little fitz perfect

Ten

Dex opened the door and blinked. Standing there was none other than Della Vacker. "Uhhh... Hi, Della."

"Hey, Dex." She was giving him an odd look. "I'd like Fitz to come home. Now, please."

Dex swallowed. "Fitz, um," he glanced back into the house, where Fitz had leaned against the wall mouthing words to himself. "Fitz isn't here. I mean, why would Fitz be here? He's not here." He tried to force a laugh, but it sounded awkward.

"Please, Dex. Alden and I need to talk to him. He shouldn't really be here anyway." Dex's eyes darted to her fist, which was clenched around the very photo that had been spread around the school.

"Let me, um, go get him," Dex said quickly, shutting the door in Della's face and running over to Fitz, who swore loudly.

"I'm so doomed," he mumbled.

"Hey, it'll be okay." Dex grabbed Fitz's hands. "Look at me. It's okay. Hail me after you talk to them, okay?"

Fitz's gorgeous teal eyes looked watery as he nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," Dex said, pulling Fitz into a hug.

Fitz hugged him back, and Dex was glad he did. What he didn't expect was for Fitz to whisper in his ear, "Love you."

Dex stiffened, his brain still processing the words. "I... I love you too, Fitz."

Fitz sniffed and pulled back. "I... should go."

He nodded. "Hail me, okay?"

"I will."

Dex watched as Fitz opened the door to meet his mom, who expressed her disapproval of his newly dyed hair. Fitz looked at Dex over his shoulder as Della led him away and the door closed behind them.

"Is he okay?" Bex asked. Dex spun around to see all three triplets peeking around the corner of the hallway.

"I hope so," he answered.

"Why did Della look at you like that?" Lex asked. "I thought she was nice."

Dex chewed on his lip. "Della doesn't really... like me and Fitz... liking each other."

"Why not?" Rex asked.

"I don't know. Because I'm a Dizznee? Because we're both boys? Because they're worried about the Match and reputation?"

"Those are dumb reasons," Rex said bluntly. "Tell her she's wrong!"

Dex laughed a little, reaching out to ruffle Rex's hair. "I can't just do that."

"Why not?" Bex jumped in. "You could go to Everglen and tell them that you looooooove him. And then you take his hand and you run away together!"

"I think you've been influenced by the romance movies Mom brought home recently," Dex teased, poking her in the stomach. She giggled. "But real life... isn't always like that.

"Why not?" Lex said, standing on his tiptoes behind his siblings.

"If you guys ask 'Why not' one more time—"

"Why not?" The three of them said in unison, grinning.

Dex smiled. "I see how it is. How about..." He covered his eyes, changing the subject so his siblings would stop asking about him and Fitz. "One, two, three, four..."

The triplets scattered, and Dex focused on finding them after he counted to twenty. It might have been a little bit to distract himself from how scared Fitz had looked before he'd left, but he kept his imparter with him, just in case.