I chuckled and turned back to the mirror to finish my make-up. It wasn’t much, some eyeliner and lipstick. I was done two seconds later. “You’re being a good girlfriend, that’s what you’re doing. And since you don’t really care about Homecoming while Justin does, you’re doing the right thing in my mind.”

“Mine, too,” she groaned. “But, hell, I’m suffering here. He doesn’t have to put on his tuxedo until after the game. He gets to run around and play during the entire thing, and show up on my arm all sweaty at halftime. It sucks being a girl.”

“I agree with that.”

Then she sighed. “Have you heard what Marissa’s plans are?”

When she started to stand up, but struggled, I caught her hand in mine and pulled her upright. Then I shook my head. “I don’t think she’s going to cheer tonight and change, just change into her dress in the locker room. That’s all I know.”

“I’d still like to know how she got Cord Tatum to come back to school as her Homecoming date. She’s got some balls for that one. I didn’t think any alumni returned to high school, especially if they went to Grant West and ran in the same circles as Jesse Hunt.” Angie laughed when she gathered her dress up once more to fit through my doorway again.

I stopped at her words and a shiver passed through me. She talked about him as if he weren’t a real person anymore. As she continued to muse about Marissa’s powers with the opposite sex, I realized that maybe Jesse had become nonexistent to her. He’d never interacted with her. He had only been another member on Justin’s sports team, whichever it was at the time.

When she continued down the hallway and down the stairs, I knew she hadn’t looked back.

I was still rooted in my bedroom. I hadn’t forgotten that Cord would be going to the dance with us and I hadn’t forgotten that he was friends with Jesse, but I hadn’t dwelled on it either. Now I couldn’t stop thinking about it and the idea of it; that I would be in the presence of someone connected with Jesse on a daily basis had me sweating.

I turned the fan on myself and counted from fifty to one.

I wasn’t going to see Jesse. This was ridiculous. What was wrong with me?

“Hey, get your cute butt down here. I want to get this night started so it’ll end faster. Hurry up!” I grinned as Angie’s voice caused my door to rattle.

When I went downstairs, I never stopped to look in the kitchen or living room. If anyone was in there, they didn’t care. I didn’t even think they were aware it was October.

When we got to the game, Angie waved and went one way. I went the other.

“Alex! Over here! Over here!” Ben pumped his hand back and forth in the air as he yelled over the crowd. He pointed to the seat beside him. “I have a seat for you! Over here!”

Some guys yelled at him to shut up, but my coworker beamed at me. He was dressed in our school’s colors, yellow and black. He wore a yellow hat, a yellow scarf, yellow gloves, and he even waved a yellow hankie in the air. His coat was black.

As I went through the crowd to his side, he clapped his hands from excitement. “Heya! I’m vibrating with giddiness tonight.”

“Why?” I brushed back my hair and tried to peer around the three guys in front of us.

“It’s Homecoming.” He spoke like it was the next up-and-coming invention that was going to change our lives. “Do you have a date? Wait. I heard that Eric Nathan asked you.” He nudged me with his elbow and winked. “Where is he? Why isn’t he sitting with you?”

I laughed and elbowed him back. “Because he’s on the Homecoming Court. They wait somewhere else.”

“Ooh. Wait. You’re his date. Don’t you have to go out there with him?”

“They paired him up with a girl who’s already on the Court. I don’t have to put my dress on until the dance.”

“Oh.” He sounded disappointed.

“You okay with that?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Ben sniffled and jerked forward.

“Ben.”

“What?” He didn’t look at me.

“Ben.”

“What?” He still didn’t look.

I sighed. “Are you going to the dance with anybody?”

“No,” he clipped out. His bottom lip was thrust out in a pout. “But, that’s okay. It’s not like it means anything to me. It’s not like I’m a senior too, and I have other friends that I could’ve gone with.”

My eyes closed. He hadn’t other friends. He had two others, but they were younger. Ben might’ve been my coworker and someone who cared about me, but he was seen as an outcast to everybody else. I was the insensitive one who didn’t look at things from his perspective.

“I’m sorry. Would you go with me and Eric?”

He turned in a flash, his smile blinding me. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” He bundled me to him in a big hug and rocked me back and forth. “You’re so great.”

“Hey.” Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned around. The smile died and the laughter faded away. Cord Tatum stood at the end of our aisle in a black leather bomber jacket and custom-fitted jeans. He had jet-black hair with the ends sticking straight up and dark brown eyes to match.

Even before I thought about it, I knew this guy was Marissa’s counterpart. She had met her match with him. That was when I tried to remember what he had been like in school two years ago. He graduated the day Ethan died, but I knew he went to Grant West and was on the same team as Jesse. Two basketball stars from the same school was a big thing around our town.

“Marissa told me I could sit with you.” He held his hand out. “I’m Cord. I don’t know if you remember me or not.”

Ethan had worshiped the guy. Now I felt foolish. How could I have not remembered him?

“Hi. Alex Connors.”

I shook his hand. It was firm and steady. He squeezed my hand before he lifted a hand in a wave to Ben. “Hi, I’m Cord.”

“Ben.” His voice came out as a squeak. He seemed mortified and squeaked again as he huddled beside me.

As Cord sat beside me, he pulled out some leather gloves and slipped them on. He shuddered in his jacket. “Man, its cold out here. It’s a little bit warmer at Grant West, by ten degrees at least. I forget how much that makes a difference.” He laughed a little. “I haven’t been back home since last Christmas. I think my mom had a heart attack when I walked through the door. All her biscuits went on the floor. One’s stuck to the ceiling.”