The Best Laid Plans(85)

“Okay, can I tell you guys something though?” Ava lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Ryder is actually kinda the worst in bed. It’s like he just copies all this awful stuff from porn and doesn’t care if I’m even into it.”

“You watch porn?” I ask. I was too scared to even google sex tips on my phone. Maybe I should have gone to Ava for advice all along.

“Everyone watches porn,” Ava says. “Sometimes you have to get things done yourself.”

“I don’t,” Sophie counters.

“Well, someone should tell Ryder to stop with all the teeth,” Ava says. “Vampires are only hot in movies.”

We all laugh, but I can’t help wondering why Ava hasn’t said anything to him. But I guess I’m doing the same thing with Dean. Why is it so much harder to be honest about what we want when we’re naked?

“Who are you here with?” Danielle asks Sophie, as if she doesn’t already know. Prescott is too small for mystery.

“Jarrod Price,” Sophie says. “You’re here with Andrew, right?”

“Yeah.” Danielle breaks off a piece of a chocolate muffin and pops it into her mouth. “No hard feelings?” She’s speaking to Sophie but her eyes flick over to me for just a second. I look away.

“My thing with Andrew was ages ago,” Sophie says, then turns her gaze on me. “You’re with that guy Dean, right? He’s so cute.”

“So cute!” Ava repeats, pronouncing the word cayooot, like it has two syllables.

“You’re so lucky.” Sophie is looking over my shoulder to where the boys are, and I turn around to see. There’s no denying how good Dean looks under the flashing lights. He’s taken off his suit jacket and has rolled up the sleeves of his white button-down so that we can all see the tan skin of his arms. I know how it must look to Sophie. Why she thinks I’m lucky.

“Thanks,” I say, trying to feel excited. Mostly I just have a stomachache. I put the muffin down.

“She’s going to get even luckier later,” Danielle says, breaking into a wicked smile. She has a glint in her eye I know means she’s up to something.

“Come on, Danielle,” Hannah says, a warning in her voice that gives me hope she won’t hate me forever.

Danielle ignores her and leans closer to Sophie. “Not everyone gets to lose it at the Walcott.”

Apparently, I’m supposed to keep all her secrets, but she can’t keep mine.

“No way!” Sophie squeals, clapping her hands over her mouth. “Keely, this is so exciting. You’re going to have the best night. Prom night is kind of perfect. Maybe not as perfect as your wedding night, but the next best thing, right? Do you love him?”

Love him? The question is so ridiculous I almost laugh. But Sophie isn’t kidding. She’s looking at me with big, sincere blue eyes. When I don’t answer right away, she blinks and clears her throat.

“I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. It’s fine if you don’t, I just—”

“No, it’s okay,” I say, trying to smile. “I don’t love him. I just want . . .”

What? I just want to get it over with? I just want to take my mind off things, to forget about Andrew for a while, to use Dean as a distraction? I wish I knew what I wanted. Wouldn’t that make everything so much easier? I wish I loved him. If I loved Dean, then maybe I could forget for a second that Andrew loves Danielle.

“It’s just the right time, isn’t it?” I say, the best answer I can give.

“I wouldn’t know,” Sophie says. “I’m waiting for marriage.”

“What?” I ask. “You’re still—”

“A virgin?” Sophie finishes. “Yeah. It’s no big deal. I’m just not ready yet. I’d rather wait until I know someone loves me, you know? The guys at this school aren’t worth it.”

“But what about Andrew?” I glance over my shoulder again and see that Andrew and Chase have started dancing, jumping up and down in that silly way guys do when they’re showing off. Andrew notices me looking and waves a hand in our direction, at me or maybe at Sophie or Danielle, motioning for us to come join them. The genuine glee on his face makes my chest ache.

“Andrew didn’t love me,” Sophie says. “You should know that better than anyone.”

“Of course he did,” I say. But we both know it isn’t true. I think back to all the times he complained to me about her. Andrew and Sophie had been all wrong for each other. Maybe Sophie knew it all along. I haven’t given her enough credit.

“It’s fine, Keely,” Sophie says, smiling. “He wasn’t the one. Actually, he was a pretty bad boyfriend. I always thought, I mean, we broke up because he just wouldn’t—” She stops suddenly, turning to look at Danielle. “Never mind, sorry. I shouldn’t be bashing your date like this.” She stands up and grabs the handle of the muffin basket. “I’ll just keep handing out these muffins and you can forget I even said anything.”

“He just wouldn’t what?” Danielle asks. She’s not one to let statements hang unsaid in the air. Sophie sighs and looks back at me.

“He wouldn’t stop talking about you, Keely. It was exhausting.”