Friday, August 26th

Like freaking Prince Charming.

8:30pm

When I come off the stage, there is Dawson. Staring at me.

Uh, make that glaring at me.

I owe him an apology, so I walk straight up to him and say sincerely, “Hey, I’m really sorry about what I said earlier. It was kinda mean of me.”

“You were sticking up for my brother because of what I said about him being the imitation, right?”

“Yeah. He looked sad when you said it, and I just reacted. I’m sorry. Really.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was kinda mean if you don’t know us, but he and I joke about stuff like that all the time. Plus he’s my little bro. I have to give him shit.”

I nod.

He lowers his voice and says, “And you’re right about Whitney. I do like her. Speaking of that, the guys told me Riley said you didn’t really do anything in your dorm room.

“Yeah, I was trying to stand up for him.” I laugh.

“You should be careful of him. He’s got a way with the ladies.”

“So I’ve heard. I told him I’d do my best not to sleep with him, so we could stay friends.”

“Riley with a girl for a friend? Hell, if you can manage that, I will be thoroughly impressed. Congrats on dance team. It’s a big honor. All the hottest girls are on dance team— well, except for Whitney.” He leans in close to me and whispers, “She doesn’t like to sweat.”

I can’t help but laugh and think about Vanessa. And then home.

And then I sort of feel like crying.

“Thanks,” I say, but what I’m thinking is that I just want an Ambien and my pillow. I’m so tired and so on stimulatory overload.

But then Aiden saunters up to me, gives me a big hug—which nearly stops my heart from beating—and says, “Congrats. You looked really surprised. I pretty much told you that you made it on the Ferris wheel.”

“The Ferris wheel is sorta a blur,” I say without thinking.

“A good blur, I hope. Hey, there’s all your friends, worshipers, whatever. I think they all want to congratulate you.” He stops and kisses my hand.

Yes.

You heard that right.

He kissed my hand. Like freaking Prince Charming.

Then he says, “Don’t forget, you owe me a dance or two tomorrow.”

“I won’t,” I say breathlessly.

And then, poof, he disappears into thin air.

And I wonder for a minute if he was actually real.

Can anyone else see this demigod?

Dallas, Riley, and all the freshmen boys I made friends with at orientation give me hugs, congrats, high fives, and pats on the back.

Dallas says, “You looked great up there. You hungry?”

I realize suddenly just how hungry I am. I was too stressed to eat dinner. “I’m starved! Let’s get something to eat.”

While I’m eating a freshly grilled Philly cheesesteak and homemade potato chips, Morgan comes trudging up to me, pushing a girl in front of her. The girl is also decked out in feathers.

“Meet your new roommate, Katie.”

Katie gets a big grin on her face and gives me a hug. “Oh, thank God! You made it. When they told me it was some girl that tried out, I was afraid she wouldn’t make it and would hate me. You cool with this? I sure as hell am.”

“Absolutely.” I turn to Morgan. “But I’m almost completely unpacked, so she moves into my room, right?”

“Yep. Molly and I will get everything moved tonight. Sorry. It just didn’t work for me.”

“That’s okay. No hard feelings,” I say.

Katie is adorable. Perky, bouncy brown hair with expensive highlights, button nose, and a sweet smile.

I introduce her to the boys.

“You guys want to go on the Ferris wheel?” she asks. She bounces when she says this, and her ample boobs shake just a bit. She is really quite peppy, and the boys are enthralled.

“You go. I’m gonna finish eating.”

Dallas says he’s going to stay with me, and then he sits down and says, “Plus, you already rode the Ferris wheel.”

“I did. Have you?”

“Yeah, I rode it, but I don’t think I had as much fun as you.”

“I take it you saw Aiden kiss me?”

“Yeah. And I’m okay with it. Last night was just, you know, we got high, we kissed. It was chill, right?”

He reminds me of Brooklyn even more with that comment.

“Right.”

