WHEN I WALKED into health class on Monday, the entire room burst into applause. Well, the entire room except for Merritt, Tinsley, and Poppy. Their glares still weren’t enough to dampen this joy that flared in my chest.
I put my hand over the cupcake pendant and bowed. Then I used my hands to quiet them. “I’d like to thank my friends, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and of course, Merritt for always believing in me.”
My classmates chuckled, and for once, I felt like maybe my days as a wallflower were over. Like I finally belonged at Emerson Academy. It was just too bad it took until senior year for me to feel that way.
“What’s so funny?” my mom asked behind me.
“Nothing,” I mumbled and took my seat. I glanced over at Jordan, but a waterfall of curls covered her face. A sniffing sound came from behind the curtain of hair.
“Jordan, are you—”
“Let’s begin class,” Mom said pointedly to me, and Jordan never even looked up.
I resolved to ask her about it during lunch in the AV room. Then it hit me. Were we still meeting?
My heart sank. They didn’t need me anymore. Now that Beckett had asked me to homecoming…what was the point? We’d accomplished “Operation Cupcake,” which meant their work was over. It would be back to sitting by myself in the quad and using my lunch hour to study like I had for the last three years. But why didn’t that sound appealing anymore? I’d had a taste of friendship, and I was tired of being…alone. Loneliness might
have been safe before, but it cost me too much. What had I missed out on because I’d been too afraid to put myself out there?
After the bell rang, Jordan quickly swept her books up and left into the hallway. Ditching my bag, I hurried to follow her and see if she was okay. She was already several feet ahead of me. “Jordan, hey!” I called.
She disappeared into the rush of students, going away so fast I couldn’t even see her face. With a sigh, I walked back into the empty room to get my bag.
“Forget something, honey?” Mom asked.
I nodded toward my desk obviously still full of things and gathered them up. I left the room feeling way lower than I had upon entering, and the cloud seemed to stay until Beckett found me at my locker.
His hazel eyes smiled down at me, captivating. “Hey, Cupcake.”
I grinned up at him, feeling better already. Just his presence cheered me up. “I love my necklace.”
His fingers brushed the space between my collarbone and the pendant, setting my skin on fire. “I thought it fit you.”
“It does.”
“Come on.” He took my hand. “Let’s grab lunch.”
My eyes flared open. I hadn’t even considered the possibility that Beckett might want to sit together at lunch. The concept made me excited and nervous at the same time. He usually sat with the football players and cheerleading squad. “Are you sure I’ll fit in?”
He stopped walking and used his free hand to cup my cheek. “You fit in wherever I am.”
My stomach practically vibrated with the force of the butterflies there, and all I could manage was a smile. He grinned back—the second-best use of his lips, aside from kissing me.
Walking with him in the hall was like being royalty. People waved at us as we walked by. They said hello, acknowledged us. Suddenly, I felt like I’d stepped from behind the backstage curtains into the center of the spotlight.
I didn’t mind, not with Beckett holding my hand.
We reached the lunch line and walked alongside each other, collecting our meals. I stepped up to the register to swipe my card, but when the woman ran it through the machine, she frowned.
“I’m going to have to make some substitutions,” she said.
“Substitutions?” My eyebrows came together. “It’s not like I took the displays or anything.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, sweetie. New program calls for some healthier swaps.” She picked up my basket of French fries, soda, and hamburger, then walked away.
I turned to Beckett to see if he had any idea what was going on, but he just shook his head. The tray in front of him held almost the same food I’d had, but it wasn’t getting taken away.
The line was starting to pile up behind me, and my ears were feeling hot. What was going on?
The woman came back and set a basket of carrot sticks, a diet soda, and a grilled chicken patty with lettuce, tomato, and onion on my plate.
I stared at the food, dumbfounded. “What’s this?”
“It’s the new program. Here.” She pulled a slip from under the register and handed it to me. “I hate to rush you, hon, but can you step to the side? We’ve got a line building up.”
Numbly, I moved away from the register with the food that was definitely not mine and stared at the paper.
