Cupcake

The rest of the night was a bust because I couldn’t stop thinking about Rhys. I was irked that Lana thought she knew him better than I did, but it also made me mad at myself for caring. Even after the lies, I still stuck up for Rhys. And that made me hate myself a little.

Other than that, though, the princess party was a good one. The movie still made me laugh (though I’d seen it a million times). The girls and I had had some fun conversations. Plus, they ate all the desserts, which made me feel good. But tomorrow we had the pep rally and then the Homecoming game. On Saturday, we’d have the dance.

It felt like everything was about to end.

On the drive to school Friday, I kept hoping I could get through it all, interacting with Rhys as little as possible, and come out with my heart intact.

“Please line up next to your partner for the group picture,” Ms. Weaver said.

So much for not interacting with Rhys.

“Princesses in the front and princes in the back.”

We were all standing outside the gym as other students filtered in for the pep rally. I could feel the humidity coming from inside the building. Out here it was windy, which made it quite cool.

Or that could’ve been my prince’s frosty attitude.

I was sure I felt the temperature drop as he came to stand behind me.

“Okay, everyone look at the camera! On the count of three, we’ll take the picture,” Ms. Weaver said. “And one…two…three!”

A click sounded. The photographer looked down to check the viewer but shook his head, whispering something to Ms. Weaver, who nodded.

“Mr. Castle,” she said, “can you try to be ready this time?”

“I was,” Rhys said.

“You were frowning. Let’s just try again!”

A deep sigh came from behind me, and I shivered.

“Can you stop that?” I said.

“Ah, she can speak,” was Rhys’s response.

“Just stop.”

“I’m not doing anything,” he said.

“You’re breathing on my neck,” I retorted.

“Trust me, Princess,” he said. “If I was breathing down your neck, you wouldn’t be asking me to stop.”

Gah. I was sure my face was beet red, but I couldn’t help it. The next time the camera clicked, I knew my smile was off. Ms. Weaver and the photographer shook their heads again.

“Third time’s the charm!” she said. “Mr. Castle, could you please try to look less broody? It’s throwing off the entire happy mood of the Homecoming photo.”

I sighed.

“Just do it so we can go, man,” Zander said.

“Yeah,” Lana hissed. “We still have to walk into the pep rally. Everyone’s waiting. We’re the honored guests.”

I couldn’t see it, but I knew Rhys was rolling his eyes.

“Whatever, Lana. No one’s waiting for us,” he said. “Stop being a brat.”

“Don’t call her that,” I said.

“What?”

“Don’t call Lana a brat,” I repeated. “You’re the one who’s acting like a jerk. Just smile for the dang picture so we can get this over with.”

“Whatever you say, Princess.”

It turned out the third time was the charm—or maybe Ms. Weaver had accepted that Rhys’s expression wasn’t going to improve anytime soon. She lined us up by class outside the gym doors. Rhys and I were next to last again, and we had to wait until we were announced to walk inside.

Rhys settled in next to me, but I took a couple steps to the side and widened the gap between us.

He shook his head. “You’re such a hypocrite.”

“Excuse me?” I said as my eyes shot to his. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You calling me a jerk,” he said. “You were the one who agreed to go to Homecoming with me and then canceled for no reason.”

I scoffed.

“The line’s moving,” Lana said from behind us.

Rhys and I stepped forward, but I couldn’t let what he’d said go.

“Oh, I had a very good reason,” I said.

“Really?” he asked. “Is it the same reason you stopped talking to me without a word? The same reason you keep trying to put more distance between us?”

“Yes, it is.”

Zander cleared his throat, and Rhys and I moved again to keep up with the line.

“You’re really good at pretending,” I said.

“What are you talking about?”

I was about to respond when something buzzed near my ear. Eyes wide, I squeaked and jumped away. But the fly wasn’t done with me. I bobbed to the left as it zoomed by again—and suddenly Rhys was there. He swatted the fly away and then frowned at me.

“All clear, Princess,” he said. “Go on. You were telling me what a jerk I am.”

But I shook my head. Gah, this was what confused me in the first place.

“Why did you do that?” I asked.

“Because you hate bugs.”

“Ugh, I don’t understand you, Rhys,” I said. “You have two faces, and I can’t figure out which one is real. Are you this guy who protects girls from evil bugs? Or are you the guy who talks behind a girl’s back about how embarrassing she is?”

