Chapter 27

"Here they come!"

Rory rushed over to where Vanessa was perched on the couch with her laptop, leaning over the armrest to get a closer look.

Sean's first batch of pictures popped up in the editor's shared drive, images of the Haverport seniors dressed in colorful gowns and sharp tuxedos as they entered the dance. So much excitement. So much makeup. So much love and hope for what the future held after graduation.

"Is it weird that I'm really happy I'm not there?" Vanessa confessed.

"No," Melanie said, plopping down next to Vanessa, her ponytail swinging as she placed a plate of empanadas down on the coffee table. "I'm relieved."

"Isn't it supposed to be, like, the best night of our lives or something?" Rory asked.

"I thought that was supposed to be your wedding," Melanie mused.

"No way," Vanessa cut in. "The best night of my life is when I launch my first video game and it immediately becomes a cult favorite and causes a bunch of nerds to stream it on Twitch. I refuse to let my best night be defined by a dress. Or a man."

Rory gave Vanessa a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek. "I knew I liked you."

"Looks like Jay has his work cut out for him, then," Melanie teased.

Vanessa rolled her eyes, but Rory caught a hint of a smirk on her friend's lips. "He tried talking to me last night through our stream."

"And?" Rory asked, nudging Vanessa's shoulder.

Vanessa shrugged, eyes still on her laptop, like she wasn't giving him a second thought. "I told him he's going to have to try harder than that."

Melanie laughed. "Oh, that's going to do wonders for his ego."

Vanessa frowned. "Why?"

"Let's just say…Jay hasn't always had to work too hard for a female before."

"Hey!" Rory shouted, giving Melanie a death glare.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "He barely had to work for you. You were smitten."

Vanessa looked up at Rory, a silent question in her glance. Still smitten?

Rory shook her head. "I realized pretty quickly that he wasn't for me," she admitted, her heart sinking slightly at the thought of hurting him. But she reminded herself of their conversation at Scoops, about how a lot of what he felt was fear of the unknown for what his future would hold. If she was honest with herself, she felt the same way.

She'd officially accepted her offer to Baybrook, but she still had no idea if Tyler had accepted his offer for North Texas. He told her he would always be there for her, that they would always be family. But would he still feel that way hundreds of miles away? Or would their friendship simply fade into a distant memory?

"Should we start sifting through these?" Vanessa asked.

Rory reached over to the laptop and scrolled through what was already available in the shared drive. "Yeah, maybe we decide which ones we like and put them in a separate folder? Then at the end of the night, we choose which of those for the final spreads?"

"Sounds fantabulous," Vanessa said.

"Oh my god," Melanie said with a mouthful of empanada. "This is probably the most insane thing I've ever eaten."

"I've watched my mamá make them hundreds of times, and I'm still convinced she uses some kind of voodoo magic when I'm not looking to make them taste like that," Vanessa responded.

Rory's phone pinged at the other side of the room. She snatched an empanada and took a bite as she walked over, tapping the screen.

She frowned. "Walker just sent me a Snapchat."

As soon as she said it, Melanie's phone pinged, then Vanessa's immediately after.

"Holy crap," Vanessa whispered, looking at her screen.

Rory opened up Snapchat and clicked on the image Walker just sent.

It was slightly blurry, but clear enough to notice two girls hidden in a secluded corner outside of the ballroom at prom. They were kissing.

Rory scanned the caption Walker sent with it.

Maybe we should add this to the yearbook

"Rory," Melanie said softly, padding across the room toward her.

She took a closer look at her screen, at the two girls who were kissing. And realized she recognized them both.

It was Helen, her hair pinned away from her face in a classy topknot, her hands on flushed, smiling cheeks.

Zoe'ssmiling cheeks. In Helen's embrace, her slicked-back blonde hair tucked behind her ears.

"Holy crap, indeed," Rory whispered.

"Dear god," Vanessa said, hopping off the couch, phone still in hand. "This is bad."

"Why is it bad?" Melanie retorted.

