She shrugs elegantly. “Maybe. But first you’re going to tell me what you’re doing all the way over here.”

“Just give it back,” I say. Ugh, it sounds like I’m whining.

She arches an eyebrow.

“Let me guess,” she says. “You’re out here because you wanted to watch him.”

I don’t look where she’s looking, not until she laughs.

“I know you’ve got the hots for him,” she says. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious. And I know you think he likes you, but it’s all pity. I heard him talking to his friends. Said he looks at you like you’re his little sister. Like he needs to protect you. He definitely doesn’t look at you like you could be his girlfriend.”

“Just give me the ball,” I grumble. I can practically hear my teeth grating. Getting kicked out of camp is the last thing I want, but I can’t help but feel slapping this girl would be a justified reason.

“He and I go way back,” she continues. “Met at a camp two years ago. It was love at first sight, but distance always got in the way.”

“If that’s the case, why aren’t you two dating now?”

She just shrugs.

“Sometimes it takes boys a while to realize what they’re missing.”

“So he dumped you,” I respond. I don’t know where the sudden fire comes from, but I’m tired of being toyed with.

“You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

“Neither do you. Now give me the ball.”

To my surprise, she drops the ball into my hand. She visibly composes herself, drawing herself up a little bit straighter.

“Of course. I’ll also give you some advice: Stop trying to impress him. You’re only making yourself look desperate.”

Then she tousles my hair—painfully—and stalks off. I can’t help but feel what little hope I have diminish with every step she takes. Was she telling the truth? Does Branden really think of me as a sister? If so, I might as well just give up now.

Chapter

Fourteen

Are you feeling okay?” Riley asks. “You seemed like you were on Planet Zombie all through practice.”

I shrug. It’s after our final juggling session for the day, and yeah, we made a lot of progress, but no, my heart wasn’t in it. As we head back to the main building for dinner, I feel like a failure.

“I think I’d rather be on Planet Zombie,” I mutter. “Or better yet, I know someone who should go in my place.”

She sighs and wraps an arm around me. “Let me guess: Megan?”

I nod.

“You can’t let her get to you!” she says. “She’s just a bully. A contortionist bully at that, which everyone in the circus world knows is a hundred percent worse than your normal school bully.”

“She said Branden thinks of me as a little sister.” This just makes her hug me tighter.

“And how would she know?” she asks.

“She heard him say it. Also, apparently they dated.”

Riley shakes her head. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and it is not like a sister, trust me. Megan’s just jealous because Branden’s spending all this time with you. Speaking of, we’ve got talent show practice right after dinner, so wipe that frown off your face before he sees it and thinks you’re unhappy about performing with him.”

I do my best to smile. It’s one of those smiles that looks like a grimace, but it does make Riley laugh and murmur, “Hopeless” before opening the door for me. I’ll take that as a slight victory.

•  •  •

“Okay, plan of attack,” Tyler says the moment I’m sitting down. For a moment I can’t tell if he has a plan or is asking for one, and it’s not until after he’s been silent for a few moments that I realize it’s the latter.

“Can’t a girl eat her dinner first?” I ask. It’s lasagna tonight, and the smell of garlic bread has my stomach growling like an untamed lion.

“A girl could,” Tyler says. “But then again, a girl could also get a big piece of pasta flung at her face if she leaves her boy hanging.”

I snort and take a big, slow bite of lasagna, making sure not to break eye contact with Tyler while I chew.

“So ladylike,” he says. Of course, that’s also the moment when Kevin sits down next to him. Kevin’s red hair is an even darker shade of orange—clearly, he just got out of the shower. The overpowering scent of body wash only confirms it. He nestles against Tyler’s shoulder for a second before picking up his fork.

“Everyone excited for tonight?” he asks, as though he’s oblivious to the interplay between Tyler and me.

“Totally,” Riley says.

“Definitely,” says Branden, who sits down beside me as he says it. I swallow my lasagna and nearly choke. He pats me on the back. “Careful. We can’t have you choking before you’re even onstage.”

“Thanks,” I manage. Once I get the coughing under control I look at him, looking at me. Is that how someone would look at a sister? I don’t think it is, but then again, I don’t have a sibling, so I guess I wouldn’t know. And how the heck do I ask him if he actually dated Megan without it being awkward? “We were just deciding the plan of attack for practice.”

“Well, first we need to settle on a song,” Tyler says.

“We did,” I begin, but he cuts me off.

“Too slow,” Riley says. “Executive decision. You have backup dancers. So you’ll need to sing something they can actually dance to.”

I open my mouth to argue, but before I can get a word out, the guys are throwing different ideas back and forth. Not even a minute later they’ve settled on some pop song that’s been taking over the radio all school year. The only input I get is when they ask if I know the song. Which I do. Luckily, it’s in my range and luckily, I’ve sung it a few times. In my room. When no one was listening.

And just like that, it’s been decided. We have a song.

That’s when things go from bad to hilarious.

Because after the song’s been decided, Tyler stands and pulls Kevin and Branden to their feet. At first I think it’s to get more food, since they’ve already cleared their plates. It’s not. It’s to figure out choreography. It’s been a crazy few days, and the moment Tyler starts swaying his hips and doing complicated arm gestures—much to the bewilderment of Kevin and Branden, who quickly stop trying to follow along—I burst into laughter. Riley snorts so hard she nearly coughs up her garlic bread.

“Stop, stop!” she chuckles. Tyler drops his arms with a scowl on his face. Branden and Kevin look at her like she’s a saint. “Everyone’s looking. We can’t give away our secrets yet!”

“Fine, then,” Tyler grunts. “I’m getting more food. I’ll save the rest of my awesome for practice.”

Tyler stalks off to the cafeteria line for more lasagna, and Kevin and Branden sit back down. Branden settles so close to me our arms are practically brushing. I glance over at him, to his spiked brown hair and gorgeous eyes, and in that moment I really wish our arms were brushing.

Of course, that’s when Megan’s treacherous voice floats through my mind: He looks at you like you’re his little sister. I slouch away from him. Even when she’s not there, Megan’s good at ruining the moment.

Riley leaves a few jokes later, and Kevin’s not far behind. Riley makes sure to pat me on the shoulder before stepping away, pointedly reminding me that practice is in thirty minutes and I should definitely not be late. At first I’m not entirely certain why she feels the need to tell me that—I’m kind of the lead singer, so it’s my ­reputation on the line. Then Branden sighs heavily, and I realize it’s just us at the table. Just the two of us. And Megan’s nowhere to be seen.

“So,” he says. There’s an awkward tension in the air the moment I realize we’re alone, like suddenly everyone in the cafeteria is watching us, listening in on every word we say.