Free Waves of Light by Naomi Kinsman Page A

outside, Andrew caught my arm. “Hold up, Sades.”
    Since Penny had been with me, I should have realized that rehearsal was now over. Of all people, why did Andrew have to be the one to stop me?
    “Why didn’t you learn the dance with the other girls?” he asked. “Annabelle said she hasn’t met you yet.”
    “I was working on the crates.” Right, genius; he could see that for himself.
    Andrew’s face creased in an unasked question. “Sadie …?”
    I stepped back. Being here with Andrew was too much. I’d start crying again, and then I’d be furious with myself, and everything would be worse.
    “You’re not wearing your necklace,” he said, and then looked like he wished he hadn’t.
    I stared at my feet, willing him to go away. Promise or no promise, I couldn’t ask him about Annabelle. Not when I felt like this.
    “Look,” Andrew said, “Mom asked me to invite you and your dad over for dinner on Sunday. She wants you to meet Annabelle’s family, and she figures your house is kinda empty right now. Will you come?”
    “You’ve already got guests.” Another genius comment. Had someone switched off my brain?
    Andrew hooked his thumbs in his back pockets, starting to look uncomfortable. “Are you upset about something?”
    It took all my will power not to sigh.
    Andrew must have seen the look cross my face. “I mean, I know there’s a lot going on right now, with Vivian’s house, and Frankie moving, and your mom …”
    And apparently, he’d fallen for Annabelle in the meantime. Or maybe Annabelle was always his girlfriend when she came to town. Maybe I was the winter substitute because she wasn’t here. I went back to staring at my feet.
    “Annabelle really wants you to come over,” Andrew tried again after a long silence. “I’ve told her all about you.”
    Now I looked him straight in the eyes. “Really? Those must have been excellent conversations.”
    Andrew winced as if I’d slapped him. “What are you talking about?”
    “Nothing.” I turned to go. I couldn’t bring myself to ask:
    So how long have you and Annabelle been a thing?
    Andrew caught my shoulder and pulled me around to look at him. “Sadie, if you’re mad at me, just tell me. Tell me what I did, and we can work it out.”
    Images from this past year — skipping rocks, feeding the bears, drinking hot cocoa in the woods — flashed through my mind. I hadn’t been pretending he liked me, right? Why was he so confused by my reaction?
    “Maybe we should start with what you didn’t do,” I said.
    Anger stormed across his face as he folded his arms. “Just tell me what’s going on, Sadie.”
    “Yeah. Get mad at me, even though I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who suddenly has a girlfriend you never bothered to mention to me before.”
    His eyes hardened. “That’s what you think? Really? That’s what this is all about?”
    My turn to fold my arms. No way he was throwing this back on me. Maybe I’d made up his feelings for me because I wanted so badly for him to like me. But I had no doubt about his feelings for Annabelle.
    Dad honked the horn from the parking lot, and relief flooded through me. No more of this terrible conversation.
    “I’ll see you around, Andrew.”
    He stayed close on my heels as I headed out to the Jeep, and then he knocked on my window so I had to roll it down. “Mr. Douglas, my mom asked me to invite you both to dinner Sunday night.”
    “Wonderful,” Dad beamed at Andrew. “We’d love to come.”
    As though I wasn’t even there, Andrew and Dad talked over me for a bit until Andrew finally stepped back from the window. “See you tomorrow.”
    “Is Andrew okay?” Dad asked as we pulled away. “He looks worried.”
    “Sure, he’s fine.”
    Dad looked closer at me. “And you, Sades? How are you doing?”
    I sighed. “Can’t I just be upset for once? Mom is sicker than ever, Vivian’s house is a mess, and I just don’t feel happy. Okay?”
    Dad reached over and