Page 30 of Resisting the Fall

“What are you up to, Maven?”

I grinned at him, dropping my hand. “Just following our court order.”

He appraised me a little longer. “I’ll be at your house at a quarter to five.”

“See you then.” With a farewell wave to Sadie, I hurried out the door with my box of sticky buns, my strategy to drive Ben crazy already taking form.

The old community barn seemed like it was at risk of collapsing from the ground-shaking bass of the massive speakers on both sides of the DJ.

Katie leaned in and said something to me, but I couldn’t hear her over the music.

“What was that?”

She leaned closer, placing her hand on my arm. “Who do you keep looking for?”

“No one.”

Katie quirked her head, studying me.

“I’m just thirsty.” I motioned toward the back doors. “I’m going to head outside. Can I grab you a drink?”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Yeah. Okay.” I didn’t sound nearly as convincing as I’d hoped, but she likely didn’t notice over the music. The truth was, I wasn’t just looking for Maven. I mean, I was, but I also needed a breath of fresh air and a bit of quiet. There were way too many people in here. And there was way too much noise.

Katie grabbed my hand, and I was leading her through the crowd of people when one of her friends came bounding in front of us, taking hold of both of her arms. “You need to come with me.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Brynn is in the bathroom.” Her expression grew more serious. “Seth just broke up with her.”

Katie gasped. “At homecoming? What a jerk!” Then her gaze shifted to me, clearly uncertain what to do.

“You should go. I’ll be outside whenever you’re done,” I said. “No rush.”

She gave me a grateful smile I didn’t really deserve, then hurried in the opposite direction. I continued to make my way through the mass of bodies until the crisp evening air hit me. Instantly, I could breathe easier.

“Hey, Ben.”

I spun toward the familiar voice to find Maven standing near the drink table, holding a cup of icy liquid to her flushed, glistening cheek to cool herself. She had her hair pulled up with little pieces hanging loose and wore a sage green dress that fit her way too well. I was attempting not to stare as I searched for any remaining trace of the annoying girl in baggy shirts and oversized baseball caps who used to follow Carson and me around. There didn’t seem to be one.

“Hey.” My voice came out weirdly breathy. I needed to try that again, so I cleared my throat. “Hey.”

She gave a knowing smile, like she was fully aware of the effect she was having on me. “Where’s Katie?” she asked.

“Friend emergency.”

She nodded, switching her drink to her other cheek.

I filled a cup with icy water and took a sip. “Where’s Levi?”

“Still dancing. It just got a little warm in there for me.”

“You having fun?”

Her smile grew. “I actually am.”

An odd pain settled into my chest at her confirmation.