"No, not bad as in what they are doing is bad," Vanessa corrected. "Bad as in this is everywhere. Walker blasted it on Snapchat and now it's circulating all over. Four different people just texted it to me."

"That's disgusting," Melanie said. "How could he do that?"

"Because he wants her to hurt," Rory whispered, realization now dawning on her. "He wants to get back at her."

Melanie just looked confused. "Why?"

Rory suddenly felt panicked. For Zoe. For Helen. For the two of them at this godforsaken dance, being outed on full blast for the school to see.

She glanced at Vanessa. "Call Sean."

Vanessa quickly obeyed, putting her phone on speaker. Sean answered in two rings.

"Sean," Rory rushed out. "Where's Zoe?"

"Tyler just whisked both of them out of here," Sean explained, music booming in the background. "Gina is on the phone with Helen now. They're peeling out of the parking lot."

"And Walker?"

"His face is still white after whatever Tyler just said to him before they left."

Rory's heart swooped, her chest tight. A protector. A gentleman to the bitter end.

"Okay, Gina says Tyler is dropping them off at Helen's place."

The three of them exhaled, staring at one another.

"Guys, I'm not sure how much more of this I can take," Sean admitted. "I just sent in a bunch of dancing images. Do you think we'll have enough?"

"Absolutely," Vanessa said. "At this point, screw it. We'll work with what we got."

"I can go home and edit them—"

"Sean, we know how to edit an image for crying out loud," Rory retorted. "Now turn off your camera and make out with Gina a little before you take her home."

Melanie coughed out a laugh.

Sean's silence was telling enough—they could feel his embarrassment. "Yes, ma'am," he mumbled before hanging up.

The three of them were silent for a beat, staring at Vanessa's phone.

"Rory," Melanie finally whispered. "Should we…call Tyler?"

Rory shook her head. "I can't deal with that right now. We have a yearbook to finish."

The three of them settled back on the couch and got to work. Melanie helped choose the best images, and Vanessa gave them any edits they needed before sending them off to Rory to place into the spreads. The work was grounding during such a chaotic night, but that didn't stop Rory from glancing out the window constantly, wondering when a certain Jeep would pull in.

* * *

Rory was placingthe last image of the night into the yearbook when a knock sounded at the door.

"Holy crap, it's finally finished," Vanessa said. "I feel like we need to celebrate."

"Melanie brought over some sparkling cider," she said, pointing to the fridge as she went for the door. She swung it open and felt like she was going to combust.

Tyler was at the door, still in his tux. His bow tie was unclipped, swinging around his neck, the top two buttons undone. He was leaning against the door frame, his hands in his pockets. He looked tired, but his eyes were bright as he looked down at her.

"Maybe hold off on that," she heard Melanie say. "I think we're about to get kicked out."

Vanessa made some kind of purring noise. Rory turned to glare at her, but Vanessa just gave her a cheeky smile in response.

Rory brought her attention back to Tyler. "Is Zoe okay?"

"She's at Helen's for the night," Tyler explained. "And I told them to call me if they needed me."

Rory nodded, a lump forming in her throat. Words eluded her.

As if reading her mind, Tyler brushed his fingers against her. "Can we talk?"

She followed him out onto the porch, where he leaned against the railing. She shivered.

"Cold?" he asked, reaching to shrug off his jacket.

"Don't," Rory protested. "So cliché. Let me just go get my sweatshirt."

"I think I have something better."

Tyler pointed to the small table at the end of the porch. A bright red bag was perched at the center, the handles tied together with a white bow.

"My birthday isn't for another week," she jested.

"Trust me, this can't wait."

She glanced up at him, unable to resist the smoldering look he was giving her. Like she was the most precious thing in the world…even in her baggy T-shirt and leggings. It was hard enough to be standing this close to him with the way he looked in that tux. It took everything in her not to let that puny shred of control snap entirely.

The front door swung open as Vanessa and Melanie creeped out, bags in hand.

Rory pressed toward them. "Wait, we need to finish."

