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"Hey," Haley answered the phone on the first ring.
Dulce wasted no time. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, just talking to some dork I met in a malt shop."
Dulce stilled, a gummy worm hanging out of her mouth. Megan shot her a sideways glance from the driver's seat. "O... kay... well, we're like five minutes away from your place!" She cheered. "We were gonna ask if we could come over. Once you... finish your malt?"
"All the way closed. Yep," Haley seemed to be talking to someone else. "Bye-bye."
"Haley!" Megan barked.
A sigh rushed through the speaker. "I'm at home, don't ask. Come over. My mom totally shot down the concert."
Megan put on a pouty face, while Dulce remembered their conversation in the dark evening light two nights ago, both sitting on the swing set at the park. Haley was still in her tiny denim skirt, bare knees knocking in the breeze. "He asked me to come on tour with him!"
Dulce gasped. "Shut up."
"Overnight! And that was after my dad shot him." Of all the stories Haley had for her that night, Phil and the faulty BB gun paled in comparison to Haley's uncles surprising everyone with an adopted baby during family dinner, or Dylan putting his hand on Haley's thigh as Joel chased Clem with his car. "And get this," Haley leaned in close enough for Dulce to smell her grapefruit shampoo. "He's writing me a song!"
"Shut up!"
"It's called 'In The Moonlight!" Haley squealed, kicking her UGG boots against the woodchips.
"Shut up!" Dulce practically screamed. "I mean– keep talking, but shut up!"
Haley's head dipped as she giggled.It made all the veins in Dulce's heart feel like they'd been tied into knots. But then came the next part, the one Dulce's stupid head had been replaying ad infinitum. All of a sudden, Haley was holding her hand, and she was asking–
"God, I know it's early, but do you think it's love?"
"I don't know!"
She liked to imagine her past self saying something different, like "Definitely!" or "Totally!" or "I call maid of honor!" But the moment had passed, and she'd never call it back.
"Did you tell her about Spencer's uncle?" she asked Haley, who whined.
"Yes! She said she didn't trust him!"
Dulce gasped. "But he's been sober for months!"
"Hang on, we're on our way," Megan interjected, sliding on her sunglasses and stepping on the gas. Dulce half-expected her to turn on the sirens. "I can always get through to Claire. I practically bought your dad those rollerblades."
