later when he walks face-first into a tree, too engrossed in his phone to look where he’s going. His flailing arm takes Hunter down with him. “Uh-oh. Looks like Jack can’t wait for fall semester to start in Sep-timber!” I call out once I catch my breath from laughing.
“Hey Katy, why was the weeping willow so sad?” Cole’s wink sets me off again.
>
“I don’t know Cole, why was it so sad?”
“It was watching a sappy movie!”
Hunter can’t help grinning at that one, even as he helps Jack up off the ground.
“Hey Cole, what’s a tree’s favorite dating app?” I can’t help myself, it isn’t often the twins make it so easy for me. It’s been ages since Cole and I have ganged up on them, when he’s away at school I have to do it all on my own.
“I don’t know Katy, what is it?”
“Timbr!”
Jack and Hunter’s groans at that one are echoed by my parents’ laughter.
Once the boys are up and dusted off, the tour guide herds us along towards the athletic department, our real reason for visiting. I sidle up to Jack, peering over his shoulder at his phone. “So, what, or should I say who, was so very interesting?”
Hunter throws his arm over my shoulder and stage whispers in my ear. “My money’s on JJ.”
And with those four words, big black clouds roll in to dim my sunshine. JJ’s texting Jack. And he’s engrossed enough in the conversation to walk into a freaking tree. I guess she really is buttering me up to get close to my brothers. Just like every other girl at school.
This is why Hannah and Lisa are my best friends. Even Olivia, who I know was my friend first, was more interested in my brothers than me. I don’t know why I’m surprised, I should be used to this.
It happened with Jenny Bastian in first grade.
And Ayushi Sharma in fourth grade.
Can’t forget Millie and Danielle Chapman, the reigning queens of our fifth-grade class. Silly Katy had thought we’d shared a bond since they were also twins, somehow equating them to the sisters I always wanted. I even fell for it again in sixth grade when I got a highly-sought after invitation to their birthday sleepover. It was only once the other girls had me in tears when I couldn’t tell them which boy I had a crush on—newsflash there was no boy—and they suggested I call my brothers to come defend me, that I realized what had happened.
Face to Face (On Pointe Book 3) Page 7
