“Thanks, Aud.”
“No problem,” she says. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go borrow one of my mom’s necklaces.”
I sit back down at Audrey’s vanity and use some of her makeup. Just as I’m applying a little light pink blush, I hear movement in the hallway. I turn to see Matt passing by on his way to the shower. He’s carrying a towel and, as usual when he’s at home, he’s barefoot.
Our eyes meet.
“Wow,” he says softly. We hold each other’s stare for so long it feels dirty—in a good way. Neither of us says anything else, which makes it even more powerful. His eyes take in my hair, my exposed shoulder where the jacket is falling down on one side. We’re a room away from each other and I can feel his eyes on me like fingertips.
“Move it along,” I hear Audrey say to him from the hallway. “Drool later.”
The bubble burst, Matt grins sheepishly and turns away.
The “real” gift is third-row tickets to Arcade Fire.
“It’s like an eclipse,” I say about the chances of my favorite band playing in town on my birthday. “Or a meteor shower.”
“It’s pretty awesome,” Matt says as he watches the roadies set up.
Even though I thought she was joking, Audrey did actually invite Bear to the show. I glance over at them and silently agree that okay, fine, he does look a little like Jake Gyllenhaal.
But still he’s not as cute as Matt.
“This is the most amazing birthday ever,” I say in Matt’s ear.
“You deserve it,” he says in mine before kissing my neck and leaving me with head-to-toe goose bumps.
As the opening act begins to play, when the bass and the drums and the guitar and the screaming make it too loud to hear shouting let alone my whispered voice, I say, “I love you.” I know he can’t hear me, but I put it out into the universe anyway.
And for now, that’s enough.
twenty-four
The next Friday, I realize that nothing can stay perfect forever.
Audrey goes home sick from school, and even though I talk to her after fourth period and she seems fine, I’m still concerned.
>“I don’t know how anyone could take him seriously with a name like Bear.”
“That’s because you’ve never seen Bear Williams. Maybe I’ll invite him to your birthday event.”
I choke on a baby carrot.
“Excuse me?” I ask. “My birthday what?”
“Your birthday event,” Audrey says. “Don’t try to pretend that your sweet sixteen isn’t on Saturday, Daisy West.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask, a little afraid, but mostly flattered.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Audrey says cryptically. “I mean, it’s not a party or anything, but I think you’ll like it.”
“That’s really nice of you,” I say.
“Well, it’s not all me,” Audrey admits. “My brother might have told a little white lie about where he is right now.”
My stomach flips as I start to ponder what the McKean siblings could possibly be planning for me.
Saturday morning, Mason makes me pancakes with candles and gives me an iTunes gift card and a voucher for driving lessons. Cassie hands over a store-bought greeting card with twenty dollars inside.