spit out a mouthful of blueberry Hostess pie.
Dale looked stunned. “You like Tyler Vincent?”
“No.” Wendy laughed. “But if it was INXS, Aimee would have to arm-wrestle me for them.”
“Aren’t you eating?” Carrie asked Dale. I’d forgotten how hungry I was the moment he came in—for food, anyway. Now my stomach rumbled and he looked at me, noticing.
“I was gonna grab a slice. Want to come with me?” He’d already guessed my answer, sliding a hand casually along my thigh, finding my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and squeezing it as he pulled me to standing. I wasn’t sure my knees were going to hold me up.
He led me to the back of the line, and I breathed a little sigh as we wedged ourselves into the small space where students waited for fries and pizza and Hostess pies and little bags of Doritos.
“Finally.” He squeezed my hand. He hadn’t let go. “A moment alone.”
Funny, because we were in the middle of a crowd, but I knew what he meant. I found myself wishing we really were alone.
“Sorry about that.” I nodded toward the lunch table. “You’d think you were an alien or something, the way they act.”
“They seem nice enough. You’ll have to meet the guys in my band some time.”
“I’d like that.” What I liked most of all was the implication. I lifted his hand, tracing where I’d written on it. “My number’s gone.”
“I know it by heart.”
I melted. I had to look down to make sure I wasn’t just a puddle on the floor.
The line moved quickly and we got to the front. Dale ordered and then turned to me, expectant. “What do you want?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“You aren’t one of those salad-eating girls, are you?” He frowned, glancing up and down at my thin frame. I crossed my arms over my chest.
“No, I…” There was no way I could explain it, not here, not now. I felt my cheeks turning red. He cocked his head, looking at me and thinking, and then his expression cleared and he turned to the woman behind the counter, decisive.
“Two slices, two Cokes.” He dug into his back pocket for his wallet and paid her, handing me one of the Cokes and a pizza slice.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said as we walked back toward the table. The smell of pizza was making me salivate. “I’ll pay you back.”
He made a face, shaking his head, but not saying anything as we sat down again. Wendy was already asking him if he could get tickets to the INXS concert in March and they were off to the races, talking about punk bands while I wolfed down my slice of pizza like it was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted, licking my greasy fingers and laughing when I discovered Dale watching me with interest. Aimee watched me too, looking half amused and half jealous. I offered her a bite, but she turned me down, scraping her Yoplait container with her spoon.
“Here, you want mine?” Dale offered, sliding his pizza across the table toward me. He’d been so involved talking to Wendy and Carrie, he’d only taken a few bites.
“Are you sure?” But I asked through a mouthful of his pizza.
He laughed. “Eat it, little bird. It’s not good for you, but it’s better than Skittles.”
By the time I’d cleaned both our plates, it was nearly time to head back to class, and my stomach was so full it hurt. But when Dale slipped his arm over the back of my chair and smiled at me, I did the best I could to ignore the amazed looks I was getting from my friends, realizing I felt far more full, in a totally different way, than I ever had before.
I never thought I’d want to kill my best friend, but Aimee, hanging over the seat to talk to Dale, was really beginning to grate on my nerves.
“I play sax,” she told him. “I’m a little rusty now. I played in marching band, but I’d love to play in a real band. Are you guys looking for a sax player?”
“Well…” he said slowly. “Most of the stuff we play in clubs doesn’t
Dale looked stunned. “You like Tyler Vincent?”
“No.” Wendy laughed. “But if it was INXS, Aimee would have to arm-wrestle me for them.”
“Aren’t you eating?” Carrie asked Dale. I’d forgotten how hungry I was the moment he came in—for food, anyway. Now my stomach rumbled and he looked at me, noticing.
“I was gonna grab a slice. Want to come with me?” He’d already guessed my answer, sliding a hand casually along my thigh, finding my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and squeezing it as he pulled me to standing. I wasn’t sure my knees were going to hold me up.
He led me to the back of the line, and I breathed a little sigh as we wedged ourselves into the small space where students waited for fries and pizza and Hostess pies and little bags of Doritos.
“Finally.” He squeezed my hand. He hadn’t let go. “A moment alone.”
Funny, because we were in the middle of a crowd, but I knew what he meant. I found myself wishing we really were alone.
“Sorry about that.” I nodded toward the lunch table. “You’d think you were an alien or something, the way they act.”
“They seem nice enough. You’ll have to meet the guys in my band some time.”
“I’d like that.” What I liked most of all was the implication. I lifted his hand, tracing where I’d written on it. “My number’s gone.”
“I know it by heart.”
I melted. I had to look down to make sure I wasn’t just a puddle on the floor.
The line moved quickly and we got to the front. Dale ordered and then turned to me, expectant. “What do you want?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“You aren’t one of those salad-eating girls, are you?” He frowned, glancing up and down at my thin frame. I crossed my arms over my chest.
“No, I…” There was no way I could explain it, not here, not now. I felt my cheeks turning red. He cocked his head, looking at me and thinking, and then his expression cleared and he turned to the woman behind the counter, decisive.
“Two slices, two Cokes.” He dug into his back pocket for his wallet and paid her, handing me one of the Cokes and a pizza slice.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said as we walked back toward the table. The smell of pizza was making me salivate. “I’ll pay you back.”
He made a face, shaking his head, but not saying anything as we sat down again. Wendy was already asking him if he could get tickets to the INXS concert in March and they were off to the races, talking about punk bands while I wolfed down my slice of pizza like it was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted, licking my greasy fingers and laughing when I discovered Dale watching me with interest. Aimee watched me too, looking half amused and half jealous. I offered her a bite, but she turned me down, scraping her Yoplait container with her spoon.
“Here, you want mine?” Dale offered, sliding his pizza across the table toward me. He’d been so involved talking to Wendy and Carrie, he’d only taken a few bites.
“Are you sure?” But I asked through a mouthful of his pizza.
He laughed. “Eat it, little bird. It’s not good for you, but it’s better than Skittles.”
By the time I’d cleaned both our plates, it was nearly time to head back to class, and my stomach was so full it hurt. But when Dale slipped his arm over the back of my chair and smiled at me, I did the best I could to ignore the amazed looks I was getting from my friends, realizing I felt far more full, in a totally different way, than I ever had before.
I never thought I’d want to kill my best friend, but Aimee, hanging over the seat to talk to Dale, was really beginning to grate on my nerves.
“I play sax,” she told him. “I’m a little rusty now. I played in marching band, but I’d love to play in a real band. Are you guys looking for a sax player?”
“Well…” he said slowly. “Most of the stuff we play in clubs doesn’t
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