Olivia Bennett: The Allegra Biscotti Collection

“Exactly!” Jackson said enthusiastically. “That’s what I was going for!”

At that moment, Lexie appeared in the doorway to the classroom.

“Hey, Jackson! I’ve been waiting for you at your locker.” Lexie was wearing a dress so short that Emma was positive it was meant to be a shirt. Even so, she looked beyond amazing in it. “Come on!”

Jackson closed his notebook and gathered the rest of his stuff. Emma put her bag down on the desk and pretended to reorganize her things. He started to make his way over to meet Lexie, waiting impatiently at the door. Then he stopped and ripped a page from his notebook. He handed it to Emma without a word. In a few long strides, he was out the door with Lexie. Emma could hear her giggles echoing down the hall, the sound slowly fading into general hallway chatter.

Emma closed her eyes to let the Jackson “moment” sink in. When she opened them again, she looked down at the page he had given her. It was the drawing of the hero that she especially liked. Emma tucked it into her own sketchbook for safekeeping—right between her own sketches of Allegra Biscotti’s next collection.