Jealousy (5 page)

Khloe nodded and disappeared into the crowded room of people dancing or sipping sparkling cider and pink lemonade, and groups that had clustered together to talk.

“Want to check out food and drinks with me, Taylor?” Clare asked. “We haven't cut the cake yet—well, more like eaten the birthday cupcakes, but there are so many fun appetizers.”

“Thanks, Clare. I'm starving,” Taylor said.

“I worked on the menu, and we've got witch's brew to drink, sugar cookies shaped like pumpkins with orange frosting,
and
peeled grapes if you're in the mood for eyeballs.”

“I'm
always
craving eyeballs! Lead the way.”

Taylor followed Clare into the mix of people and toward the refreshments tables.

As they walked away, Clare turned her head around, giving me a quick wink.

“What was that for?” I asked Lexa, who was still beside me.

“Come over here!” Lexa tugged on my arm, practically dragging me into an empty corner of the ballroom. I almost had to jog to keep up with her.

“Oh my God, Lex!” I said as we stopped along the wall. “Taylor totally ambushed me!”

“You have to tell me
everything
, but first, Drew's here and he's been looking for you.”

“Drew's here? He really came!” Taylor and everything
that had just happened fled from my mind for a second as I reveled in the news that Drew was here.

Lexa waved her hand in front of my face. “You can freak out about that later. Clare and I kept covering for you.”

“Oh no . . .” My excitement was replaced with nervousness.

“Drew came up to me and said he'd been looking for you all over and couldn't find you. He asked if I knew where you were. I had no clue, since I hadn't even seen you leave. I told Drew that I didn't know where you were but I'd tell you that he was looking for you.”

“Lex, I'm so sorry,” I said, rubbing my temples.

“I looked for you while trying
not
to seem like I was doing anything,” Lexa said. She smiled at a guy from our class as he walked by. “So,” she continued once the guy was gone, “I started to get worried when I couldn't find you after a while. I kept telling myself it was the masks and maybe Drew had already found you and whisked you away on a carriage ride.”

“Instead I was really off talking to Taylor.”

“I asked Khloe if she'd seen you, but she was dancing with Zack and they were making googly eyes at each other. Totally not helpful.”

“I was gone at least half an hour,” I said. “What happened after you talked to Khloe?”

Someone turned down the music, and Lexa stepped closer. “Clare found me. She told me that Drew had asked her about you and she'd lied to him.”

“Lied how?”

“Clare had seen you and a guy she'd assumed was Drew go outside. But since Drew was standing in front of her and looking for you, Clare realized you'd left with another guy.”

I groaned. “This is
so
bad!”

“It could have been. Clare saved you—she told Drew that a group of your friends from English class had dragged you off on a carriage ride. Perfect timing, because the carriage was actually gone.”

“Did Drew
see
me outside?”

Lexa shook her head. “Don't think so. Clare wrangled Khloe away from Zack for a few minutes and told her the deal. Khlo managed to get Zack and Drew into a show-off at who was better at pool.”

“So I made it back in time before—”

“Found you!”

I jumped at the voice behind me. I whirled around to see a wide-eyed, unmasked Drew.

“Sorry I scared you, Lauren,” he said. “Was the haunted trail ride really spooky?”

My mouth was dry. I had to tell him about Taylor,
and
my friends didn't even know the whole story.

“Yeah, Lauren got out of the carriage after the ride was over and tracked me down to say I might have gone a teensy bit overboard with the glowing-eyed bats.” Lexa smiled at Drew and made a mock
you're a total wimp
face at me.

“Happy birthday,” Drew said. “I got here late and then couldn't find you. I'm glad I finally did.”

He took a step closer, and I could smell his body wash's hint of grapefruit.

“Me too,” I said. “I'm so happy you came.”

Lexa tipped her head and took a step back, smiling. “I'll see you two later.”

She was gone, leaving me to tell Drew what had happened tonight.

I STARED INTO DREW'S EYES. THEY LOOKED
shades bluer tonight—if that was even possible.

“You look beautiful,” Drew said, his eyes not leaving mine. “I'm not sure what kind of dress that's called, but whatever it is—it's pretty on you.”

I laughed. “Thank you, and because you complimented me, I won't take points off because you didn't know that I'm wearing a spaghetti-strap dress with a sequin bodice, and if I said the rest, you'd probably be confused for the rest of the night.”

Drew twisted his mouth into an
oops
gesture. “Yeah . . . you lost me at ‘spaghetti-strap.' ”

“I
do
know what you're wearing,” I said. “The thin blue pinstripes are great against your white shirt, and
I like the black jacket and matching pants.”

Drew wiped fake sweat off his brow. “Zack and I helped each other. At least I know
one
of us looks good.” He grinned. “And you haven't even seen my mask yet.”

He held up a black mask with silver cross-stitching that covered his face from forehead to chin.

“I love it, but you better keep it off or we'll lose each other again,” I said. “Here's mine.” I put my mask up to my face, and Drew's reaction was exactly what I'd hoped for. A smile spread across his face. He took a quick breath.

“Wow,” Drew said. “Lauren, that looks so cool on you.”

“I'm glad you like it,” I said.

