The Boyfriend Bracket

by Kate Evangelista

  “How’ve you been?”

  Will’s sudden question startled Stella. She dropped her phone. It clattered to the floor. But before she could scramble for it, Will’s phone rang. She yelped. Her heart beat wildly. It made her chest feel small.

  To get her attention, Will squeezed her hand. She immediately looked to him. Cam’s name flashed on the small screen. Will tapped the green circle.

  “Hey, Cam—” Will began, but her brother was already interrupting him.

  “Did you pick her up already?”

  Stella’s already too-small chest tightened further at hearing her brother’s voice come from the truck’s speakers. “I’m here.”

  “Hey, little sis!” he greeted her. “Sorry I couldn’t be there tonight. You have fun with Will, okay?”

  “I’ll make sure she does,” Will said, a wide smile on his lips.

  “Not too much fun, I hope?”

  A muscle jumped along Will’s jaw. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Cam, don’t you have something better to do than check up on me?” Stella asked, annoyance creeping up on her previous nervousness.

  “Oh, right!” her brother said as if remembering. “Got to go. Will, take care of her, okay?”

  He hung up before anyone could reply. Stella had kept her eye on Will the entire time. She noticed his shoulders stiffen. What was that all about?

  Will’s clearing his throat pulled her out of her thoughts. “Don’t pay him any attention. Cam’s just being Cam.”

  “Can we please not mention him tonight? I mean, I already said yes to this, didn’t I?”

  “What do you mean?” He gave her a sidelong glance.

  Stella lifted her hand. “Come on. Let’s not pretend that this isn’t some scheme by Cam so that I don’t have a date for homecoming. You’re technically a babysitter.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Oh, really? Because it looks like a massive cock block to me.”

  The truck swerved. Will steered it back straight. Thank goodness there weren’t that many cars on the road with them.

  “Will!” Stella grabbed the sides of her seat. “Are you drunk or something?”

  “Can you please not say that?” he asked. More like barked, actually.

  “What? Cock block?”

  Again the truck swerved. Stella cursed.

  “Will, get a grip!” she shouted, breathless. “Okay, okay. I won’t say it again. But after tonight, I’ll be lucky if Joey ever speaks to me again.”

  Will eased his foot off the gas and maneuvered the truck onto the side of the road. He cut the engine and flicked on the hazard lights. He thumped the back of his head on the seat and closed his eyes. For a long minute, no one spoke. No one moved. Stella watched Will, confused. She had no idea what he was thinking.

  “Okay,” Will finally said. He sat up straight and turned in his seat to face her. “Do you really like him?”

  Stella’s eyebrows shot up. “Joey?”

  Will blinked at her a couple times. “Who else? Because if you do, then I’ll go talk to him and fix this so he’s your date tonight.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “Yes.”

  Eyes narrowing, Stella circled a finger in front of his face. “But what about Cam? You know he’s not going to like that I went with Joey instead.”

  He rubbed a hand down his face as if in an attempt to erase what Stella saw there. “I’ll make something up. Cam will just have to deal.”

  “You’ll break the bro code for me?”

  Will let out a long breath. He stared out into the night. Taillights passed them, streaking red in the dark. The inside of the cab was cozy. Their only illumination came from the flashing hazard lights and the bright beams of cars driving by. It felt nice—the silence and being in Will’s truck.

  A part of her still worried that Will would rat her out to her brother. Yet another part of her wanted to trust Will. He was willing to be her date to homecoming. That had to count for something. The fluttering in her stomach hoped so.

  If she closed her eyes, she could pretend Will was driving her home from their date. That he would walk her to her door. They would say their good-nights. Will would walk away. But before she could go into the house, he would run back, grab her by the waist, and kiss her. And the kiss would be hot. The hottest kiss in the world.

  “But…,” Will said. “If you can go to homecoming with me instead, that would be really cool.”

  Still caught up in her daydream, Stella thought it was the Will in her imagination speaking. But her eyes were open. She was in Will’s truck. She twisted around.

  “What?” she blurted out with a laugh. “If this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny.”

  Will faced her again. “No joke.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’m serious. This is legit.”

  Stella stared at him, dumbfounded. This was a sick prank. She was sure of it. Like the time Will and Cam had convinced her that the small green chilies her mom brought home from the Filipino grocery specialty store were candied. When she bit into one, her mouth had burned so bad. Only a mouthful of condensed milk had stopped the pain. She’d cried all afternoon.

  “Did my brother put you up to this?” She glared at him. “Is this some kind of test?”

  “Not a test.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because I can’t stand seeing you with another guy.” The words fell out of Will’s mouth like he was serious. Like he actually meant what he was saying.

  Stella shook her head, making a mental note to have her hearing checked. “I think I’m having a stroke. What does it mean to have a stroke? Can teenagers even have a stroke?”

  “Slappy.” Will grabbed her hand and squeezed it. The warmth of his touch snapped her to attention. “I’ve liked you since junior year. I never did anything about it. I knew you were safe from guys because of Cam.”

