Tightrope

Check

When I risked a sneaky glance upwards, I saw Madeleine—her smile so obviously feigned—with the boy following behind her, his expression schooled into a welcoming and pleasant smile.

"So what would you crazy kids like to drink?" asked Madeleine cheerfully. She was, at most, a year or two older than us, but she was also shaking slightly.

"Um, just a water, thank you." I said.

"No problem!" she said shrilly. She turned to the cute boy. "And you?"

"Could I please have an iced coffee?" he said. Beautiful manners? Check.

As Madeleine walked away, following the pretty girl behind the bar, I turned to the cute boy taking his seat beside me. I laughed nervously. "Man, that was weird."

The boy's apologetic frown was charming, polished. "I'm sorry about that," he said, and his voice was smooth and contrite. "Madeleine used to go out with my brother. It, uh, didn't end well. She wasn't supposed to be working tonight."

I looked over at Madeleine, the rigid lines of her body betraying her anger as she confided in the pretty girl with rapid fire veracity. "Well, that's unfortunate. I'm Lena, by the way. I'm friends with Knight."

"Tommy," he said. "Also friends with Knight."

I smiled at him, a little flirtatious, coy. "There's a guy at my school called Tommy," I said. "I have a good track record with Tommy's."

His returning smile was winning. "Well, that's a lot of pressure to put on a guy. I would hate to ruin your record." Beautiful banter? Check.

I looked coquettishly through my eyelashes. "I guess it's time for you to turn on the charm, then, isn't it?" His hand was outstretched on the table, and I ran my finger over the skin of his wrist lightly, absently.

Tommy looked as if he'd just wandered into a candy shop. Damn, I was so good at this. "And what is it that a girl like you finds charming?" he asked.

Witty retorts, dark hair that turns gold in the sunlight, an innocent mind that he was desperate to disguise, a hug in a dark alcove... "Guys who know how to be charming without asking for an instruction manual," I said, winking to undercut the insult. But I couldn't help but think of the effortless charm of a different guy. "I have faith in you, Tommy Aster. Be creative."

"A girl who likes to lay down a challenge," said Tommy. "Exactly my kind of girl."

I was a girl who loved to lay down a challenge, but I was coming to realise that the only challenges that really sent my heart racing and my pulse leaping were the ones put down for an entirely different boy. I didn't say that, though. Instead, I merely said, "Well, then, you're going to have a fun night."

Tommy tilted his head slightly, examining me languidly. "Somehow, I don't doubt it. I guess I'll have to thank Cole later." He traced his hand over the edge of the table. "You know, I was really surprised when Cole reached out to me."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I mean, Cole is great guy, don't get me wrong. Very funny. But we were never super tight or anything. Ran in completely different crowds. I was just surprised, and now, extremely thankful—" he grabbed my hand "—that he reached out."

I laughed, but the sound was slightly hollow. "That is surprising." And strange. Knight might not be close to any of his friends from his old life anymore, but to reach out to a guy he had barely interacted with in school seemed... well, odd. And something about it struck an incorrect chord in my mind.

This was only confirmed when Madeleine poured our jug of ordered water over Tommy Aster's head.

"Shit!" Tommy screeched.