“BECKETT LANGLEY GAVE YOU HIS NUMBER?!” Ginger cried.

“And danced with you?” Jordan exclaimed.

Callie sighed. “That’s so romantic. Like out of a movie.”

Zara looked over her shoulder at me just long enough to give me a smug smile before turning her eyes on the road. “Told you so.”

They had come to get me from the bakery, late in the night, when Beckett said he needed to get home. He’d offered to take me, but I so didn’t want to explain that to my mom. Besides, my head was still fuzzy, trying to convince me the hours I had spent with Beckett were a fantasy.

“I can’t believe it either,” I admitted, staring at his contact in my phone and the numbers that followed.

“Did you touch his arm?” Jordan asked.

I laughed. “I didn’t get around to it. Except when we were dancing.” Callie grinned. “This is amazing.”

“Merritt lost it after you two left,” Zara said.

I’d think about why that made me so happy later. “What did she do?” I asked, morbidly interested.

Jordan twisted in the front seat, and her hands moved animatedly as she spoke. “Well, her face was just like this”—she narrowed her eyes into the classic Merritt mad face—“and then she stormed off to the keg and got like stupid drunk. And then she went over to one of Beckett’s best friends and tried to get him to hook up with her. Like, on the beach.”

“Holy crap,” I said, trying to stifle the guilty feeling blooming inside of me. “Please tell me he said no.”

“Oh yeah,” Zara said. “She threw up on him, and then her friends practically dragged her to the car to take her home.”

“Good,” I said. “Not about the puke, but—you know.”

“She won’t be living it down anytime soon,” Ginger said. “And she’s safe at home, ready to wake up with a massive hangover.”

“Well-deserved, might I add,” Jordan said. “Now, tell us everything that happened.”

I relayed all the events to them, including Beckett’s new nickname for

me.

“Cupcake?” Callie asked. “That is so adorable.” My cheeks heated. “You think?”

“Oh yeah,” she said.

My phone dinged, and I stared at the screen, my mouth hanging open.

Unable to speak, I turned the screen to Ginger, who read it for me.

“It’s a text from Beckett,” she began, and the entire car burst out in squeals. She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “I had a great time tonight, Cupcake. I’ll see you at school.”

I didn’t know what to expect at school on Monday after the events of Saturday night. Would Beckett talk to me in class? Sit by me at lunch? Act like anything was different at all?

I was a bundle of nerves on the ride to school, and Mom and Aiden could tell.

“Your birth control hormones are probably messing with your mood,” Mom said. “I’ll call Dr. Edmonson and ask him to prescribe another kind.”

“No.” I shook my head, jiggling my knee up and down in the back seat. “I’m good. Let’s talk about something else.”

Aiden sent me a sly look. “I know what could help.” His voice took on a news reporter tone, and he held his fist to his mouth like a microphone. “Rumor has it Beckett Langley skipped a party this weekend to hang out with some girl who was not Merritt Alexander.”

Mom held her fist out like a microphone. “Do tell. What happened with the school’s ‘it’ couple?”

I groaned. “Really, Mom? You’re encouraging this?”

Aiden cleared his throat. “Well, Mrs. H., it’s funny you should ask. Unidentified sources say he broke up with her a few weeks ago because he wanted to focus on football, but my gut tells me there’s more to the story.”

Her eyes lit with a smile. “Give me the scoop, reporter.” I interjected, “Should you be gossiping about students?” “I’m not a teacher right now,” she said. “I’m your mom.”

Aiden ignored our sidebar and continued, “Well, I believe someone new may have struck his fancy.”

My stupid brain lurched for the intel. “Who?” Could it be me?

Aiden turned and looked me in the eyes. “I don’t know, but I bet she’s pretty amazing and is well deserving of his love.”

My heart warmed, and I gave him a grateful smile.

Completely missing the moment, Mom said, “I know Aiden’s taking Casey, but have you thought about a homecoming date, Rory?”

“Not really.” Obsessed was more like it.

“Well,” she said, turning into the school. “I hear on the news that Beckett Langley is available. Better make your move before that mystery girl steals him away.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

As I entered the school building, I kept an eye out for Beckett. I wanted to be prepared when I saw him, not get caught off guard and embarrass myself as was typical.

Not seeing him on the way to my locker, I decided to go to the bathroom and check my makeup for the millionth time. Maybe reapply some lip gloss before math class.

Relief swept through me when I found all the stalls empty. I would be able to look in the mirror without judgement or strange looks. Without hearing Merritt’s comment about lipstick on a pig running through my mind.

I had the lip gloss wand out when the door banged open and Merritt, Poppy, and Tinsley walked in.

Merritt had non-dress-code compliant sunglasses on and a massive coffee in her right hand. The other two already seemed weary of her.

“Thought I saw you come in here.” An evil smirk twisted her cherry-red lips. “Didn’t expect you to be primping though.” She folded her arms and leaned her shoulder up against the paper towel dispenser.

Tinsley and Poppy stood behind her, Poppy with her hands on her hips and Tinsley disinterestedly examining her nails.

“How did your little rendezvous with Beckett go?” Merritt asked. “Is he in love with you yet?”

Ignoring her, I capped my lip gloss and started toward the door.

Tinsley and Poppy shuffled in front of me, blocking my path like they’d harassed fat girls in the bathroom a million times before.

“You can go when I say you’re ready,” Merritt said. She pushed up from the paper towel dispenser and lifted her glasses, revealing bloodshot eyes. No amount of expensive makeup would have been able to hide the dark circles there. “You think you’re hot stuff because Beckett ran after you? You’re a charity case to him. He feels sorry for you.” She looked me up and down and scoffed. “I do too.”

I shifted my weight and looked at her. Zara was right; I was just as deserving of Beckett’s attention as the hungover mean girl in front of me.

When I didn’t respond, Merritt sneered. “No matter how much you try to make yourself look pretty with makeup and clothes, you will never be his type. You’d do well to remember that.” She flicked a finger through one of my curls, and it took everything I had not to flinch. “Wouldn’t want you getting your heart broken.”

Feeling her words sting me to the core, I pushed past Tinsley and Poppy and escaped the claustrophobic space. I needed to get out of the bathroom, away from Merritt’s words that seemed way too true. I was trying to hold on to what Beckett had said. That he wanted someone who liked him for more than his status, but that didn’t mean he liked me. Just that he didn’t like her.

The bell rang, and I hurried to math class, sliding into my assigned seat behind Beckett. He turned and whispered, “Hi, Cupcake.”

I smiled back, but the doubts swirling in my mind made sure the smile didn’t last long.