  “Why now?” She couldn’t believe she was actually playing along. Will liked her? For years? Crazy. They must have died during the moment Will swerved the truck, and this was some sort of parallel universe where everything, even the impossible, was possible.

  “Why not?” There he was, asking the right questions. “You know me. I’d never hurt you.”

  A shiver went through her. In the dark, everything seemed intimate. Yet she couldn’t let go of his hand. This was everything she had always wanted. Will. Her date. Those two had never seemed mutually exclusive before. If she hadn’t been sitting down already, she was sure her legs would have given out from under her.

  * * *

  STELLA WAS WALKING on air as Will led her into the Oak Hills High gym. Banners congratulating the champions hung from the rafters. The entire space was decked out in the Otter colors of blue and white. Balloon columns and arches filled the space. Tables with blue tablecloths and white folding chairs were arranged around the dance floor. To the side stood the DJ, playing music from his booth.

  Already the night was magical. She could feel all eyes on her and Will. Of course! William Montgomery was a catch. All her dreams were falling into place. The fantasy turned real and Cam-approved. She didn’t care how, just that it did.

  “Well, well, well, well, well,” said Franklin as he approached them in his velvet tux and violet bowtie. He had his date in tow, in a suit with no jacket and violet suspenders. “Do I even want to know?”

  Stella answered Franklin’s eyebrow raise with one of her own. “I’ll tell you about it later.” Then she faced her date. “Will, as you already know, this magnificent creature is Franklin.”

  “Her best friend, and I will go Korean Bruce Lee on you if you hurt her.” He shook Will’s hand.

  Will barely hid the wince from Franklin’s grip as he said, “I plan on making sure she’s happy from here onward.”

  “Good.” Then Franklin introduced his date, who offered to get them all drinks.

  They commandeered a table in the middle and
took their seats as the gym continued to fill with new arrivals. Classmates and their respective dates.

  “Is Lemon here?” Stella asked Franklin, her eyes roving the gym.

  Franklin leaned closer. “I saw her go to the bathroom with Parsley.”

  “Good, she’s here.”

  She and Franklin shared a look while their dates sat oblivious to their machinations. Stella didn’t feel petty for wanting to shove her amazing date down Lemon’s queen-bitch throat. She considered it payback for all the trash stuffed into her locker, wet gym clothes, and nasty comments.

  “I know that face,” Will said, poking Stella’s cheek when she turned toward him. “That face scares me.”

  A giggle burst out of her despite her efforts to appear unaffected by the contact. “What face? I’m not making a face.”

  “It’s her scheming face,” Franklin chimed in.

  “Traitor,” she said out of the side of her mouth.

  “Give it up, Slappy. What are you up to?”

  Franklin arched an eyebrow at her, and she sent him a look that conveyed she’d tell him the genesis of the nickname later. It was enough to mollify him into explaining what she had planned.

  “Please say you know who Lemon Lambert is?” he asked Will.

  “She’s the one bullying Stella.” He grew serious. “Why? What’s happening?”

  “Lemon’s had the biggest crush on you, and being Stella’s date tonight…”

  Will filled in what Franklin had left unsaid. “Is a way to get Lemon back for the torture.”

  Stella dropped her gaze when she felt her face heat up. “I don’t mean to use you like that. Okay, maybe I do. It’s just that the best form of revenge is success. I never thought you coming tonight was possible, so I told myself I would become super famous instead. But that could take years. And you’re here now, with me. So…”

  Will put on a stricken expression. “That’s so low. Making me feel cheap.”

  Mortified, Stella said, “I’m sorry! Forget about it. Lemon doesn’t matter. I didn’t mean to ruin the night.”

  Will’s mask of indignation cracked, and he burst out laughing. “You should see your face right now.”

  She shifted in her seat. She should have never brought up her revenge plot. She was being dumb. And childish. Then Will took a deep breath and pushed away from the table. Panic sparked in Stella’s chest.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  Will stood and reached down for her. “If you want better visibility, then I suggest we dance.”

  “What?” Stella stared at his palm and blinked. “You’re not mad.”

  “Why would I be? If Lemon is as bad as you say she is, then she deserves an eyeful of you and me looking like we’re really into each other.” He inclined his head toward the dance floor just as a slow song filled the air as if on cue.

  “What are you waiting for?” Franklin nudged her shoulder.

  Sheepish, Stella took Will’s hand and pushed her chair back. She rearranged her skirt as they walked toward the dance floor, Will leading the way. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar blonde in a dress too extravagant for homecoming.

  “Lemon, three o’clock,” Stella said while she smiled. She could feel the leader of the Salads’ glare from across the gym.

  Without moving his head, Will slid a glance toward the direction Stella indicated. “Then let’s make this count.”

  He twirled Stella before bringing her close. She gasped as her body pressed against his and they began moving to the music. Their gazes locked and everything else melted away. It became just Stella and Will in that gym, on that dance floor.

  “I have to be honest about something,” Will said after Stella successfully followed his lead. “I did some research on dates.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Why’d you have to do that? This is homecoming. There’s nothing to it.”

