“Lu, you’re out of your mind. What if somebody got stung? You’d get, like, a year’s worth of detention.” Max lets go of my hair. “Okay, I think I got most of the gum.”
I cross my arms. “Alex is such an asshole sometimes.”
“Well, you did laugh when my gum landed on him. He probably thought you were guilty.”
“Whose side are you on?”
He reaches into the back pocket of his tight, gray jeans. “Want some gum?”
I gently shove his chest, making him grin as he slides a fresh piece in his mouth.
It’s a good thing Max was able to fish the gum out of my long hair without having to cut it, because my hair is perfect right now. Last weekend when my stylist gave me a trim, I had her dye a deep purple streak underneath. This infuriated Dad, of course, but I don’t care. It looks great contrasted against my blond waves and gives me something extra.
I run a hand through my hair. “How bad does it look?”
Max pats my shoulder. “It’s no big deal. Look around. Guys are still checking you out.”
I glance to see if one of them is Jonah, but he’s up toward the front of the line near Dana Jenkins. That’s disappointing. The good news is I still have a full day to spend time with him. I want to know his favorite comics. If he likes Saga, we probably have a lot in common. Maybe he likes Lumberjanes too?
Coach Rice passes tickets out to us and says we can go anywhere as long as we stay inside the museum, but reminds us to be back at the bus by one o’clock.
After handing our tickets to a museum employee, Max and I walk into the main atrium where Grace and her boyfriend, Ben, have already found a bench to make out on.
They’ve been dating for most of the school year, so they’re pretty serious. She told me they’re planning to sleep together when school lets out for summer and their parents are at work. Mom says that sex is something you do with a boy once you’re in college and not a second before, but that’s probably just Mom trying to keep my pants on.
I tear my eyes away from the Grace kissing show to focus on the real exhibits at the museum. A T. rex skeleton hangs from the ceiling, looming over me like a blimp. I read the little placard providing details about this particular skeleton, which was discovered in South Dakota.
Max gently pulls his Nikon digital camera out of its bag and hangs its strap around his neck. He points his lens at the T. rex. Click, click, click.
Alex, Ryan, and the other baseball players appear next to me and stare up at the dinosaur.
“Can you believe this thing? I bet its dick was huge,” Ryan exclaims, making his friends crack up. “But not as big as mine. I don’t know if you all know this,” he says, puffing out his chest, “but they’re thinking of naming this T. rex after me.”
Max pointedly looks at the front of Ryan’s pants and whispers to me, “More like they’re planning to name an itty-bitty lizard after him.”
Giggling and leaning against each other, Max and I wander into the diamond exhibit. I never knew there were so many colors of diamonds. White, pink, yellow, blue. There’s even a red one.
“Look, Lu,” Max says, peering into a glass box at a massive blue diamond. “Let me get your picture in front of this one. It’ll look great next to your hair.”
As a photographer for the school yearbook, Max is constantly snapping photos of me. At this rate, next year’s yearbook will consist of only me and him. He loves taking selfies.
I prop a hand on my hip and pose like a model, showing off the blue diamond. “This diamond has 650 carats. Just like my future engagement ring.”
Right as Max snaps my picture, Alex jumps into the shot. “Damn, Wells. You expect a guy to buy you a diamond like that? I already felt sorry for whoever you date, but now I wonder if I should warn guys off.” He waves his arms back and forth like an airport worker directing planes with orange batons. “Attention, everybody, attention. Don’t propose to Lulu Wells. She’ll demand a big-ass diamond and you’ll go broke.”
“The only way I’d ever consider marrying you is if you gave me a big-ass diamond like that,” I reply.
Max snaps pictures of us as Alex continues to wave his pretend batons. “Move along, people. Nothing to see here but a gold digger.”
Kids from school walk by, laughing at Alex.
“Oh my God, I’d die if that happened to me,” Marcie Wallace says to Dana Jenkins, giving me a look that’s equal parts smugness and pity.
That’s when I notice Jonah enter the room.
I move away from Alex, pretending to look at “the Pumpkin Diamond,” one of the largest orange diamonds in the world. After a few seconds, I discreetly peek through the glass display at Jonah on the other side of the room. He’s leaning against the wall, scrolling on his phone.
With both hands, I smooth my white tunic.
Jonah hasn’t looked up from his screen. Since he’s not checking out the exhibit, maybe now is the right time to try to talk to him. With a deep breath, I adjust my purse strap and walk his way.
Then Alex steps into my path, looking from me to Jonah. “Seriously?” He studies my eyes, then peeks over his shoulder at Jonah again. “You got a thing for him?”
Am I that transparent? I bite my lower lip, hoping Alex doesn’t use this as an opportunity to humiliate me.
“Get out of my way, Alex.”
“He’d never buy you a giant diamond, you know. He’d have to get his head out of his ass first, and I don’t see that happening.”
“Why do you think his head’s in his ass?”
“He’s in a room full of diamonds—some bigger than baseballs—and he’s looking at his phone. That’s weak.”
I move to step around Alex, and he blocks my way again. “God, you’re like a toddler,” I say.
I glance over at Jonah to find he’s still mesmerized by his phone.
Alex pretends like he’s guarding me on the basketball court, arms spread wide, shuffling sideways back and forth.
I skip to the right to avoid him, snag my boot on a divot in the carpet, and fall into one of the display cases. My elbow slams against the reinforced glass.
“Ow!”
Alex is laughing as he continues to try to block me.
“Stop it,” I snap.
His eyes change when he notices me cradling my arm. A blue security light begins to flash as he rushes to help me. “Whoa, I’m sorry. You okay, Wells?”
I push him away, then rub my elbow. Right then an alarm goes off.
“Excuse me!” a voice screeches. A young woman wearing a museum employee badge is charging past students, heading our way. “You can’t behave that way in here! Where are your teachers?”