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together. Is that what you really want?”
    She glances up at me and slides her
teeth over her lip before saying, “That’s exactly what I
want.”

Chapter 7

     
    I just found out there are
over 750 guys in this school. And 90% are straight. Which means
I’ve got competition where you’re concerned. So yeah, I’ve stepped
up my game and I’m including a present. I know, I know. No need to
thank me.
    I reach into my locker and wrap my
fingers around a button pin that says “Life is better when you’re
laughing.” A big smile forms on my lips as I tack it onto my
backpack strap.
    “ Finally,” Marcus says,
jamming his saxophone into his locker. “He’s upgraded to cheesy
gifts. It’s about time.”
    “ You’re just jealous.” I
flip my braid off my shoulder. “Any luck on discovering who he
is?”
    “ He is insanely sneaky,” he
says with a tilt of his head. “I never catch anyone over here in BF Egypt. The
man has got some mad skills.”
    A double pump goes through my heart. A
cute butt and a master at disappearing acts. Sounds like someone I
know!
    “ If he ever makes an
appearance, I want details,” I tell him, slamming my locker door
shut and walking backward down the hall.
    “ Likewise,” he calls as I
turn around and head to the gym locker room.
    After I got home last night
I talked Mr. Pippi’s ear off about Nate’s dancing, and his lips,
and his eyes, and that freaking adorable hat he wears all the time now, and I
love my gerbil. I do. But he is so not enthusiastic. And my whole
body is on a buzz so much that I don’t care if I don’t really know
Lexie that well, I need girl talk. So I got up early in hopes that
I can catch her before class.
    The locker room smells like hairspray
and lilac deodorant as I barrel through the doors, breath rushing
out in relief when I spot Lexie already decked out in her gym
attire.
    I plop my tooshie right next to her.
“Does Nate kiss girls?”
    “ Excuse me, what?” she
says, blinking a few times before bending over to lace her
shoe.
    “ Does he kiss girls?
Inquiring minds want to know.”
    “ He’s straight, if that’s
what you mean.”
    I wave my hand at her. “I know that.
I’m just wondering if he kisses a lot of girls. Does he pass them
out like his deck of cards? Or is he pretty stingy with
them?”
    “ What makes you think I
know?” She sits back, fluffing her hair into a ponytail.
    “ You’ve been friends with
him forever.” I blink my wide eyes and thrust my clasped hands out
at her. “Please, Lexie. I need a girl to talk to about
this.”
    “ Did Nate… did he kiss
you?” She looks shocked from her open mouth to her knees. It makes
me pout. Would that be totally unbelievable?
    “ No. Not technically. We
had an almost kiss.”
    “ An almost
kiss.”
    “ You know, the inches away
from each other’s lips kind of kiss. The ones that make the
audience go, ‘do it, do it, do it!’ during the movies. And the darn
dance teacher interrupted us! But it was possibly the best freaking
moment of my life, and I just want to make sure that it’s not just
something Nate is used to—that he does this with a lot of girls, or
if I’m special, you know? Don’t want to get in too deep when he’s
not feeling it.”
    Lexie’s lips turn up, and she swivels
on the locker bench to face me head on. “Um, okay. Nate isn’t
exactly the ‘player’ type. If he kisses you, it probably means he’s
feeling it.”
    “ Really?” My voice pitches
up an octave. “Oh my gosh, thank you, Bestie.”
    “ Don’t call me that,” she
says as I swing my arms around her. She lets out an “oof,” and pats
my back. I don’t care what she says, she loves the
nickname.
    And if this is all true, an almost
kiss could mean he’s almost feeling it with me. I can work with
that.
     
    ***
     
    I adjust my braids and fix
my camisole before knocking tap tappa tap
tap on Nate’s door. He hurls the thing
open like he’d been standing there at the peephole, and