  “Please don’t remind me.” He grimaced.

  “This should be easy for us. We already know each other.”

  “That’s why I did some research. Dates are all about getting to know each other.”

  “But we already know way too much about each other,” Stella said, finally catching on. “Oh. Yeah. That kind of defeats the purpose, huh?”

  “I thought to change things up a bit.”

  “Okay. I’m curious.” She lifted her chin to look up at him. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Instead of telling each other three things about ourselves, why don’t we share three things we know about each other.”

  That gave Stella pause. Oh, gosh. Will may have confessed, but she hadn’t yet. Her feet began to sweat. She already knew what she wanted to share about him, but a bout of shyness prevented her from speaking.

  “I’ll start,” he said, taking the burden away from her, which Stella was grateful for. “When you set your mind to something, you won’t stop until you get it done.”

  She felt her cheeks grow hot. “No.”

  “Remember the time we teased you about the monkey bars?”

  The “we” Will meant included her brother, who lived to tease her. He justified it as his brotherly duty.

  “I practiced every afternoon until I made it all the way to the end without falling.”

  “You were so proud. We were too. We just weren’t showing you.”

  “Ugh!” She smacked his arm. “You two are such jerks. Seriously.”

  “The second thing…,” Will continued. “You secretly love broccoli but only pretended to hate it because Cam couldn’t stand the stuff.”

  “And is my brother aware of that fact?” She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet. “Not a thank-you to this day. Ingrate. Mom stopped serving broccoli because of me. I’m surprised you know that about me.”

  He tapped the tip of her nose. It lifted a giggle out of her.

  “Only because every time you ate at Nana’s, you cleaned your plate of the broccoli,” he said. “And asked for seconds.”

  A deep blush spread across her face from cheek to cheek. She ducked her head, using his shoulder to hide. She had no idea he’d noticed.

  “What’s the third thing?” she forced herself to ask despite the whirlwind in her chest. She was happy. And confused. And totally fighting to stay solid. Did he like her more than she liked him? That was impossible. She got dibs on liking William Montgomery. She had lost count of the times they’d secretly got pretend married when she played wedding with her dolls.

  He lifted her chin as they continued to dance. Stella searched his handsome face for answers.

  “The third thing is…,” he said, not breaking eye contact. “You are the most real person I know. You show all your emotions. You aren’t afraid to express yourself. No matter how much we teased you growing up, you never lost that smile of yours—braces and all.”

  Stella felt a sting start at the corners of her eyes. She was seriously going to break down. At the gym. While dancing. During homecoming.

  “Can you be any more perfect?” she managed to say around the tightening of her throat.

  He shrugged one shoulder. “Depends on who you ask. Nana always gets this pinched look when I forget to pick up after myself.”

  Will spoke with such adorable contriteness that Stella burst out laughing. Her voice drew the attention of her classmates dancing alongside them. But she couldn’t stop. Will watched her, silently smiling until her composure returned.

  “Now it’s your turn,” he said as patient as Buddha.

  There was so much hopeful expectation in his voice that Stella turned into a bundle of nerves. Oh, gosh. This was it. But before she could stumble on her feet, Stella admonished herself for being a coward. This was her chance. Will had put himself out there. Why couldn’t she? If there was a time to show Will her feelings, it was now.

  Reminding herself who she was with, Stella gathered her courage and said, “You’re the nicest guy I know.”

  “That’s not always the most flattering t
hing.”

  “Ah, but the entire school agrees with me. You’re even nice when you break up with someone.”

  “Come again?”

  “Clara Hutchinson. Sophomore year. You two dated for six months. You broke up with her, and she didn’t even write your name along with die on the wall of the girls’ Shame Bathroom.”

  “Shame Bathroom?”

  She clapped her forehead. “Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.”

  “Now I’m more curious.”

  “It’s the west wing bathroom. The one at the end of the hallway. The walls are filled with names of guys who other girls should stay away from and why.”

  “Okay, I’d rather not know what’s on those walls. Thanks.” He rubbed his jaw. “I didn’t think you knew about Clara.”

  Stella raised an eyebrow as if to say “Really?”

  Will let out a bashful chuckle. “I guess we weren’t exactly hiding it.”

  “Um … you two were making out in the parking lot. Every day.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “I’m not. Clara was a good kisser.”

  “Why did you break up?”

  He just looked at her for the longest time until she finally got the answer. Surprised, she pointed at herself. He shrugged.

  “The beginnings of it. This.” He gestured at the both of them.

  She blushed for the hundredth time. Being with Will. Surreal. This was actually happening. She had to keep speaking or she would never finish.

  “Anyway, I only brought up Clara to emphasize the fact that you’re kind. Tolerating my brother is already a good enough reason to call you a saint.”

  “All right, all right.” He raised a hand. “I get it. What’s the second thing?”

  “You’re popular because everyone likes you,” she said, while making sure to keep up with his steps. “Not because you’re a jock. Not because you’re mean. You actually make everyone feel like they have your full attention when they are speaking to you. All the girls love you. All the guys want to be you. Not even the bullies touch you.”