hung out with any Ardsley kids to know what they were like? Beside, the Lucia Braga situation had happened years before, and who knew if there were more to the story?
Yes, it was true a few A-guys went after Cove girls, thinking they could lure them with their money and status. But not all Ardsley guys were like that. Channing wasn’t like that. Channing didn’t care about money. He didn’t even want to go into his family business. He wanted to work with his hands, just like Tommy did, just like Joaquim did. But I couldn’t tell my friends that. They wouldn’t understand.
And beside, they would probably demand to know why Channing insisted on keeping our relationship a secret. If he was genuinely okay with dating a Cove girl, then why all the secrecy?
Also, I didn’t feel like I was in the same category as Lucia Braga. I wasn’t with Channing because of his money. I was with him because I really liked him. Beside Joaquim, Chan was the nicest guy I’d ever met. The last thing that entered my mind was being with Channing for his money. I’d like him just the same if he was a Cove kid, a Portuguese kid, just like me.
“ I actually kinda like Ty Sutton," Joaquim said unexpectedly. “ He’s really down to earth, and funny”.
“ Yeah, Ty is nice," Tommy conceded. “ But Channing seems kind of stuck up”.
“ He’s not stuck up!" I cried, angrily. “ He’s just quiet, that’s all”.
Joaquim and Tommy both looked at me curiously, and again, Ro had to come to my rescue.
“ Everyone used to think I was stuck up because I’m kind of shy," Ro said, laughing a little too loudly. “ Tommy, you didn’t even want to ask me out!”
“ Who told you that?" Tommy demanded, pulling Ro in for a hug. “ I always wanted to ask you out!”
“ That’s not what Emanuela said! She said you said I seemed like I was too good for anybody, and that’s why you didn’t want to go out with me," Ro accused.
“ And you believe Emanuela? The biggest gossip in all of Egg Cove? No, I didn’t want to go out with you because I thought you liked Thiago. And I wasn’t about to ask out a girl who liked someone else” Tommy said.
“ Thiago! Thiago is practically like a brother to me!”, Ro laughed.
The rest of the ride to the mall was spent talking about whether or not Ro liked Thiago, another boy from our group of friends. I was glad Ro had managed to get Tommy and Joaquim off the subject of Channing. It was just too hard for me to hear anyone badmouth him.
We got to the mall, and found a parking space near the entrance. The Egg Cove mall was more of a shopping strip than an actual mall. It was comprised of low end boutiques, bargain priced stores, and retail outlets. The fanciest store was the Super Target. Still, it was a lot friendlier and much more affordable than the Ardsley Park Mall, which had nothing but luxury stores. I’d only been to the Ardsley Mall once, and found I couldn’t even afford a scarf there.
We headed straight for Alice Fashion, a boutique specializing in evening wear. Ro pointed out the dress she’d put on layaway…a wine colored strapless gown.
“ Ro, that’s going to look great on you!" I said. Ro had a gorgeous body… a perfect hour glass shape, and the dress accentuated all of her curves.
It would be much harder to find a dress for my small frame.
“ You should definitely go with something with a mini skirt," Ro suggested.
“ Show off those sexy legs!" Joaquim teased.
“ No," Ro said, giving him an exasperated look. “ Because she’s not tall enough for a long dress. It’ll make her look even shorter than she already is”.
“ Oh, thanks for calling me short," I snorted. It was true, I was only about five foot two, but I preferred to be thought of as petite, not short.
“ You ain’t exactly a basketball player, Nellie," Tommy laughed, “ I think my twelve year old sister is taller than you!”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“ That’s what makes Nellie so adorable,
Yes, it was true a few A-guys went after Cove girls, thinking they could lure them with their money and status. But not all Ardsley guys were like that. Channing wasn’t like that. Channing didn’t care about money. He didn’t even want to go into his family business. He wanted to work with his hands, just like Tommy did, just like Joaquim did. But I couldn’t tell my friends that. They wouldn’t understand.
And beside, they would probably demand to know why Channing insisted on keeping our relationship a secret. If he was genuinely okay with dating a Cove girl, then why all the secrecy?
Also, I didn’t feel like I was in the same category as Lucia Braga. I wasn’t with Channing because of his money. I was with him because I really liked him. Beside Joaquim, Chan was the nicest guy I’d ever met. The last thing that entered my mind was being with Channing for his money. I’d like him just the same if he was a Cove kid, a Portuguese kid, just like me.
“ I actually kinda like Ty Sutton," Joaquim said unexpectedly. “ He’s really down to earth, and funny”.
“ Yeah, Ty is nice," Tommy conceded. “ But Channing seems kind of stuck up”.
“ He’s not stuck up!" I cried, angrily. “ He’s just quiet, that’s all”.
Joaquim and Tommy both looked at me curiously, and again, Ro had to come to my rescue.
“ Everyone used to think I was stuck up because I’m kind of shy," Ro said, laughing a little too loudly. “ Tommy, you didn’t even want to ask me out!”
“ Who told you that?" Tommy demanded, pulling Ro in for a hug. “ I always wanted to ask you out!”
“ That’s not what Emanuela said! She said you said I seemed like I was too good for anybody, and that’s why you didn’t want to go out with me," Ro accused.
“ And you believe Emanuela? The biggest gossip in all of Egg Cove? No, I didn’t want to go out with you because I thought you liked Thiago. And I wasn’t about to ask out a girl who liked someone else” Tommy said.
“ Thiago! Thiago is practically like a brother to me!”, Ro laughed.
The rest of the ride to the mall was spent talking about whether or not Ro liked Thiago, another boy from our group of friends. I was glad Ro had managed to get Tommy and Joaquim off the subject of Channing. It was just too hard for me to hear anyone badmouth him.
We got to the mall, and found a parking space near the entrance. The Egg Cove mall was more of a shopping strip than an actual mall. It was comprised of low end boutiques, bargain priced stores, and retail outlets. The fanciest store was the Super Target. Still, it was a lot friendlier and much more affordable than the Ardsley Park Mall, which had nothing but luxury stores. I’d only been to the Ardsley Mall once, and found I couldn’t even afford a scarf there.
We headed straight for Alice Fashion, a boutique specializing in evening wear. Ro pointed out the dress she’d put on layaway…a wine colored strapless gown.
“ Ro, that’s going to look great on you!" I said. Ro had a gorgeous body… a perfect hour glass shape, and the dress accentuated all of her curves.
It would be much harder to find a dress for my small frame.
“ You should definitely go with something with a mini skirt," Ro suggested.
“ Show off those sexy legs!" Joaquim teased.
“ No," Ro said, giving him an exasperated look. “ Because she’s not tall enough for a long dress. It’ll make her look even shorter than she already is”.
“ Oh, thanks for calling me short," I snorted. It was true, I was only about five foot two, but I preferred to be thought of as petite, not short.
“ You ain’t exactly a basketball player, Nellie," Tommy laughed, “ I think my twelve year old sister is taller than you!”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“ That’s what makes Nellie so adorable,
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