"We literally just did," Vanessa retorted. "I sent the file to Penelope for one final look. It goes to print in the morning."

Her shoulders relaxed. "Wow, I can't believe it's over."

"Or just beginning," Vanessa mused, her eyes glancing up at Tyler.

Tyler smirked in response, crossing his arms.

Rory hugged Melanie. "Are you good—"

"Vanessa is taking me to Calvin's," Melanie whispered in her ear. "You better text me later with an update."

Tyler was patient with her as she watched them leave, threading his fingers through hers after the car was out of sight. "Present?"

Rory frowned. "This seems silly."

"Seriously, Ry? I had to wrangle Bea out of bed to help me wrap this thing, and you won't even—"

Rory snatched the present before he could finish. "You seriously think I won't open a present when it's in front of me? I haven't changed that much."

He smiled. "That's my girl."

Her heart fluttered at the sound of it. My girl. She tried swatting away the butterflies in her stomach as she undid the ribbon.

"Just open it," Tyler said, stepping closer to her. His chest was now against her back, his hand stroking her arm. "Don't overthink it."

"Okay," she whispered, removing the tissue paper on top.

Inside the bag was a neatly folded gray sweatshirt. She grabbed for it, holding her breath.

Her hands began to shake, but as she held it up in front of them, the words on the sweatshirt didn't say North Texas University like she'd expected.

"Wait…" she breathed.

Tyler's arms slid around her waist, and he rested his chin at the top of her head.

"This isn't…" she stammered.

The letters on the sweatshirt weren't green, but a cherry red.

Rutgers Football

She couldn't control her still-shaking hands as she dropped the gift and turned toward him. Tyler just leaned in, holding her close, his smile warm and content.

"New Jersey?"

"One hundred and fifty-five miles. Three and half hours by car."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Care to explain, Chapman?"

He brushed his nose against hers. "Can I kiss you first?"

She pretended to frown, which was rather difficult when trying to hide the goofy grin on her face. "No. Explain. Now."

He chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back, eyes not leaving hers. "When I met Zoe's dad, I thought North Texas would be my only chance to play college football. But what I didn't know was that a scout from Rutgers was at the Thanksgiving game."

"That's kind of a dumb game to go to," Rory said.

"It wasn't on purpose," he explained. "He happened to be there with some family, but when he saw me play, he recognized my name from my application and started digging."

An excited tremor rippled through her when he said it.

"At the time they didn't have an open spot on the team, but something fell through for an incoming freshman a week ago and…"

"He called you," she breathed.

He nodded. "He called me."

She beamed. "But…what about North Texas?"

"I told them no." He shrugged. "I thanked Garner for his help. He really did go above and beyond for me. He wasn't mad, just said he was thankful that Zoe had such a good guy in her life."

Her throat tightened. "Crap."

Tyler nodded, catching her drift. "I feel awful. I shouldn't have deceived him like that, but—"

"You were protecting Zoe," Rory interrupted.

"Yeah," he exhaled. "I was."

Rory thought about it for a moment. Zoe. Helen.

"Where is Zoe going to school?" she asked.

"NYU."

Which made perfect sense. Helen said no to her scholarship at Northeastern and decided on Barnard instead. To be in the same city as Zoe. The thought of the two of them having to hide for so long broke her heart. "Why did they hide it? Were they embarrassed?"

"Zoe was on edge about her father's reelection campaign," he explained. "Walker's dad was a big financial backer for Garner's campaign, and one night this summer when they all had dinner, Garner made a joke about the two of them dating."

"Wow," Rory breathed.

"Walker took that as a sign later that night to finally make a move. But he had no idea that Zoe and Helen had gotten together earlier in the summer and were seeing each other in secret."

She very much wished she could punch Walker in the throat. "Why didn't she tell her parents?"

"With so much media attention on them, she was afraid. She wanted to wait out the year until things with the election died down, then tell her parents before going to college."

"And Walker?"

