Competing With the Star (Star #2) by Krysten Lindsay Hager

move.”
    Then he wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled at me. I felt like I was melting and my cheeks flushed.
    “You know what would be nice?” he asked. “A date where we’re alone. Don’t get me wrong, group dates are fun, but maybe we could do something with just the two of us soon.”
    I nodded. “Char’s coming over tomorrow, but do you want to watch the football game Sunday at my house?”
    “Sounds perfect,” he said, and then leaned over and kissed me.
    It was the first time we had a long kiss and it was exactly like all my YA novels described the perfect kiss—like the rest of the world had drifted away and there was just the two of us and we were so, so happy.
    Then he kissed my forehead and just held me for a minute and I never wanted to go back to where our parents were sitting. I just wanted to stay like this forever—in a place where everything was perfect and we were happy.
    “Okay, one more kiss and I’ll let you go to the bathroom,” he said, leaning over.
    Simone came out of the restroom as I walked in. I went inside and went in the first stall.
    “How awkward is it that Simone Hendrickson is with Nick Jenkins and some other chick?” said a voice a stall or two over.
    “Oh, I know! I wonder if that’s to make her jealous or what? You can tell he still likes Simone so much.”
    “It’s so obvious he never got over his crush on her,” the first girl said. “And they’re together all the time.”
    “Yeah, I think before she saw him as a brother, but now it’s clear there’s something there.”
    “Well, he looks older since last summer. It’s like he matured super fast.”
    “He got hot. He was cute before, but now he’s hot.”
    “The way he ran to her side when she was freaking out over the fun house—oh my gosh, so sweet.”
    “They’re adorable together, don’t you think?”
    “Yeah, but I feel bad for the chick he’s with. She’s seems clueless about what’s going on right in front of her face.”
    “Mmhmm, but she looks young and dumb, so she’s probably just happy to be with him and not expecting it to last.”
    I stood there feeling all the blood drain away from my face. I wanted to scream and cry, but all I could do was feel my stomach twist up. I prayed I wouldn’t throw up. Simone and Nick? No, this couldn’t be happening. She was supposed to be my friend—my guide to get me through high school. I trusted her and counted on her to be there for me. And Nick wasn’t just my boyfriend—he was my best guy friend. And even though I hadn’t gotten the courage to say it to him, I was in love with him. He was the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep, and just knowing he was out there and on my side, supporting me in everything I did, made life seem a little easier. I thought it was us against the world, and now, according to these girls in the bathroom, the “us” I believed in might not even be real.
    I blinked back tears and tried to convince myself they didn’t know what they were talking about, but they seemed so sure of themselves. The worst part was they hadn’t seen me walk in, so they had no clue I was standing there listening to all of this. This wasn’t some set up to make me feel insecure or stupid—it was just some random thing where I overheard the worst thing I could possibly hear.
    I waited for the girls to wash their hands and leave before I left the stall. Going into the bathroom I had been the happiest girl in the world, and now I looked at myself and I saw what they did—a clueless idiot who thought she had a dream, but in reality she was just something to pass the time until her boyfriend could be with the one he truly liked.
    Simone came into the bathroom then.
    “Hey, you okay?” she asked. “You’ve been in here for a while. Are you feeling all right?”
    She seemed concerned, but was it real?
    Nodding, I focused on washing and drying my hands. I followed her out of the bathroom and saw Nick standing with his