“Now my friend, Riley, on the other hand, he didn’t look too pleased. You kiss him too?”

I purse my lips and look up at the sky.

“Look at me,” Dallas says. “The answer to that question is not in the sky. And don’t lie to me. I hate when people lie to me. And I can tell we’re gonna be friends. Good friends. I’m talking TIIIIGHT,” he laughs. “So just tell me.”

I spill my guts. The boy parts anyway.

“So I dated this guy for most of high school, but I always crushed on my best friend. We broke up this spring, and finally this guy, that B that texted me, kissed me. And I thought it would be amazing. But then he invited me to go camping with him and his friends, but then they left me. Like completely ditched me, and he acted like it was no big deal. And I thought he was hooking up with other girls that night. And I went to a party with this other friend of mine from school. And that same night, he told me he’d had a crush on me and asked me to go out with him. And I ended up losing my virginity to him, instead of the B guy, who I always dreamed it’d happen with. But then that didn’t work out. That’s an even longer story. And so then I got back with B and we had an amazing summer together, but then he told me he was going away for, like, a year. And then the whole thing happened with the, uh, with my parents moving, and I ended up here. He said we are young, that if we’re meant to be together someday we will, that we should date other people, that he will be dating other people. And I was kinda crushed. But then last night at the cave was fun. I mean, I’d go there with you anytime, and I’d kiss you again, for sure. You kiss good. Like sweet.”

He smiles.

“And really, I thought Riley was kind of a conceited jerk, but in a hot way, you know. And then I kicked the ball in the goal and saw the God of all Hotties.”

“Who?”

“Oh, that’s what I called Aiden before I knew his name. He, like, does something to me. It was love at first sight. Seriously. But then you guys told me he’s a player, and he pretty much told me the same. But when he talks to me, he’s not all smooth like I would expect a player to be. He’s nothing like Riley. I mean, at least with Riley you know he’s a player. He doesn’t try to hide it. But then Aiden brought me lunch after soccer, and I thought it was sweet, but then he said this awful pick up line, and I was like whatever. But then right before I went to dance tryouts, he handed me a four-leaf clover, like, a real one, picked from the ground. And I wondered if he stood there looking for it or what. But I kept telling myself, no players. No players. Then Riley came to walk me to dinner, and I wasn’t quite ready and . . .”

Dallas says, “Riley already told me how you stood up to his brother. He really liked that you did.”

“Good. Riley is hot. And if anything happened with him, at least I’d know what I was getting into. Like, I would know it’s just a thing. Just a hookup. But then Aiden kissed me on the Ferris wheel and, I swear, I couldn’t even breathe. Like, I have never felt like that before. And this time he didn’t say anything stupid or cheesy. He was sweet, and I think I’m falling in love with him. No. I am in love with him. But I know that I can’t be. So I won’t be seeing him anymore. I mean, I’ll probably see him around, but I’m not gonna fall for him and then have him decide I’m not it. So basically that’s it. I’m done with boys.”

Dallas laughs at me. “You’re funny. I didn’t know I was gonna hear your life story. So, I hear you’re supposed to go to a party with Riley tonight.”

“Well, if he saw the kiss, he probably won’t want to take me anymore.”

“Oh, no. I think he will. Dawson told him that he heard you two hadn’t really done anything and that if Riley didn’t make a move then he was going to, tonight. So just know, Dawson is interested. And be careful.”

“I’m not interested in Dawson. He’s got it bad for Whitney. And messing with Dawson would probably not be a good thing, even if they are broken up.”

“Yeah, they used to date. Like all sophomore year and most of last year. She broke up with him when Peyton started dating a college guy. She sounds like one of those girls that has to have the best of everything. I heard she dumped him because she had to one-up Peyton. Riley hates her. Says it devastated Dawson but, of course, Dawson wants her back. I did hear, though, that Dawson’s been playing pretty heavily. Riley says they had a wild summer.”