"That's where I came in," he answered. "Playing fake boyfriend meant she was safe from Walker, and she would have someone to help her so she could see Helen."

"Like a date to the movies," she said, remembering how awkward Zoe was when Rory and Melanie ran into them at Haverport Cinemas months ago, how adamant she was about seeing a movie in a different theater. Memories of the past year began flashing before her eyes, moments that she missed. "Those candy grams on Valentine's Day…"

"All Helen," Tyler responded. He pulled her in tighter. "Are you mad?"

She scowled. "Why would I be mad?"

"I deceived everyone, I made some pretty dumb decisions just so I could play football," he said. "I kept secrets from you for months, and I feel awful about it, Ry. I'm so sorry."

"Okay, that's true, maybe you did deceive a few people," she admitted. "But you also sacrificed a lot to help a friend when she needed it. I'm weirdly proud of you for it."

He didn't say anything, his eyes on her lips.

"I don't know what kind of person this makes me for saying this, but I know you," she started. "I know how much playing football has meant to you, even on that first day when you moved to Haverport and sat next to me on the swings and told me all about your dream of playing in the NFL. My stomach was in knots every day you didn't receive a call, knowing that your dream felt so close…yet so far. If I had the same kind of offer from Zoe and her dad, I would have done the same thing. In a heartbeat."

"But I hurt you," he croaked. "Ry, no dream is ever worth losing you. You are my dream. You are the thing I desire most in this world. At the State game, after you left and I searched the stands for you, I realized football means absolutely nothing to me if you aren't there cheering me on. I don't want any of it unless you're by my side."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumb.

"I love you, Rory Michaels. I have loved you since the first moment I met you ten years ago. When I ran into the backyard and saw you sitting alone on that swing, I vowed that I would never let you be alone again.

"When you told me you wanted to move on and be just friends, I thought I missed my shot for good. I thought I needed to forget my dumb vow, to move on and forget you. But I don't think that will ever be possible for me."

He cupped her face in his hands. "Because I will always choose you, Ry. I always have, and I always will. You have never been second place, not once. You are the girl for me."

Then he finally pressed his lips to hers. She smiled into his kiss, her arms finding his shoulders as she pulled him closer, her hands tracing down his neck and inside the collar of his button-down. His hands grazed her face and neck until they snaked around her waist as he leaned forward, tipping her back as he opened his mouth to hers. She slid her tongue against his as he lifted her up, pressing her up against the front door, her legs wrapped around his waist.

He broke apart from her briefly. "I love you," he whispered, kissing up her neck and nibbling her ear. "I will always love you."

"I love you too," she said, sweet relief washing over her at finally being able to admit those words to him.

He grinned, a hum in his throat. "Say it again."

"I love you."

He kissed her cheek, down the other side of her neck. "Again," he breathed.

She chuckled at his insistence. At him finally being selfish and taking what he wanted. "I love you."

He brushed his nose against hers again, his eyes closed. "I don't think I'll ever get over you saying that."

She smirked. "You probably will. I'll be too much of a—what did you call me? A menace?"

He grinned, his hands drawing circles at her hips, using all of his muscle to pin her against the door. "But you're my menace."

"So if I decide to scream about vaginas with Melanie and Blake in the hallway at the top of my lungs, you'll still love me?"

He chuckled. "Yes."

"How about if I eat all of your beignets? Or I force you to watch hours of Disney movies with me on the couch?"

"Even then," he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"And when I show up to a game without my green bandana because I, um…kind of threw it out?"

He held her steady as he carried her back over to the bright red bag. "You didn't finish opening your present."

Her mouth fell open. "You nut job."

Tyler held her tightly to him with one arm, the other reaching in and pulling out a new bandana. But this one was even better; instead of a simple green cloth, it was crocheted, with white and pink flowers knitted in.

"Oh my god," she said, snatching it from him and tying it behind her ears. "It's perfect."

Tyler simply looked at her, his eyes sparkling, his face glowing. Like she was the light he'd always needed. "You're perfect."