Dear Emerson Academy Student,
Our new initiative, hEAlthy students, is allowing us to partner with parents to ensure our student body receives the nutrition they need. The parents opting their children into the program can choose to have their students eat from a modified, low-fat, low-sugar, and low-sodium menu. On the back of
this page is a list of hEAlthy items you can choose for lunch. If you or your parents have any questions, you may address them to me.
Healthfully, Mrs. Hutton
9-12 Health and Human Body Emerson Academy
“What’s that?” Beckett asked.
I just shook my head, blinking back angry tears. It was too embarrassing to say out loud. How could my mom have overstepped her bounds by so much? I understood the control at home—she bought the food, and she prepared it most of the time—but in school, in front of everyone?
“Show me,” Beckett said.
It didn’t matter that we were still by the condiment table or that people were staring at us. I handed him the orange note.
As his eyes panned over my mother’s letter, I steeled myself. It might as well happen now—Beckett realizing that he was entirely out of my league, that he belonged with someone who didn’t need a specially designed menu or birth control pills to get their hormones in check. There had to be at least one girl out there with a good personality and a waistline smaller than his.
“This is crazy,” Beckett said, looking upset. “Can she do that?”
My mouth fell open. That was the last thing I’d expected to hear from him.
“Sorry,” he rushed out. “I know she’s your mom…it’s just…you didn’t know about this, right? It seems unfair to do it at all, but to spring this on you…I’m sorry.”
I hugged him, awkwardly holding my tray away from me so I didn’t spill my stupid “hEAlthy” meal all over him. Tears were growing in my eyes, a blend of anger and gratitude and pure affection for this wonderful human who, for whatever reason, liked me.
He smiled down at me. “What’s that for?”
I sighed and stepped back. “For being perfect.”
He chuckled, and we started our walk toward the table he usually frequented. My chest still hurt from what felt like a betrayal from my mom, but I tried to put on a smile for Beckett.
“Make some room,” he said to a couple of guys from the football team. Merritt glared down the table. “She’s not sitting with us, is she?” Beckett lifted his chin. “She’s more welcome here than you are.”
Her mouth fell open and closed before she finally stood up, followed by Poppy, Tinsley, and a couple other cheerleaders, and even a few football players. “Come on, we don’t want to eat at the feedlot,” she said too loudly.
“Ignore them,” Beckett said, biting into his burger.
That would be easier if everyone wasn’t staring at us and wondering what had caused the divide. I sighed and stared at my stupid grilled chicken under stupid wilting lettuce.
“Take some fries.” Beckett pushed his toward me, but I shook my head. “I’m not feeling hungry right now,” I said. Especially not with Merritt
and her cronies sitting three tables over with their heads down like they were planning my next humiliating moment.
I reached into my backpack, looking for my phone so I could tell the girls I was sitting with Beckett, but realized I must have left it in my locker. I hoped they weren’t too upset with me. Maybe if we finished early, I could stop by the AV room and see if they were there…
“You’re cute when you’re thinking,” Beckett said so only I could hear. His presence quickly became my sole focus as my cheeks heated. “Sure
I am.”
“You are adorable,” he said.
I turned and looked over my shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Checking to see who you’re talking to!” I teased. “Because I know it’s not me.”
A frown creased his eyebrows. “You don’t think you’re beautiful?”
Now I was feeling self-conscious—more so than usual—but no one at the table was paying attention to us. It was just Beckett and me and the narrowing space between us.
I shook my head, because my throat was getting tight. I tried to swallow down the emotions rising there. “There’s a reason my mom’s putting me on a diet.”
He shook his head and fell quiet for a moment. “What are you doing after school tomorrow?”
I shrugged, thankful for the change in subject. “Probably studying.
Maybe working on some scholarship apps.” “Think you can free up some time for me?”
The cute way he said it and looked at me made me melt. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Meet me at the pier. And bring your homecoming dress.” My eyebrows came together. “What?”
“Trust me,” he said.
And with those eyes and that smile, how could I not?
