Chapter Fifty

In my ongoing quest to be less of a control freak, I let Isaiah pick our Halloween costumes.

That’s how I find myself in a long black dress and a straight black wig that reaches all the way down my back, wearing a smoky eye paired with crimson lips, and carrying a bouquet of red roses. Isaiah’s dark locs are pulled back into a ponytail and he’s wearing a black-and-white pinstriped suit with a fake phantom hand affixed to his shoulder.

Zay has been describing us to everyone as brown Morticia and Gomez Addams, aka “the perfect couple,” according to him.

We actually look pretty amazing as we meander around Sophie and Marisol’s wealthy neighborhood hoping to score some ful l- size candies for Gianna (dressed as the sweetest Maribel from Encanto) and Amaya (a terrifying zombie hungry for brains, obviously).

For this part of the night, we’re joined by Noah and Sophie, who are a French chef and Emily in Paris; Ari and Marisol as Danny and Sandy from Grease; and Zay’s parents, Mr. And Mrs. Ortiz, as a late-nineties J.Lo and Diddy, back when he was apparently known as Puff Daddy.

Though my friends and I have claimed we’re accompanying Gianna and Amaya for their sake, the truth is we’re loading up our own trick- or-treat bags, which we carry like precious loot.

Noah pops a min i-Twi x into his mouth and chews thoughtfully. “God, I love free candy.”

Sophie laughs. “Me too! It somehow tastes better.”

Ari goes rooting through her bag. “We got too much chocolate, though.”

I wrinkle my nose at her. “Are you really complaining about that?!”

She frowns in response. “Chocolate’s fine, but I really like sour candies! And anything gummy,” she explains. “When I was a kid, I’d eat those Nerds Ropes like it was my job.”

“Your taste buds are wrong, babe,” Marisol says, shaking her head. “But you know I’m down to trade with you. I’ve been grabbing extras for you whenever we went to a house that offered something you liked.”

Ari’s face lights up and she pulls Marisol into an unexpected bear hug. “¡Mi vida!”

“Aww, ya big softie,” Zay teases.

Marisol whips around to glare at him. “Tell a soul and you’re dead.”

He leans in close to me and whispers loudly into my ear, “And the scariest Halloween costume award goes to . . . ,” which makes me laugh.

Marisol pokes Zay in the side. “I heard that.”

“Only because I wanted you to!” he says with a laugh.

As the sky around us darkens, the streetlights blink on all at once, an indicator that the window for wholesome trick- or-treating is coming to a close.

Zay’s dad shouts to us from up ahead. “I think we’re going to call it,” he says, cradling Gianna like a baby. “This one’s feet hurt.”

Mrs. Ortiz points toward a shrieking Amaya. “And that one is clearly suffering from a sugar high. We need to get them home. You coming?”

Zay glances over at me. “I think we’ll walk. It’s not far.”

“You just want to get some more candy, greedy,” Gianna teases.

“That’s not fair!” Amaya whines, stomping her feet. “I need more candy!”

Veronica puts a hand on Amaya’s shoulder to steady her. “What you need is a bath and to get ready for bed. Let’s go.”

There’s more whining as Zay’s parents shuffle the girls toward their car, which is parked at Marisol’s house. Our group meanders behind.

“What are you all getting up to tonight?” Zay asks.

“I’m helping Ari’s family paint some calaveras ahead of tomorrow,” Marisol explains.

“Don’t worry. She’ll be rewarded heartily with the most delicious foods as part of our Día de Muertos celebration,” Ari adds.

“One of my band friends is throwing a little party that Noah and I thought we’d check out for a bit,” Sophie says. “And you two?” Her eyebrows go up as she smirks, knowing what I’ve got planned for tonight.

I shrug a shoulder, playing it off. “I think we’re just going back to Zay’s for a bit.”

Zay nods. “Yeah, we’re just going to hang out. Maybe raid Amaya’s and Gianna’s candy stash while they sleep.” He grins. “But this was really fun. Thank you guys for coming.”

“Are you kidding? I love trick- or-treating,” Marisol says. “It was nice to finally have an excuse to do it!”

Noah nods toward Isaiah. “Thanks for the invite, man.”

We hug and exchange goodbyes, readying to go our separate ways. Marisol hangs on to me for an extra second and whispers, “Have fun on your redo date!”