Rhys’s look grew concerned as he took a step toward me. “Princess, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I looked away, widening the gap again.

“Stop doing that,” he said.

“Doing what?” I asked.

“Pulling away.”

Lana muttered something about the line again, but she didn’t need to because I was already in motion, trying to outpace Rhys. It turned out to be futile. His legs ate up the distance, and soon he had grabbed ahold of my hand.

“Let go,” I said quietly. “Or people will see.”

Rhys scoffed. “Like I care.”

“I think you do.” My eyes moved up to meet his, even though I could feel mine growing wet with unshed tears. “You’re really going to make me say it?”

“Say what?” he asked.

“I heard you and Zander,” I said, “talking by your locker, saying how you didn’t want to bring me to Homecoming.”

“What?” Rhys’s face contorted as he shook his head. “I never said that. I would never say anything even close to that, because it’s not true.”

I shook my head. “I heard everything, Rhys. You said I was so big that you didn’t want to be seen with me in public. That—” I paused to take a breath because this was more painful than I could’ve imagined. “That it would be humiliating.”

“I didn’t—”

Rhys’s face cleared a moment later.

“Oh.”

“You remember now?” I said.

“Yes, I remember,” he said. “But I wasn’t talking about you.”

I frowned at him because how dare he deny it? “But you made a bet with Zander that you’d take me to Homecoming.”

Rhys bit back a smile. “Like I said, that wasn’t about you. Ask Zander if you don’t believe me.”

Turning, I looked at the other boy, and he grinned at me in return.

“He’s not lying, Cupcake,” Zander said. “The bet wasn’t about you. It was about Selene.”

The name didn’t ring any bells.

“But that doesn’t make sense,” I said. “Rhys asked me to Homecoming, not someone named Selene.”

The guys laughed as I looked back and forth between the two of them.

“Selene’s not a someone,” Rhys said. “She’s my 1957 Chevy Bel Air.”

“But you drive a truck,” I said.

“Yeah, because Selene’s still in the garage. I’ve been fixing her up for a while. The parts are hard to find. I had a bet with Zander that she’d be ready to go by Homecoming.”

“She’s a real beauty,” Zander said. “Total classic. I’d give my left nut to drive that car.”

“Ew,” Lana said, but he just shrugged.

“The right one, too, if I’m being honest.”

“She is really big,” Rhys said with a shrug. “Not exactly a car you’d typically see at a dance. I didn’t want to embarrass my date—not that I have one anymore.”

Reeling, I shook my head in disbelief. “But you said she’d done a lot for you, that you felt like you owed her.”

Rhys nodded. “My grandfather left her to me when he passed away a couple years ago. Of course I feel like I owe her—or really him.”

How could I have gotten this so wrong? I wondered. A car? Seriously?

“Are you lying right now?” I asked.

He tilted his head. “I’ve never lied to you, Princess. Why would I start now?”

Lana spoke up from behind us then. “You really should believe him, Cupcake. Rhys isn’t a liar—I told you that already.”

Her words shocked and exhilarated me, but I still had one last question.

“So…you’re not embarrassed to be seen with me?”

“No, and I never have been,” Rhys said as I swallowed. “How could you even think that?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured.

Lana sighed. “I hate to interrupt this little soap opera again, but you’re next,” she said.

There was no one left in front of us. As we’d been speaking, the other nominees must’ve been announced and moved along. Ms. Weaver was gesturing to us, frantically trying to get our attention. Rhys and I walked more sedately this time.

“Why would I be embarrassed?” he said. “I wanted people to know we were together.”

“You did?” I asked, hearing the hopeful note in my voice.

“Of course. You’re beautiful, kind, fun to be around. Not to mention, I love the things you bake.” Rhys shrugged. “I like everything about you.”

I sighed. “I like everything about you, too.”

He held up a hand.

“But…then how could you think I’d say something like that?” he asked. “Or even feel that way? Do you really think I’m that shallow?”

I honestly didn’t know what to say.

Principal Maxine announced our names over the loudspeaker, and Rhys and I walked out. The cheers were loud, the crowd going wild over their star quarterback. But I barely heard any of it. I couldn’t recall much of what happened after that. Rhys’s words kept replaying in my mind, and I had no idea how to make this right. “I’m sorry” sounded so inadequate.

