Free Fire With Fire by Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian Page B

Alex tells her.
“My mom knows her from book club. She says she can get her to
donate as many cupcakes as you need.” He hands me another bag.
Suddenly I’m feeling so much gratitude and love and friendship for Alex, I can’t even. I don’t know what I would have
done without him today. “You’re the best, Lindy,” I say.
Alex gives an embarrassed shrug and says, “It’s nothing.” He
points at me. “Hey, you’re slowing down the assembly line.”
After he leaves, Nadia helps me clean up and pack away the
leftover candy. She doesn’t look at me when she says, “Alex
likes you, you know.”
I open my mouth to deny it, but I stop myself. I can’t lie to
Nadi, but I don’t know what the truth is anymore. So all I say
is, “We’re friends.”
Nadia makes a show of rolling her eyes at me. “So do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Do you like him?” The expression on her face—a little bit
plaintive, but mostly trying not to care. It breaks my heart.
“Do you ?” I ask her.
There’s a pause, I can see her thinking this over. “No,” she
tells me. “He’s—nice. He’s so nice. But I don’t like him like that
anymore. I did. For maybe a second.”
I reach out and touch Nadi’s hair. It’s so soft, like a baby’s.
She lets me for a second before shrugging away. She says, “Be
nice to him, okay? Don’t hurt him.”
“I won’t,” I say. In my head I add, not again . That’s a promise.
CHAP
TER TEN
    Today, when we ran into each other in the hall,
Lillia mentioned how she’d asked some of her guy friends if they
could help her sort through the sound equipment and drive it
over to the elementary school. It’s for her Fall Festival night, the
event she’s running for the elementary school kids.
    Lillia said that even though she’d asked really, really nicely,
Reeve blew her off. “He said he had to go to PT and was too
busy. I told him it would take like, ten minutes after school,
but he still said no. He said he wanted to get to the gym early
and lift weights!” Lillia had looked ready to cry. “The other
guys have practice. It’s going to take me forever to load up my
    Audi, I’ll have to make like five trips back and forth!”
“Lil! I’ll totally help you.”
Lillia’s whole face brightened up. “Thank you so much,
Mary.”
    So now I’m scurrying over to the side entrance by the theater.
I’m not very strong, but with two of us it should go a little bit
faster anyway.
    Instead of fighting the after-school rush inside, I cut across
the back parking lot—which is when I see Alex’s SUV parked
by the side door right behind Lillia’s Audi. He’s already there,
taking boxes out of her trunk and loading them into his. The
back door is open, and Lillia comes out the door, wearing an
ivory-colored coat and a long scarf around her neck, struggling
with a big cardboard box. Alex rushes over to help her. She must
not expect him, because he startles her.
    “Alex!” she says, looking up. “Oh my gosh.”
I hang back and watch.
Alex takes the box out of her hands. “Here, Lil. You don’t
    want to get your coat dirty.”
“I’ve got it,” she insists, and he tries to take it from her, and
they both laugh because she almost drops it. “You have to get
to practice.”
“Give it to me,” he says, but in a sweet way. Lillia finally lets
the box go. I think Alex is surprised at how heavy it is. It almost
falls out of his hands, but he adjusts his grip before it can.
Meanwhile, Lillia scans the parking lot. I step forward
and smile, but she waves her hand, like I don’t have to worry
about it.
“Thank you,” she says breathlessly, when Alex lifts his head.
“There are only three more inside.” She turns to go back into
the theater door, but Alex stops her.
“Wait here. I’ll get them.”
Lillia leans against the car. The wind has picked up, and her
hair is blowing around her face. “I owe you one, Lindy!” she
calls out. “Thank you so much!”
I start to back