Under the Same Stars(98)
Gross, I thought but continued to watch him with a pang in my stomach. He liked putting ketchup on everything.
“But like, are you sure?” Alex said. “Because…”
I rolled my eyes. They were most likely talking about Tag’s latest breakup. He and Blair Greenberg had gotten together last year, and their relationship had been a feast for the hypothetical tabloids. One second, they were stupidly in love, and the next, they were a hot mess, shouting at each other during Saturday night dances. The student body had been pretty much over the whole song and dance until Tag broke things off with Blair yesterday. “Who cares anymore?” we’d mumbled to ourselves, but the truth was, everyone cared. We all wanted to know what went down between them. Would this be the last time? The final time they went their separate ways? Or would they get back together in a couple days?
Because again, it was the tail end of Ames’s “senior spring.” With less than two weeks left in the term, we upperclassmen cared about approximately three things.
The prom was one of them.
And Tag Swell had dumped his girlfriend right beforehand, with no apparent rhyme or reason. “Yes, I’m sure,” he told Alex now. “I want to go with someone else.”
Who? I wondered at the same time as Alex said, “Who?”
Tag finally put down the ketchup bottle. “Well, isn’t it obvious?” He smirked at his best friend. “You, Alexander.”
Alex didn’t miss a beat; he raised his water glass in a toast. “It’d be my pleasure, Taggart. How do you feel about matching boutonnieres?”
A small lump formed in my throat. Tag and Alex’s bromance was one for the books; they were so close that sometimes they seemed like the same person. “We met in freshman algebra and just knew,” Alex once told me. “Whoever marries him is marrying me too.”
I’d punched him in the arm. “And she shall be the unluckiest of ladies!”
God, that had been ages ago.
Soon, I heard Josh sigh in defeat. My mom had worn him down for the morning. “Okay, Lily,” he said to me. “What would you like for breakfast? Your mom”—he looked at her with revulsion—“is having cinnamon roll pancakes.”
“I’ll take an orange juice, please,” I said as I unzipped my backpack and began digging around inside. “With a spoon on the side.” I emerged victorious with my jar of overnight oats. “I brought my own today.”
“Yes!” Josh snapped his fingers. It was ironic he ran the Hub because he was really a health nut. “This is what I’m talking about, Lil. I love to see it.” He faced my mom. “You should try eating something off your daughter’s menu.”
My mom folded her hands on the table. “For your information, she made a lovely chicken stir-fry last night. I helped with the prep work.”
Josh turned to me for confirmation, and I nodded. “But cinnamon roll pancakes do sound amazing,” I added. “May I get a fork with my spoon? That way, I can steal some bites?”
We laughed when Josh groaned. “Exasperating,” he said. “You two are endlessly exasperating. First, reservations. And now this?” He shook his head.
“Excuse me, but endlessly exasperating?” my mom said once her boyfriend had disappeared into the kitchen. “I’d say he finds us endlessly fascinating.”
“Yes,” I agreed. I loved these breakfasts with her. “Endlessly fascinating, for sure.”
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Acknowledgments
“It’s been a long time coming…”
Because it has! I wrote this book in 2023! Two years ago!
A First Time for Everything might’ve taken the scenic route to publication, but words cannot describe how happy I am that readers finally have it in their hands. I’m extremely fond of this one.
Eva Scalzo, thank you for responding to my fast and furious and totally stream-of-consciousness texts (most of which were sent while I hid in Barnes & Noble’s philosophy section). Whenever I brainstorm a new book concept, I love nothing more than fleshing it out with you. If I’m remembering correctly, I had a map for Mads before my lunch break that day. Our partnership is, to quote a very niche singer-songwriter named Taylor Swift, “so productive, it’s an art.”
Cheers to the team at Sourcebooks! Annie, Gabbi, Delaney, Karen, Thea, and Aimee. Thank you for being so supportive and patient when the manuscript I was supposed to be writing turned into something else entirely. You have given me the freedom to write four books of my heart, and I am incredibly grateful.
Shout-out to Monique Aimee, for another stunning cover—I can’t help but feel all the warm and fuzzies because it hits so close to my home.
Kelly Townsend, one of the reasons I get so excited when I finish a draft is because it means I can finally send it to you. I truly hit the beta-reader jackpot.
Thank you to Anthony, for your artistic eye and renovating my website pro bono. Squarespace will never defeat you!
To Michael, because you are still the best.
Nell Webber, retired Division 1 field hockey superstar (and beloved cousin): thank you so much for outlining the college recruiting process, creating a mock practice plan, and answering all my random questions. Not everything made it into this book, but hopefully I made you proud!