With a final wave, Zay and I meander down the sidewalk in the direction of his house. For the first time tonight, it’s just us. He reaches for my hand and idly strokes his thumb over mine, sending a tingle up my arm.

“You know, I really loved hanging out with everyone,” he says. “Buuuut I’m kinda glad it’ll just be us for the rest of the night.”

“Me too. I’ve missed you today.”

He wrinkles his nose. “Oooh, you like me.”

“Here we go,” I groan.

“You have a huge crush on me!” Zay teases. “I mean, I don’t blame you at all. I’m extremely good-looking. Smart. Funny. Charming as hell. And this ass?”

I laugh. “Oh my God!”

He grins. “Admit it! You like checking it out!”

“There are children,” I hiss between laughs— not because I’m actually offended, but because he likes when I pretend I am.

“Aww, c’mon. Say you like me!”

And I giggle, defiantly raising my chin in the air. “Never!”

Suddenly, Zay pulls me toward him firmly, closing any gap that may have existed between us just seconds before. He kisses me so hard I lose my breath.

When he pulls back, one hand still in mine and the other entangled in my hair, he whispers, “Well, I like you. A lot.”

I press my forehead to his. “I guess I’m coming around to you. But maybe you should do that again so I can be sure.”

Zay grins, accepting the invitation, and I melt into him again, overcome at how every single nerve in my body feels like it’s on fire; at how I’ll never, ever get sick of this; at how in just a few short weeks, he has managed to help make me feel like me again, only better. And hotter.

“Well?” he asks when I step back from him.

“Okay,” I admit with a breathy sigh. “I like you a lot, too.”

He raises his eyebrows at me. “Maybe we can continue that once we’re back at my house, Morticia?”

“That’s a promise, Gomez.”

We’re just steps from his house when an alert goes off on my phone and I pause to dig it out of my candy bag. My cell phone has been permanently on vibrate since . . . forever? The only sound notifications I’ve set are for Intonation’s official Twitter account, but they haven’t posted in years.

Which is why I gasp when I check the notification. Because there’s no way.

“What?” Zay asks. “Everything okay?”

“One sec.” Hands trembling, I pull up the tweet to make sure it’s real. It is. “Oh my God!” I grab Zay’s forearm and squeeze, not prying my eyes away from the post that’s already racking up likes and retweets.

@intonationofficial: We’re baaaaack.

“What is it?” Zay asks, more urgently this time.

I turn my screen toward him. “Intonation is reuniting!”

“Wait, for real?”

“For real!” I shout, fingers scrolling through tweet after celebratory tweet, hungry for more information.

@enews: BREAKING: Following the release of their latest single, “Hope,” bestselling boy band Intonation will reunite for a charity show called One Night in Vegas on Aug. 17, according to frontman Lucas Thomas. More soon!

“They’re doing a charity show in Las Vegas!” I throw my arms around Isaiah and squeal, eliciting a laugh from him. “I have to call Lily and Abuela!”

“Of course you do!” Zay says.

I FaceTime them both, insides shaking with glee. Lily picks up on the first ring, her face mostly entrenched in shadows because she’s outside waiting in line for a haunted hayride with Ruby.

“Hey, what’s up?” Her voice is way too casual, so I know she hasn’t heard yet.

I grin. “I have huge news!”

Then Abuela joins the call, but her video is pitch-black. “¡Hola!” she chirps, and I can tell by her voice she’s already tipsy. She’s at Titi Luisa’s Halloween party and probably living her best life.

“It’s a video call, Abuela,” I say.

“Oh!” is all she says before Lily and I watch her video shift as she pulls the phone away from her ear. Her face finally comes into view, revealing the now slightly smudged, but still adorable, cat nose and whiskers I drew on her earlier in the evening. “Better?”

Lily nods. “Much. So? What’s the huge news?”

“Intonation is reuniting for a one -nig ht- only concert in Las Vegas!” I shout, not caring that my voice is echoing throughout the neighborhood.

“What?!” Lily asks, her eyes widening. “Are you joking?”

“I wouldn’t joke about this! It’s on Twitter!”

Abuela’s hand flies to her heart. “¿En serio?”

