Free Canary by Rachele Alpine

said. “I was joking. You don’t have to be so serious. I wondered when you’d show up.”
    â€œYou were looking for me?” The words came out before I could stop them.  Way to go, Kate. Nothing like sounding calm, cool, and collected.
    â€œOf course I was. Why do you think I mentioned the party? After all, we have some history. We spent the night together.” He raised his gaze and ran a hand through his hair.
    â€œWe did, didn’t we? I wanted to see you here too,” I said quietly, unexpected courage surging in me.
    â€œGood.” His hand found mine, and then the two of us were moving toward each other. Suddenly talking to Jack became nothing.
    The memory of the first time we talked—the cold bench, his warm sweatshirt, the early morning—was erased.
    The conversation we had outside the hotel wasn’t important.
    The feel of his arms when he had caught me from falling off the wall was brushed away from memory.
    The solidness of his hand when he helped me up from the wall was forgotten.
    Because nothing came close, not an inch or an ounce, to what it felt like when Jack kissed me.
    We broke apart. We stood still. It didn’t matter that we were separated, because it felt as if we were together. A truck screeched up next to us. Before we could say or do anything, someone laid on the horn.
    â€œWhere the hell have you been, Jack? Get inside,” a passenger yelled out the window.
    Jack started to say something, but the driver honked the horn again. Jack turned and climbed into the truck, which peeled out of the driveway, kicking dust in my face.

Chapter 14
    I went back to the party, even though all I wanted to do was sit still and think about the kiss. I found Ali in the living room hanging off of Luke, a stocky, dark-haired basketball player I’d seen Jack with the other day. She was pressed up against him, and his muscular arms were wrapped tightly around her.
    I wished Jack’s friends hadn’t shown up and stolen him away. I felt a pang of regret for a moment, but as Ali broke away and tottered toward me, I pushed the feeling aside.
    â€œKate, there you are,” she slurred. She stood unsteadily and wrapped her arms around me in the same way she’d been doing to Luke. “I’ve been trying to find you.”
    â€œHere I am. Safe and sound.”
    â€œYes, yes, you’re here, and my brother is over there.” She swept an arm around, and I had no idea where she meant her brother was. “It’s time to go, my brother demands.” She broke away to give Luke a wobbly kiss, and the two of them started
making out.
    Jenna came alongside me. “What have you been up to while Ali’s been sucking face with Luke over there?”
    â€œJust hanging out,” I said, not wanting to share with anyone what happened. “Talking with people.”
    â€œSure you were. You have that look on your face like you’ve been up to something bad.” She smirked.
    My stomach dropped. She knew. I imagined her lurking behind the bushes watching us, and I wondered who else might have seen us. Did Jack and I have a whole audience?
    Jenna tilted her head. “Are you okay? I’m just kidding.”
    â€œYeah, of course.” I exhaled slowly.
    â€œWe need to go rescue Ali. Luke is a walking STD, and what’s going on over there is not good. If there’s anyone to avoid at Beacon, it’s Luke. I don’t even want to think about how dirty and nasty he is from all the girls he’s slept with.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the two of them.
    She tapped Ali’s shoulder. “It’s time to say good-bye.”
    Ali waved us away, not even bothering to detach from Luke.
    â€œYour brother is going to ditch us if we don’t get outside.” Jenna grabbed Ali’s wrist and pulled her away. I was impressed someone as small as Jenna had enough strength to pry Ali’s