Night Road - Kristin Hannah [27]
It was the last time that night she and Zach were alone together until he walked her up to the front door of the mobile home, and even then, Mia was in the car, watching them.
At her door, Lexi had no idea what to say to him. Everything felt off balance; she was like some prey animal, frozen with fear, her senses acute. The kiss had rocked her world, but had it even made a ripple in his?
He stared down at her, his golden hair turned silver by the moonlight.
She wanted to scream say something but managed only a shaky smile. “Thanks for letting me be your sympathy date, Zach.”
“Don’t say that,” he said.
“Curfew,” Mia yelled from the car. “Mom will have a cow if we’re late.”
Zach leaned down, kissed Lexi’s cheek. It took all her effort not to respond, not to put her arms around him, but she just stood there, feeling his lips on her skin like a branding iron.
She stood there a long time, long after they’d left. Then, finally, she went into her house and turned off the lights.
* * *
Lexi didn’t go to school on Monday. How could she face either Zach or Mia after what had happened?
By Monday night, though (and he hadn’t called, of course he hadn’t, why would she think he would?), Eva had threatened to make a doctor’s appointment—something they definitely couldn’t afford.
So, on Tuesday, Lexi went back to school. Out at the bus stop, she huddled under the narrow shelter’s overhang, watching rain turn the world into a blue and green kaleidoscope.
She would just be cool.
She’d smile casually at Zach and keep walking, as if the kiss meant nothing. She wasn’t a complete idiot. It had just been a kiss from a boy who kissed girls all the time. Lexi couldn’t let it mean anything to her.
At school, she easily avoided Zach—they hardly moved in the same social circles—but there was no way to avoid Mia. Their lives were too braided together. After the last bell, Mia walked Lexi to work.
All the way downtown, Lexi kept a smile on her face as she listened to Mia’s dance play-by-play. Again. But the word liar screamed through her mind over and over, and every time she looked at her best friend, she felt sick to her stomach.
“We made out. Did I tell you that?” Mia said.
“Only about a million times.” Lexi stopped in front of Amoré, where a sweet, vanilla-scented air enveloped them. She meant to just say later and go inside, but instead she paused. “What was it like?”
“At first I thought his tongue was kinda slippery and gross, but I got used to it.”
“Did you cry?”
“Cry?” Mia looked confused, then nervous. “Should I have cried?”
Lexi shrugged. “What do I know about kissing?”
Mia frowned at Lexi. “You’re acting weird. Did something happen at the dance?”
“Wh-what could have happened?”
“I don’t know. Something with Zach, maybe?”
Lexi hated herself; she wanted to tell the truth, but the thought of losing Mia’s friendship terrified her. And what would be the point, really? It had just been a single kiss, not the start of anything. “No, of course not. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
“Okay,” Mia said, believing her. And that just made Lexi feel worse. “Later.”
Lexi walked into the ice cream shop. It was brightly lit, with a long glass and chrome ice cream counter and a small area that contained a few tables and chairs. In the warmer months, this place was hopping busy, but now, in mid-October, business was pretty slow.
Her boss, Mrs. Solter, was standing at the register when Lexi walked in. A bell tinkled over the door at her entrance.
“Hey, Lexi,” Mrs. Solter said brightly. “How was your dance?”
Lexi forced a smile. “Great. Here. I brought you some necklaces.” She held out the Mardi Gras beads from the dance. Mrs. Solter lit up at the sight of them and swooped in like a magpie for the shiny necklaces.
“Thank you, Lexi. That was thoughtful of you.” Mrs. Solter immediately put all the necklaces around her neck.
Lexi spent the rest of the day and into the evening waiting on customers. At nine o’clock, when business had slowed down to almost nothing, she set about cleaning the counters and getting ready