Page 45 of Take Two

Mae didn’t speak. Callie wished she could see her eyes. But she couldn’t. She was shielding them behind her hands, like she was counting down from a hundred for a game of hide and seek. Only Mae was the one hiding.

Callie tried again. ‘Mae,’ she murmured.

Mae’s voice was muffled. ‘I know, all right? Iknowit’s stupid. Forget I said anything.’

Forget it? Callie could barely remember her own name. Mae loved her. Mae, who never admitted she even liked anyone.

‘Mae,’ Callie said again. ‘Will you look at me?’

No movement. Callie swallowed, shifting closer. Their knees brushed. Mae flinched.

‘It’s not stupid,’ Callie said softly.

‘It is. And you hate me now,’ she said, still hiding.

Callie was horrified. ‘Idon’t.’

‘You will,’ Mae muttered, folding in even tighter. ‘Just give it a minute.’

But Callie was too busy being terrified to be angry or anything like it. Because Mae mattered to her more than anyone in her stupid, small world.

Callie reached out, hesitated, then gently touched Mae’s wrist.

Mae jerked like she’d been struck. ‘Don’t—’

‘I’m not being sympathetic,’ Callie assured her. She knew Mae well enough to know she wouldn’t put up with that.

Mae peeked out from her fingers. ‘What?’

‘I don’t pity you. There’s no pity here.’

‘Then what are you doing?’

She eased Mae’s hand down from her face. Mae resisted for a second, then let them fall.

Callie stared at Mae. Her blotchy cheeks, her trembling lip, her wild, exhausted expression.

Beautiful.

The word shocked her. But there it was.

‘Mae,’ she said, ‘it’s okay. It’ssookay.’

Mae looked away quickly. ‘Please stop. You don’t have to be nice about it.’

‘I’m not beingnice,’ Callie said. ‘I’m being honest.’

Mae squeezed her eyes shut. ‘Just say it. Just get it over with. You don’t feel that way. You never could. Iknow.’

Callie stared at her for a long, quiet moment. A whole lifetime inside a minute.

Then she said very softly, ‘How do you know?’

Mae’s breath caught. ‘Because you like Emma.’

‘I thought I did,’ Callie said truthfully. ‘Until tonight.’

Mae blinked, truly confused. ‘What happened tonight?’