“Damn, Dallas. You’re good for all the gossip.”

“He’s not the only one that’s got this place wired,” Dallas says with an easy grin.

“So, what do you know about Peyton? She seems nice when she’s not with Whitney but, then, when she’s with her she acts like she doesn’t even know me.”

“I’m not sure. I get the impression that people are kinda scared of Whitney.”

“There’s a girl like that at every school. So, do you think I can take off this stupid feather crown?”

“You better not. Here comes Tyrese.”

Tyrese sits down with us and rests his muscular arms on the table. “So, congrats. Dance team is cool. You getta come out and shake that ass for the football team.”

I scrunch my nose up, cuz shaking my ass for the football team wasn’t exactly why I tried out. Actually, I’m still not sure why I tried out. But I do know that I loved being up there dancing. It was really fun.

He lowers his voice. “So the party tonight, moved to plan B. You understand?”

“Yeah.”

“You know how to get in and out of the dorm without getting caught?”

“Uh, no.” Shit, the party must be after curfew.

“What floor you on?”

“First. 6B.”

“Well, aren’t you just the lucky girl?” Okay, so all the outside doors have alarms on them, and I’m sure they told you the whole place is wired, right?”

“Yeah, they did tell us that. They also told us about all the trouble we’d get into if we got caught outside the dorm after curfew.”

“You won’t get caught if you do it right, okay?”

“Okay.”

“The biggest problem will probably be your roommate. I heard you have some girl that goes to bed at 9:30. Would she tell on you?”

“She would have, yes, but I have a new roommate. We switched. I’m roommates with Katie. She just made dance team. She’s the really cute petite one.”

“With the huge boobs?”

“Um, yes.”

“Dayuuum, you can just bring her along. Introduce her to Tyrese.”

“Okay. She seems fun, so I’m sure I can talk her into it.”

“Solid. Okay, so what they didn’t tell you is that the doors are wired, but the windows aren’t. All you have to do is report for curfew, then, about an hour after that, sneak out your window. Check your window, make sure you can get in and out of it. Wait, did you say 6B? Damn girl, that window has got WD40 all up and down the sides of it. It glides like a dream. Effortlessly and quietly. Little honey of mine, graduated last year, that was her room.”

Dallas and I laugh.

“So, curfew is at twelve tonight. Be there at one.”

“Wait. How do we get in?”

“Oh, shit. I almost forgot. Your dorm faces the woods. Walk that way, so no one sees you. The second window will be open. Just climb in and take the stairs up to the party. If you have any trouble, text me. Here, give me your phone.”

He grabs my phone, puts in Tyresebaby and his number, winks at me, and leaves.

“You gotta take me to one of these parties,” Dallas tells me.

“Let’s wait until I’m actually invited myself, and then you’re in. And before the others get back,” I say as I see them walking toward us. “Anytime you wanna go back to the cave, you text me.”

He’s kissing my soul.

1:15 am

Katie is excited to go to the party. She’s been chattering nervously about it for the last hour while we unpacked all of our clothes and put them away. She’s also a junior, who has apparently been on the waiting list since freshman year. They told her they had a last minute opening a couple weeks ago, and she decided to come even though her friends and boyfriend thought she was nuts.

We checked our window and, as expected, it glided effortlessly open. She wanted to leave at 12:55, so we would be there right at one, when the party supposedly starts. But no way was I going to look like an overeager B-list actor trying to get into an A-list party. I told her we weren’t leaving until 1:15.

At least.

At 1:15, she can’t wait any longer. She’s had two Red Bulls and is bursting at the seams.

Katie climbs out the window quite gracefully. I pretty much fall out of it and into the bushes. I’ve never had to sneak out before.

“How did you do that?” I ask her as I’m picking leaves off my shorts. We had a big dilemma about what to wear tonight. She wanted to be all decked out. I thought maybe we should look more casual. Pajama party casual. We discussed it for about an hour. Killed some time at least.