After the pep rally ended, amid the chaos of everyone trying to exit the stands at once, I turned to Rhys.

“I’m sorry,” I said to him. “It’s not enough, but I’m so sorry.”

He stayed silent.

“I misinterpreted what I heard. I totally misjudged the situation. How was I supposed to know you were talking about a car?”

“You could’ve asked,” he said.

“But I didn’t even know you had another—”

Rhys’s intense gaze bore into mine. “Right after you heard the conversation between me and Zander, you should’ve come to me. But instead, you assumed the worst.”

I winced. “You have to admit it wasn’t that farfetched. I—”

“Wow, Princess.” The word lacked any of its former warmth. It made my chest ache to hear him say it with such coldness. “I must’ve made a pretty bad impression if you thought I was capable of being that cruel.”

I had so much to say, but not one word escaped.

He was wrong. He didn’t understand. Yes, I had doubted him, but mostly…I had doubted myself.

Rhys leaned down and spoke directly in my ear.

“Just so you know,” he said, “it wasn’t embarrassment or humiliation I felt when you said yes. My first thought was: I can’t believe I get to take the most amazing girl to Homecoming. I felt so lucky, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.”

My eyes filled as he drew away.

“Maybe you’re the one who’s embarrassed,” he said. “Since I’m such a bad person.”

He walked away…and it was like he took my heart with him. My hand traveled to where the muscle should’ve been, but instead, there was just a Rhys-sized hole. It hurt. I didn’t know how to fill it or if that was even possible. The worst part was I couldn’t stop seeing Rhys’s eyes, and the wounded look I’d put there.

It wasn’t until Toni came to get me that I realized everyone else had already gone. Who knew what would’ve happened if she hadn’t? I might’ve stood there all day, picturing Rhys’s back as he left me in the dust.

“Bad talk with the prince?” Toni asked.

“The worst,” I said then looked up at her. “Oh Toni, I was so wrong. Now Rhys hates me, and I have no idea what to do.”

She linked her arm with mine and tugged me along.

“No problem,” she said. “Just tell me all about it, and we’ll come up with a plan.”

“A plan for what?”

Toni rolled her eyes. “To get him back, silly.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” I said.

“Nothing’s impossible when it comes to true love,” she retorted. “Start from the beginning.”

I was desperate to believe her, so I nodded, filling her in on everything that had been revealed, every piece of new info, and of course, how disheartened Rhys had looked. We talked the whole time on the ride to my house. Toni had left her car behind. She’d planned to help me get ready anyway, and we’d drive to the game together. When I parked the car in the driveway and turned to her, her jaw was hanging open.

“A car?” she asked. “All this trouble was caused by a car?”

I nodded.

“Ugh. Well, the good news is it’s obvious he still cares about you.”

“How?” I asked. “Rhys could barely stand to look at me, and then he left.”

“That’s because you hurt his feelings.” Toni held up a finger for each point. “Rhys was upset about you ghosting him.”

“That’s true.”

“And he said a bunch of nice things about you—even when he was mad. Most guys don’t do that very often.”

I nodded for her to go on.

“He wanted everyone to know you were going to Homecoming together,” she said. “The fact that you could think he’s a jerk obviously upset him. And he even admitted that he thinks you might be the one who’s embarrassed.”

Toni seemed to think this meant something, but I didn’t know what.

“Don’t you see?” she said. “He wants to know you like him.”

“I do,” I said immediately. “Rhys is the best guy I’ve ever met. He puts up this strong front, but beneath that, he’s so much more. Sweet, smart, and thoughtful—the kind of guy who tells you when he’s going to be late. He’s brave, too, even around bugs. I love how we can talk, like really talk, about important things. And we have! He has this delicious soft side. And gah…Rhys is everything.”

“Don’t tell me that. Tell Rhys!”

I shook my head. “You didn’t see his face, Toni. I don’t think he’ll believe me.”

“Well, show him, then,” she said, grabbing my hands. “He needs to know you’re not embarrassed. Make him understand how you feel. Show everyone he’s yours.”

“Okay,” I said, beginning to understand. “But how?”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something.” She gave me a wink. “A little romance goes a long way.”

Could I do that? I wondered as my mind ran wild. Was I brave enough to put everything on the line, risk rejection, just to let Rhys know my true feelings?

There was only one way to find out.