chapter 143

chapter 22. The Heart’s Confession I felt absolutely ridiculous. I was waiting by the front door of my house, peering out the window for Ace’s car to pull into my driveway. Today was the day. I was going to ask out Ace. I was finally going to admit my feelings for him. Marta was in full support and had even helped me plan my outfit: a pink sundress that I usually only wore on special occasions. This counted, right? “You should have seen the way Ace looked at you when you showed up at my birthday party wearing that,” she’d said when I FaceTimed her earlier that morning. “His eyes didn’t leave you the entire night, and he kept licking his lips like he wanted to eat you. Trust me, that’s the dress you want to wear to ask him out.” Marta had invited the entire school to her house for that birthday party: a fall bonfire before the start of the new school year. Ace was tense the entire night; he kept me glued to his side and snapped at any men who came too close to me. I had