Someone might say it was consistent with the symptoms of bipolar, right Jess? If someone happened to know the symptoms, anyway.”
The mayor cleared his throat and asked, “Have you kids started to think about what colleges you’ll be applying to?”
Andrew rolled his eyes, but he also let a breath out in a clear relief of the change in subject.
“I’m curious to know which colleges you’ll apply for.” Jessica directed the question to me.
“I have my eyes on a few,” I answered evasively. There was no way I would reveal my college choices. My plans were mine alone.
“There are community colleges, with low standards, that you could apply to,” Jessica informed me with a fake smile on her lips.
“Jessica, that’s a very impolite remark,” Mrs. Conway reprimanded.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She looked at me with the eyes of a sniper and added with a forced sweet voice, “I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No worries. Jessica has a point. According to Confucius, ‘Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.’”
“How about you, Caleb, are you going to Yale like your father?” asked Mrs. Conway, redirecting the conversation.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he said, toying with the food on his plate.
“Are you going to eat that?” I asked. Caleb smiled and switched my empty plate for his.
“Thank you,” I said with a smile.
The rest of the meal was like sailing on a calm lake. Time to make some waves!
I bit off my last piece of asparagus and licked my fingers. “What’s for dessert?” I asked.
“Actually, we’re gonna take a rain check on dessert.” Caleb stood and pulled out my chair before I had time to protest. Shit, shit, shit. I needed more time to leave an impression on the Cahan and Conway clans. We couldn’t leave just yet.
I searched Caleb’s face for an explanation for our sudden departure. Was he afraid of me saying something to further embarrass him? But shock and disappointment surged through me. His face appeared… satisfied, content even, with the evening. Not at all what I had aimed for.
He placed a chaste kiss on his mother’s cheek. “See you at home, Mom.”
“Remember curfew, Caleb,” his father said sternly.
Ignoring his father, Caleb smiled at our host. “Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Conway.” He grabbed my hand, hastily hauling me away from the table.
I glanced back, barely having time to wave a good-bye. The same startled eyes that stared at us when we walked in, stared at us as we stormed out.
Caleb opened the car’s door and ushered me in, his lips had a small smile. The night might have been an epic fail for me, but apparently it was successful for Caleb.
He stepped on the gas, the tires skidding loudly in the silence of the night. He synched his phone to his car speakers and a cheesy song from a new pop band flowed the interior of the car. Shoot me, please. I despised pop music. His eyes, focused on the road, had an expression that I couldn’t decipher. Yep, I, the expert on reading body language, couldn’t figure him out.
I focused on the lyrics of the offensive song. It was mortifying, but I had to admit the song had some substance to it.
“This is not the way to my house,” I mentioned, nodding to the black asphalt stretching in front of us.
“No,” he said, without taking his eyes from the road.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded.
“To a place where I can kiss you senseless,” he said with a heated and husky voice.
I SEARCHED MY brain for a witty comeback to his remark, but I came up empty. Mark my words, that boy who had me tongue-tied would probably be the end of me.
Slowly, realization slipped through my matted brain. Caleb’s haste to leave was so we could make out. A nervous lump settled in my throat.
I felt my body free-falling in a swirl of conflicted emotions. Truth be told, I was curious about how it would feel to have his lips on mine, feel the warmth of his touch. No, I wasn’t curious. For
The mayor cleared his throat and asked, “Have you kids started to think about what colleges you’ll be applying to?”
Andrew rolled his eyes, but he also let a breath out in a clear relief of the change in subject.
“I’m curious to know which colleges you’ll apply for.” Jessica directed the question to me.
“I have my eyes on a few,” I answered evasively. There was no way I would reveal my college choices. My plans were mine alone.
“There are community colleges, with low standards, that you could apply to,” Jessica informed me with a fake smile on her lips.
“Jessica, that’s a very impolite remark,” Mrs. Conway reprimanded.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She looked at me with the eyes of a sniper and added with a forced sweet voice, “I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No worries. Jessica has a point. According to Confucius, ‘Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.’”
“How about you, Caleb, are you going to Yale like your father?” asked Mrs. Conway, redirecting the conversation.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he said, toying with the food on his plate.
“Are you going to eat that?” I asked. Caleb smiled and switched my empty plate for his.
“Thank you,” I said with a smile.
The rest of the meal was like sailing on a calm lake. Time to make some waves!
I bit off my last piece of asparagus and licked my fingers. “What’s for dessert?” I asked.
“Actually, we’re gonna take a rain check on dessert.” Caleb stood and pulled out my chair before I had time to protest. Shit, shit, shit. I needed more time to leave an impression on the Cahan and Conway clans. We couldn’t leave just yet.
I searched Caleb’s face for an explanation for our sudden departure. Was he afraid of me saying something to further embarrass him? But shock and disappointment surged through me. His face appeared… satisfied, content even, with the evening. Not at all what I had aimed for.
He placed a chaste kiss on his mother’s cheek. “See you at home, Mom.”
“Remember curfew, Caleb,” his father said sternly.
Ignoring his father, Caleb smiled at our host. “Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Conway.” He grabbed my hand, hastily hauling me away from the table.
I glanced back, barely having time to wave a good-bye. The same startled eyes that stared at us when we walked in, stared at us as we stormed out.
Caleb opened the car’s door and ushered me in, his lips had a small smile. The night might have been an epic fail for me, but apparently it was successful for Caleb.
He stepped on the gas, the tires skidding loudly in the silence of the night. He synched his phone to his car speakers and a cheesy song from a new pop band flowed the interior of the car. Shoot me, please. I despised pop music. His eyes, focused on the road, had an expression that I couldn’t decipher. Yep, I, the expert on reading body language, couldn’t figure him out.
I focused on the lyrics of the offensive song. It was mortifying, but I had to admit the song had some substance to it.
“This is not the way to my house,” I mentioned, nodding to the black asphalt stretching in front of us.
“No,” he said, without taking his eyes from the road.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded.
“To a place where I can kiss you senseless,” he said with a heated and husky voice.
I SEARCHED MY brain for a witty comeback to his remark, but I came up empty. Mark my words, that boy who had me tongue-tied would probably be the end of me.
Slowly, realization slipped through my matted brain. Caleb’s haste to leave was so we could make out. A nervous lump settled in my throat.
I felt my body free-falling in a swirl of conflicted emotions. Truth be told, I was curious about how it would feel to have his lips on mine, feel the warmth of his touch. No, I wasn’t curious. For
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