Stella has apparently recovered from her near-death experience because she smacks me playfully. “Come on, let us help you. Are you into someone?”
Emery snorts. “Duh.”
“How do you know?” she snarks at Emery, who grins.
“I heard Aiden tell Dad who Asher is sleeping with.”
I gawk at her, and Stella glares. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I was waiting for you to have something I needed, and I was planning to use the information as leverage.”
The girl is going to take over the world. Confused, I ask, “How did you hear? I heard Aiden called Dad.”
She nods. “He had it on speakerphone when he was outside pulling weeds. I listened.”
Stella holds up her hand, and they high-five like Pinky and the fucking Brain. Problem is, I don’t know which is which. “I feel violated.”
“It’s okay,” Emery says, waving me off. “But I think Ally would love a song—”
Before she can even finish, Stella is screaming, “It’s Ally? This is information I needed!”
My head hurts. I cup my face, inhaling through my hands. Emery laughs loudly. “I know, right? Isn’t it awesome?”
“So awesome! Oh my God, I called it. I knew they couldn’t keep up this charade.”
“Right! According to Aiden, though, they just recently started sleeping together.”
“No way! Surely it’s been longer.”
“Nope. She kissed him after he fought Taco.”
“Yes! That’s my girl. Oh my God, this is amazing. Y’all are, like, perfect together. Power couple. And so much better than Shelli and Aiden.”
“Yes, girl, so much better. I bet their wedding won’t be a circus.”
“Oh no, it’s gonna be all low-key and romantic. Ugh, I can’t wait.”
Meanwhile, as my sisters go back and forth, I’m slowly sliding down in my seat until I’m compacted between the wheel and the floorboard. They must have noticed because their words drop off, and Stella leans toward me. “Um. You okay?”
“Fine.”
“What are you doing?”
“Hiding from you two insane people.”
“But we see you,” Emery says simply. “Looking like a dumbass. You know you’re gonna get stuck. And I’m so telling Ally, ’cause she’ll make fun of you.”
“She sure would,” Stella agrees
She would. I exhale through my nose, and now I see why Ally didn’t want to tell anyone. The fact that my sisters and dad know has me crawling with nerves. I slide back up into the seat, and when I glance over, they look like two puppies waiting for treats.
“So, what songs do you have picked out?” Stella asks, and I groan as I reach for my phone.
“‘Lover,’ Tay—”
“Ew, no. Everyone is dedicating that to people. Be original,” Emery says quickly, and Stella nods.
I swallow hard, and for the next what feels like a lifetime, we go through all the songs I’ve compiled for Ally. It was totally impulsive, but each song reminded me of her. I feel silly, though, sending one to her. Would she think it’s romantic? Is it romantic or overdone?