“Yes! It’s not till next August, but we have to go,” I insist. “This could be our last chance to see them in concert!”

“We’re going,” Lily says firmly.

“Do you need my credit card?” Abuela offers.

A laugh bubbles out of me at their shared enthusiasm. “Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but I’ll let you know when they are. I have money saved, too. Ahh, I can’t believe it! We’re going to get to see them in concert again!” I do a little dance.

Lily gazes off- screen, then back. “I’m sorry, Ruby and I are next up for our ride, but this is amazing!”

“Go, go!” I urge. “I just wanted to share the good news.”

She smiles at me. “I’m so happy you called.”

“Henry, mi cariño, here I come!” Abuela laughs. “Good night. I love you, nenas.”

I blow her a kiss. “Love you.”

I’m still beaming when I click off the call. When I look over at Zay, he’s beaming, too, even though this isn’t even his news.

“I promise I’m not going to let this news completely overtake our night. I’m just so freaking excited.”

“As you should be! Celebrate the hell outta this. These are your boys,” Zay says. “I’m happy when you’re happy.”

And hearing him say that sends a flutter of appreciation through my heart.

A text from Lily comes in.

Lily: Just did the math. 291 days till the show!

I reply to Lily and send one other quick text to Zay’s older sister, Camila.

Me: We’re outside!

Camila: ON IT

Zay puts a hand on the small of my back. “You know, as much as I’m dying to hang out with you, I won’t even be mad if you want to bail. I feel like it must be killing you not to be researching the fastest route to Las Vegas and plotting exactly how your road trip with your abuela and sister is going to go.”

“There will be plenty of time for that. Lily just texted me that we have two hundred ninety- one days until the show,” I say. “But tonight? You and I have a date to get to.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “What are you up to, Whitney?”

“You’ll see.” I take his hand. “Come on!”

I lead him behind his house. With the help of Camila, part of the backyard has been transformed into an outdoor movie theater for two. Earlier today, I packed a bag with a cozy blanket, popcorn, drinks, and the makings for s’mores, which I dropped off with Camila. She graciously lit the fire pit, took care of setting up an outdoor projector, and loaded up the movie, The

Surrendering the scary film Zay and I were going to see during our first date back in middle school.

“Hi, lovebirds,” Camila says, looking up from her phone. She rises from the picnic table, where she’d been sitting, and hands me a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. “Enjoy.”

“Did you poison this or something?” Isaiah asks, eyeing his sister skeptically.

“No, dummy. I’m being nice!” She rolls her eyes. “But not for you. For her. Seriously, Whit, how you put up with this shit is beyond me . . .”

I laugh. “Thank you, Camila. Have fun at your party.”

“I will. Don’t get too wild now!”

With a wink, Camila is gone, leaving me with a con fusedlook ing Isaiah.

“Fill me in, please?” he asks.

“Well, I realized we kinda skipped over that whole first- date thing and went right into just being together. Which is amazing! But I thought it might be fun to give us another chance at our first first date— the one from middle school. I had Camila help me set this all up, and, if you’re down, we’re finally going to watch that scary movie and eat snacks and hold hands, like we were always meant to,” I explain. “So . . . Zay, will you go on a redo first date with me?”

Zay glances around the backyard, everything suddenly clicking. He leans down to kiss me. It’s so heartfelt I feel like I could cry.

His hand reaches for a strand of my curly hair, and he gently tugs. “I’ve been waiting years for this.”

We set out a blanket to lie on beneath the twinkling stars and snuggle under a mountain of cozy blankets, costumes and all.

“S’more?” Isaiah asks, holding a plate out to me with a perfectly golden marshmallow sandwiched between two graham crackers and a layer of gooey chocolate.

“Please.” I take the plate from him and let him assemble a second s’more for himself, then nestle into the crook of his arm.

He hits play on the movie. We settle in, Isaiah pulling me close, body warm against mine. Sitting under the moon with him, fire crackling, sharing s’mores and kisses and electric touches, I swear I could stay like this forever.

Because with Zay, I’m finally settling into who I am. I’m making room for myself. I’m embracing who I am in every single moment, and not apologizing for it.

So tonight, with this boy who has always seen me, I swear I might just let myself fall in love.

Countdown to Intonation’s One Night in Vegas: 291 days

TK 2 Pages