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“Yep. It was the only way I could convince you to go to sleep. I popped on some oldies playlist and we slow danced in your living room.” A chuckle burst out of me. “You practically crashed in my arms.”
“I don’t remember that at all,” Piper whispered, a wistful tone in her voice.
“Guess we have to make new memories, huh?”
I held out my hand again and for a moment, Piper took a deep breath and reached for it, ready to hold my hand and make the whole floor jealous. But her hand hovered over mine and she brought it back to her chest, looking away from me.
“Adam, we can’t do it here.” She swallowed. “Everybody’s here.”
Oh. Right.
In those few seconds, I completely forgotten about the hundred or so people still filling up the room, finding their seats, and yelling jokes at each other. Cleo and Coach Lawson, some of the residential leaders that went out with football players, yeah. Everybody would be watching.
I dropped my hand, but my knuckles twitched at my side as I curled my hand into a fist to hide it.
“Was the begging and pleading that bad?” Piper murmured out of the side of her mouth. “That’s just embarrassing. Sorry, I had to drag you into dancing when I was drunk.”
That’s not how I remember it.
But I didn’t say anything. I just nodded along and watched the band before shoving my hands in my pockets. Everything was going to change tonight. I didn’t want to hide anymore.
91
Piper
Something Important
From long-winded speeches by, what seemed to be everybody, to dinner with tables of the loudest football players possible, the night was pretty magical. The rest of them could pretend to yawn during Coach Lawson’s toast. I didn’t care. I was just happy to be there, right next to everyone I’d spent the semester with.
“Take a shot every time Ryan says hard work,” June whispered as he stood up to make a toast.
“Alcohol poisoning isn’t a joke,” Adam retorted.
At the other end of the table, Ryan held up his glass. “Hard work and dedication—”
June downed a gulp from one of the little bottles she snuck in and I had to bite back a giggle.
After dinner, people were allowed to walk around what wasn’t under construction in the aquarium and dance or just hang out at their tables. June broke out a box for Headbanded but Adam and I walked along one of the hallways, busy with football players and their dates.
“This is amazing…” I whispered, peering into the enormous tank built into the wall. “Look at these starfish. Do you see how huge they are?”
Adam stared at the glass. “Aren’t they supposed to be that big?”
“Look, on the sign it says they’ve successfully had them grow past their normal size in the southern hemisphere.”
“You know I can’t read.”
I threw him an exasperated look, and Adam burst into laughter, following after me. He was being a pretty good sport about it. Every sea fact I tossed at him, he took smiling. I smiled and leaned down to the other exhibit, checking through it to some beautiful jellyfish bobbing gently by.
Through the water, something caught my eye.
Is that…Kassie and Ryan on the other side?
I frowned, trying to get a good look through the blurry reflection as the two of them walked along to a side door. That didn’t look like one of the ones we were allowed to go through. Ryan took a look behind his shoulder and opened the door, bringing Kassie inside.
“Adam?” I grinned.
“Huh?”
