Paper Flowers (Pretty Plastic People) ★

003. Date?

003. Date?

At Aquino High, if you're in the dark then you might as well be crushed.

Liam Alvarado's after-party must have been legendary, because that's all any of the seniors talk about as they filter into Aquino High's hallways the next morning. I stand by my locker, leaning against it so that my shoulder brushes against the blue Post-It note, watching as my classmates file down the hallways. Most are talking wildly, spinning unbelievable stories about the previous night's events. Allison walks beside Liam, her arms wrapped around his bicep as she stares adoringly at him. I wonder if our plan is still intact.

I don't have to worry about this for long, because Liam disentangles Allison in front of her locker and ambles over to me. He has dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey, Erika," he says, leaning against my locker so that he's facing me. Up close he looks even worse: the bottom of his left eye is encircled with a bruise and his eyes look like they're not really focusing on me. I guess the rumors of him being a party boy are true.

I open my locker and pretend to be immersed in its contents. "Hey," I say. "Had fun at your party last night?"

He grunts. "Too much fun, probably."

After I pull out my calculus textbook, I turn back around to face him, waiting for him to indicate why he came over to me.

"Calc BC?" he asks, eyeing my textbook.

I nod. I sort of want to ask what math class he's in, but I don't want to seem snobby. People always think I'm being arrogant whenever I point out that they're in less advanced classes than me.

Since he doesn't say anything in response, I shut my locker with my hip and switch my attention back out to the hallway. Allison is long gone, but Spencer has taken her place as he stands by her locker and talks to Celia.

I've almost bitten a hole into my cheek before Liam finally says, "I was going to text you this morning but figured it'd be more...ostentatious if we talk in person."

He's smirking at me and I know he expects me to swoon a little, so I instead I raise my eyebrows and ask dryly, "Been studying your SAT vocab?"

"Ha, ha." At least his conceited grin fades a little. "Do you want to go grab food after school today? We can go to that frozen yogurt shop--someone's guaranteed to see us together there."

Another glance back out into the hallway, and I see that Spencer and Celia are still talking. "Sounds great," I say, the knot in my stomach growing. "I'll see you then."

Before he can say anything else, I slip away, clutching my book tightly against my chest. I don't know if I can face Spencer in calculus class when disappointment is gnawing at my insides, but I have no other choice. Skipping class is out of the question, and it's not like I can switch seats.

I beat Spencer to calc and sit down in my normal spot, flipping open my book to the previous night's homework. Thinking about how I sat on my bed and reasoned through the problems makes me wonder what Spencer was doing at the same time--had he gone to Liam's party? Had he been with Celia?

A shadow is cast over me, and I glance up to see Spencer passing me to take his seat behind me.

"Hey," he says. He smiles a little, accentuating the dimple in his right cheek.

I drop my gaze back to my book. "Hey."

I think he'll fall silent, but he's insistent. "Did you go to Liam's party last night?" he asks.