Conner leansagainst the car and inhales the smoke, drinking it in while I sit on the seat with the door open. I look down at the new pants he is wearing. Blushing profoundly at what happened, I turn away and look back at the school hall. The music is pumping, and the cheers are a rush that I remember as Conner comes towards me, singing to me.
“When did you set it up?” I ask.
“The day you and Sammy got into a fight with Sarah Jane, I went to the office and asked them to put my name on the list.”
“Why that song?” I persist, wanting to know everything.
Conner inhales the cigarette, and the tip glows orange. His eyes glisten from the streetlamp, and a tug of a smile reaches his lips. “I decided on the song not that long ago. I was listening to it in the car, and usually, after a song ended, I’d move on to the next, but I kept repeating it. I didn’t put it on repeat. I kept going back repeatedly, thinking in my head that this would be the last time I’d listen to it. I drove to the supermarket and back with that song in my head.” He eyes me, saying, “That’s when I knew I had to sing it to you.”
“Is it our song now?”
He drops his cigarette and drags his shoe into the dirt until the smoke dies away. Standing before me, he leans down, his arms on either side of me, and a mischievous look in his eyes. “What about our playlist?”
“Our playlist?” I question.
He nods while drinking me in.
I breathe a laugh and say, “I like that. We can add all the songs that make us think of each other.”
“What would yours be?” he asks as he reaches over me. I lean to the side while he grabs another cigarette. “Sorry. I can’t sit down. I rarely smoke this much, but what just happened was too intense.”
“Did you want to go for a walk, then?”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
I hop out of the car and close it behind me. Conner lights another cigarette. We are about to walk away when the doors to the hall open, and Sammy comes out. I stiffen and dart a look down, self-conscious that she’ll know we did things in the car if I make eye contact with her.
“What’s up, Sammy?” Conner asks when she stops before us.
“Uh…” She pauses. She has her phone in her hand, and she raises it. I hitch a breath, and my hands ball into fists before she can speak. “Noya’s dad messaged me. He went back on his word and wants Noya home ASAP.”
“Really?” Conner drawls.
I bite my lip to prevent the tears from leaking out. I know what’s going to happen if I go home. He’s not happy. He must be pissed. Maybe he has caught on and knows I’m not going to Sammy’s place.
“Yeah. I told him we were at the school talent show and,”—a shallow breath hisses out of my mouth—“he said he’s coming to get her.”
I can’t breathe. A tightening feeling grips my throat, suffocating me. Should I run? Conner can’t be near me when Dad arrives. They can never meet because… because Dad would know. How do I gain my freedom after that? He would immediately know if I ran away.
I don’t know what to do.
“Hey.” I flinch and step away without realising when Conner touches my arm. “Baby?”
“You can’t be here, Conner,” I say.
“Why? What would he do if he saw me?”
I flinch when I imagine every possible thing my dad could do and get away with.
“It’s fine. Sammy, you will stay as well, right?”
“Yeah, I told Renee to take over.”
I turn to Conner, my eyes wild and my grip tightening on his arms. “Stay here. Sammy and I will head out of the school grounds. But can you stay here, please? This is all I ask of you. Please…”
Conner’s eyes darken, and the cigarette’s tip intensely glows when he inhales. Taking the cigarette out, he tilts his head away from me and blows out a longing puff of smoke. “On one condition,” he announces.
I nod vigorously.