Never Always Sometimes

“Did Debbie survive this time?”

 

 

“I went to a salon.” She took another sip from her water, clearly trying to be casual. But she must have noticed Dave gawking at her. “What, I’m not allowed to embrace a cliché or two? I like it, okay? Gimme a break before I pop your collar.”

 

Leslie grabbed the mic. “Another round of applause for the band with the name that is officially too inappropriate to say at a school-sponsored event!” She waited for the crowd’s lukewarm cheers to die down, then pulled an envelope out of her tuxedo pocket. “Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for.” She slid her finger down the envelope’s closure to tear it open. “Not really. We’re all waiting for the after-party and to receive our diplomas next weekend and be done with high school forever. But about six people are quite excited about the contents of this envelope, so I’ll get to it.” She rummaged through the envelope for the paper inside.

 

Leslie announced the prom queen and a wave of whoops and cheers moved through the audience. The Miss America song started playing through the speakers, Dave couldn’t tell if it was ironically or not. Dave kept his eyes focused in Gretchen’s direction, like someone staring at the sky waiting for meteors. Then Leslie said, “...and your prom king is...” and Julia tapped him on the shoulder and whispered into his ear, “If you don’t win it was all such a waste.”

 

“James Everett!”

 

“You were robbed!” Julia yelled.

 

“Tonight, I’m going to weep like a jock whose glory days are over.”

 

“You and me both,” Julia said. James Everett and the prom queen, Rosie Barajas, took the stage and were crowned, still to the Miss America song.

 

“You know,” Dave said. “I’m glad it happened.” He looked at her, gauging her reaction, making sure what he was saying wasn’t insensitive. She seemed at ease, though, calm.

 

“What part?”

 

“All of it,” he said. “The Nevers, the beach, even those few hours where I had the worst-colored hair on the planet.” Everywhere around him there were ecstatic people, kids drunk on covert alcohol and inappropriate dancing, drunk on the feeling of summer within reach, drunk on the thought that they were done. “You were the first girl I loved, as a friend or otherwise. You’re my best friend, Julia.”

 

“You’re my best friend, too, David Sporkful McGee.”

 

“Sporkful McGee?”

 

“Shut up. Wasn’t my best.” Looking around the football field, her blue eyes were thoughtful, intense. He wondered what she was thinking, how hurt she still was. The royal couple left the stage and another band came up, fiddling with the connections, setting spare guitars up on racks, sending ripples of feedback into the night. “You know, I was thinking of a new list,” Julia said. “The Always. A list of clichés to do throughout college. Frat parties, editorials in the school newspaper about the evils of the administration, paying some creepy dude fifty bucks for a fake ID. There’s a whole new world to be explored.”

 

Dave laughed and bumped her with his shoulder. “You have a pen and paper?”

 

*

 

Keep reading for an excerpt from LET’S GET LOST by Adi Alsaid.

 

 

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

FIRST OF ALL, a huge thanks to the fantastic team at Harlequin Teen, who’ve made my publishing experience such a good one that my previous dreams about being published feel tame in comparison. From the editorial team to the sales team and everyone in between, the support has been humbling to say the least.

 

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