Send Me a Sign(22)

“She’s a no one,” Hil said, looking at me with concern. “No one, Mia.”

I went into autopilot protective mode. Defending Gyver was what I did. “She’s in our AP classes. And he’s got his band and plenty of other friends—ask anyone who knows him and they’ll tell you he’s great.”

Hil grinned and waved a dismissive hand. “But those classes are full of nerd types. I wasn’t counting them.”

“Nerd types? Thanks, Hil.” I was probably being too defensive, and aggressively so, but after all he’d put up with this summer, I wasn’t going to shrug this off or let Hil use him to create drama with Ryan. And why was that girl eating one of Gyver’s fries? If she wanted some, she should’ve ordered her own.

“Mia? Seriously? You know I’m kidding.” Hil reached across the table and poked my arm. I reluctantly looked away from Gyver and Meagan and at Hil’s confused expression. “Geez, one month away and you lose your sense of humor. As long as Mac ’n’ Cheese leaves me alone, I won’t bother him.”

Lauren glanced across the diner. “What a waste. He’s OMG hot, don’t you think?”

Ryan scoffed, “Did his shirt say pixies? Like, little fairy things?” He shifted his arm to the back of the booth and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“We’re friends. I don’t think of him that way.” My voice was too loud. I was being too sensitive. I forced myself to shrug and added, “By the way, The Pixies is a band.”

Ryan frowned. “What kind of band would name themselves after fairies?”

“As fascinating as this conversation is, here comes our food,” Chris said.

Hil poked me again. “Want my cucumber?”

They were my favorite veggie, and she knew it. This was Hil’s version of a peace offering. I nodded and she dropped the slices on my plate, snagging a fry as she did so. I laughed and she did too.

Ryan passed the ketchup across the booth to Chris, and I looked over their arms to Gyver’s table. He faced me and caught my gaze. Cocking an eyebrow in a look that was half-quizzical and half-comical, he watched for my reaction. I smiled and gave him a discreet nod; he smiled back and waited for me to look away.

When I did, Hillary was watching me, her expression part puzzled and part intrigued.





Chapter 10

I tore into my sandwich, wanting this reunion lunch over.

“Didn’t they feed you in Connecticut?” Lauren joked.

I swallowed a sip of milkshake. “I haven’t eaten anything with a taste all month.”

“Old-people food—yuck!” Hil dipped the tines of her fork in fat-free dressing and speared a piece of lettuce.

“Help yourself to my fries too.” Lauren pushed her plate toward me. “The last thing my butt needs is an excuse to get bigger.”

Chris looked up from his cheeseburger. “Your summer really blew. You had to live with old people, your hair got fried, you’re practically albino, and they didn’t feed you. Sucks to be you, huh?”

“And she missed cheer camp!” Ally added.

“But I’m back now,” I chimed in, twirling a finger in my necklace chain and maintaining my smile with an effort.

“We’re not letting you out of our sight for the rest of the summer,” said Hil.

“Tomorrow we’ll do a pool day. Magazines, drinks, and lots of gossip,” Ally soothed.

“Sounds perfect,” I said. She described a typical day from any other summer.

“We’ll catch you up on the choreography you missed at camp, so you’re not clueless during tryouts,” added Hil.

“You can have her tomorrow, but she’s mine tonight.” Ryan stood and offered his hand. “Ready, Mia?”

Ally gave a high-pitched squeak and smiled at Lauren. Chris groaned and rolled his eyes.

Hillary stood up too. “Wait! What? I thought we’d sleep over my house tonight.”

“Sorry. I made plans with Ryan.”

“But you haven’t seen us in a month!” Hil glared at Ryan’s hand on mine. “I can’t think of a single reason you’d choose him over us.”

I’d noticed her watching Ryan watch me and knew exactly what her emphasis referred to. “I promise I’ll see you first thing tomorrow.” My eyes pled with her to let it go.

She did, with a reluctant, “If it wasn’t August and you weren’t Summer Girl …”

“Relax, Hil. I go back to the shore tomorrow. It’s one night,” Ryan said.

Chris grinned and leaned toward Hil. “I’ll sleep over.”

Hil sneered, “You wish,” and hid her smile behind a sip of Diet Coke.

I hugged them all. “It’s so good to see you guys. I can’t wait till tomorrow.”

I followed Ryan across the restaurant, catching Gyver’s eye as I passed. He nodded once and I nodded back, fighting an urge to interrupt his lunch so I could hug him too. I’d gotten used to seeing him every day; it’d be hard to readjust to the small doses we saw of each other in normal life. I needed to remember I wasn’t usually the central person in his life, and he shouldn’t be in mine.

Ryan was holding the door open for me. “Want one?” he asked, holding up one of the chocolate mint candies from the dish by the register.