Free Devon Delaney Should Totally Know Better by Lauren Barnholdt, Nathalie Dion Page A

what I just told her. It’s more than obvious that my dad is very upset about me being at the coffee shop, and it’s probably because he realizes just how close he came to being caught. And my poor mom has no idea why he’s so upset about everything, and she just thinks he’s taking all these harsh tones with her for no reason. And no matter what I tell Katie, there is nothing good about this situation. Not one single thing. Not—
    My mom comes clomping down the stairs. “Devon,” she announces. “You’re getting a cell phone.”
    Well. I guess there’s that.
    “I’m getting a cell phone after school today,” I tell Luke the next morning at school. He’s waiting for me at my locker, looking extremely cute in a pair of khakipants and a blue T-shirt.
    “That’s awesome,” Luke says. “Now we can text all during school.”
    “Yeah,” I say, turning away before he can see that I’m blushing. He wants to text with me all during school! I mean, come on! He wouldn’t want to text with me all day if he still liked Barelli. He wouldn’t want to be in
constant contact
with me if I wasn’t his one and only. As if on cue, Luke’s phone beeps, and he pulls it out of his pocket, checks the screen, and then starts typing on his keyboard. Hmm. Well, of course he’s going to be texting with other people. I mean, everyone does it. Everyone who has a cell phone. And now I will too! Who is he texting with, though, I wonder? Jared maybe? But then I see Jared down the hall, standing with Lexi. His phone is nowhere to be seen. So not Jared. Maybe a friend from soccer? Maybe his mom? I try to look over and check his screen, but I can’t see anything without leaning in too much, which would be totally obvious.
    “Are you looking at my phone?” Luke asks.
    “No,” I say. “I mean, well, yeah, but only because I wanted to see if I should get the same kind as you.”
    “You should get whatever one you like,” Luke says. And then all of a sudden, his voice turns serious. “Listen,Devon,” he says, and slides his phone into his pocket. He leans against the locker next to mine. Ohmigod. He’s going to tell me he was texting Bailey. And yeah, he’s probably going to say they’re just friends, but who really believes that? And if they’re texting all day, then why do they have to note-pass on top of it?
    I put on my best “I’m totally adjusted and don’t care about any of this” face.
    “I need to, uh, to ask you something.”
    “Yes, Luke?”
    He looks down at the floor, and mumbles something that sounds like, “Wilahslhdwishme.”
    “What?” I ask.
    “Will you go to the dance with me?” He looks up at me, and his blue eyes meet mine, and I’m so shocked that at first I’m sure I couldn’t have heard him right. But then Mikayla Parsons, this very loud eighth grader, who always wears a bomber jacket to school, steps on my foot as she walks by me in the hall, and I realize Mikayla Parsons stepping on my foot would never happen if this were just a dream.
    “Of course!” I say. Which, you know, may be a little eager, but days of anticipation and waiting will do that to a person.
    Luke smiles and leans over and brushes his lipsagainst mine. My stomach goes all wobbly and I lean back against my locker and try to catch my breath.
    “Hey,” Lexi says, walking up to us in the hall. “You two are sooo cute, but seriously, can we keep the PDA for after school?” But she’s smiling.
    “Ha-ha,” I say, rolling my eyes, even though it makes me happy that she noticed. I have a boyfriend who wants to kiss me in the halls at school! A very cute, very smart, very amazing boyfriend who wants to kiss me, me, me. And not Barelli.
    I can’t believe I was ever worried about him asking me to the dance! I mean, hello. He’s like obviously totally in love with me. And Bailey and her long hair and alabaster skin can do nothing to sway him! Actually I think alabaster skin means pale or something. And Bailey is always