I let my mind wander for a second. I wanted to stay behind my mask and dance in the ballroom.

“Want to dance?” Drew asked.

“Like you read my mind,” I said. “But first, can we go somewhere quiet to talk for a sec?”

Drew nodded. His eyes lingered on me for a second. “C'mon. I know a spot.”

He took my hand, and we sidestepped around clusters of people talking, dancing, and eating, until Drew stopped. He twisted an antique brass doorknob and pushed open a door that had been partially hidden by draped purple fabric.

We stepped into a dimly lit side hallway. It was narrow with brick walls on both sides. Iron-and-glass lanterns were spaced every few feet along both sides of the hall, and small bulbs emitted soft yellow light. At one end an
EXIT
sign glowed. The thick walls absorbed most of the music coming from the other side. I could actually hear myself think.

“Is this okay?” Drew asked. “It's heated in here, at least, or we can go outside if you want.”

“This is perfect,” I said. “I needed a private space to talk to you.”

Drew, standing across from me, leaned his back against the brick wall. “Is everything okay?”

I was quiet. For a very long time.

“No. Not really,” I said finally. “Lex, Khlo, and my other friends were covering for me tonight. Something
really
unexpected happened, and they did what best friends do. I want you to hear the whole story from me before anyone else tells you.”

“You can talk to me,” Drew said. “Whatever it is—I want to know.”

I hope you really mean that and don't storm out of here the second I'm finished.

“I've told you a little about Taylor Frost—my ex-boyfriend,” I said.

“Right. Mutual breakup.”

“Yes, and tonight Taylor came here.”

Drew's eyes widened. “He came to Canterwood? For your birthday?”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Yes and no. He came to my party to surprise me and to tell me some incredibly huge news.” I looked down, not wanting to see Drew's reaction. “Taylor applied and was accepted to Canterwood.”

Drew was silent for a moment. Every sound in the tiny hallway seemed amplified, and I heard both of us breathing.

“If he's here, does that mean you want to get back together?” Drew asked. There was zero emotion in his tone—it gave me no sense of what he felt.

I shook my head, bringing my eyes to Drew's. “No. No. I promise. I already told Taylor that you and I had just started something and I was
not
getting back with him.”

“Were you off talking?” Drew asked. “Is that what your friends were covering?”

“Taylor and I were talking, and yes, that's why Lex and everyone covered for me. But they didn't know Taylor was coming either.”

This was it. This was the moment when Drew was either going to walk away or stay with me.

“Drew, I want to tell you everything. I like you, and
I don't want to keep secrets. Taylor found me inside the ballroom, and I thought he was
you
. He had a mask covering his face and hair—I was so caught up in the party, the lighting was dim, and all I could think was ‘Drew actually came to my party!' ”

“Laur, of course I was coming,” Drew said. “We must have been missing each other for a while inside.”

I nodded. “We definitely were. When Taylor found me, he led me outside and toward a carriage. I thought my birthday wish was about to come true.”

“What did you wish for?” Drew's voice was soft.

“That you would kiss me on my birthday,” I said shyly, softly. “But I know that won't happen now.”

“Why?”

“Because when Taylor took me outside, he kissed me. Drew, I'm so sorry!” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I thought Taylor was you until he kissed me. I knew something wasn't right, and I pushed him away.” My voice bounced off the walls. “I was so furious at Taylor that
I
dragged him away from the ballroom and freaked out at him for kissing me, showing up without telling me, and just assuming he and I were getting back together.”

I opened my eyes and saw that Drew had straightened, no longer leaning against the wall.

“He kissed you?” Drew's eyes were midnight blue.

I nodded.

“But you swear you don't want to be with him. Even though he's here now and you guys are—were—friends. You do not want to be with Taylor.”

I clutched my mask stick so hard, I thought it would crack. “I don't. I don't want to be with Taylor. Whether he's here or at home. I want to keep going out with you.”

I took a step toward him, and our faces were inches apart. He had to know everything. I didn't want to lose him.

“I really like you, Drew, and I'm so sorry I got swept up in my party. There's no excuse. If I were you, I'd be so offended that I'd even thought for a second that someone else was you.”

We looked at each other. It felt as though all of the oxygen was disappearing from the hallway. There wasn't room for Drew to back up, and my feet were rooted to the ground. My knees felt like they'd give out if I moved.

“Lauren, your birthday wish isn't coming true tonight.”

I KNEW, I JUST KNEW, THAT DREW WAS GOING
to break up with me. But I didn't know it would feel like
this.

Tears made his shape blurry, and I stepped back, resting my back against the wall. I wanted Drew to just walk out the door. I'd embarrassed him enough. I wasn't going to beg him to accept my apology.

Shoes shuffled, and two cool hands touched my elbows.

“Look at me,” Drew said, his voice gentle.

I gazed up at him, trying to keep my chin from wobbling.

“I'm not breaking up with you. What I meant was, I wanted to kiss you on your birthday too. It was going to be a special night for both of us. But because of . . .”
Drew swallowed. “
Taylor
, that's not how I want our first kiss to be. It'll happen on a night just for us—you and me—when
I'm
the first one to kiss you.”