Every other day, I had lunch with Heather because I am not the girl who ditches her friends when she gets a boyfriend.Even though I didn’t have a boyfriend. Technically.Kevin and Paul were debating something about Legos, or maybe it was Legolas, and Nate was being really quiet.“Hey.” I set my hand on his shoulder lightly to get his attention, and he stiffened like I just run an ice cube down his spine. “Whoa. Are you okay?”He nodded but didn’t relax. I didn’t know what to do with my hand. It sort of felt strange just sitting there—unwelcome. But I mean, it’s not like normally we didn’t hold hands under the table. So I let it sit there for a few more seconds and then eased it off, one finger at a time so he wouldn’t feel me retreating all at once.The next few minutes were awkward, and then they got worse.I saw Joy from the corner of my eye and prayed she’d just keep walking, but no, she stopped at our table, of course.“Nate, do you have a hanger? I locked my keys in the car again.”He jumped up.
