was different about this one, but I knew something was. Olivia was not only pretty, but there was something so natural and honest about her. She might have been accepted by the cool kids in school, but she didn’t act like one of them. At least not to me.
I must have been making a face because Aaron swal owed his mouthful of food, cocked his head to the side, and then asked, “What?” I decided not to play stupid. “I thought you were messing around with Kel y and Maya.” He gave me a one-shoulder shrug. “I like Kel y, and Maya’s awesome, but Livia is, like, I don’t know.” I knew. Olivia was something new, something that most of the males at Lakeside High School were interested in. He just wanted to be the first to get to her. It would up his social status. I didn’t want that.
“What?” he asked me again. I kept my eyes fixed on the crumbs of my toast. “What’s that look for, Adam?”
“There’s no look.”
“Bul shit.” I risked a glance. He was staring at me, his jaw set to the side as he used his tongue to clean out the little bits of food that had wedged themselves in the crevasses of his teeth.
It was hard to be a twin. While I didn’t think we looked alike, there had always been this silent connection. It was hard to be dishonest. I knew immediately when he was lying, and likewise, he could tel when I was leaving something out.
“You like her.” I looked away, which was al the confirmation he needed. “You like her.” When he inhaled deeply, I retrained my eyes on him. His expression was a bit amused, but I couldn’t tel if it was because he thought it was funny that I liked her or if it was because I’d never real y liked a girl before.
“Adam, you’re turning bright red.”
I took a sip of my juice then chewed on the inside of my bottom lip.
“So if you like her, ask her out.”
My chest tightened and my mouth went dry.
“Does she like you?”
“I don’t know,” I managed to whisper.
He pushed away from the table and stood. He lifted his empty plate and slapped me on the back. “Wel ,” he said. “Find out and then ask her out.” I concentrated on finishing my juice as he ran the water to rinse his dishes.
As he was leaving, I stood up, intent on cleaning up. “But don’t wait too long,” he cal ed over his shoulder. “If you’re not going to at least try, I’m going to.”
I contemplated the conversation with my brother al morning. I’d never liked the same girl as Aaron. He’d implied that he was wil ing to back off to give me the chance at her first. It seemed wrong to think about Olivia like that—like something to bargain for—but if Aaron was going to put aside his drive to date her, I would happily let him.
She waved at me in first period again, then at lunch, and then as Casey and I walked out onto the field for practice we saw her walking toward her car. She saw me and waved, the keys jingling in her hand.
“Oh, my God, dude,” Casey whispered. “She total y likes you!” I twisted my neck to glance at him, but he pushed me, so I turned back to see Olivia. She’d stopped looking our way and was nearly to her car. “Go over there and talk to her. Ask her to watch practice or something.” For a moment, I thought about it. I imagined myself running over to her, leaning against her car like Aaron would. Being confident as I asked her to stick around. Touching her arm as I said something funny.
But as she unlocked her door, I knew I wouldn’t do any of it. “She won’t want to watch marching band practice,” I said as I turned back.
I tried to ignore my friend as he continued to talk about how I was wasting an opportunity, and how he was so disappointed in me, and how Olivia was just waiting for me to go flirt with her. But when we reached the field, he said, “If you don’t, I’m going to go talk to her. And not for you, but for me, because maybe she’s real y smiling at me.”
I turned on him. “Shut up about Olivia. You
I must have been making a face because Aaron swal owed his mouthful of food, cocked his head to the side, and then asked, “What?” I decided not to play stupid. “I thought you were messing around with Kel y and Maya.” He gave me a one-shoulder shrug. “I like Kel y, and Maya’s awesome, but Livia is, like, I don’t know.” I knew. Olivia was something new, something that most of the males at Lakeside High School were interested in. He just wanted to be the first to get to her. It would up his social status. I didn’t want that.
“What?” he asked me again. I kept my eyes fixed on the crumbs of my toast. “What’s that look for, Adam?”
“There’s no look.”
“Bul shit.” I risked a glance. He was staring at me, his jaw set to the side as he used his tongue to clean out the little bits of food that had wedged themselves in the crevasses of his teeth.
It was hard to be a twin. While I didn’t think we looked alike, there had always been this silent connection. It was hard to be dishonest. I knew immediately when he was lying, and likewise, he could tel when I was leaving something out.
“You like her.” I looked away, which was al the confirmation he needed. “You like her.” When he inhaled deeply, I retrained my eyes on him. His expression was a bit amused, but I couldn’t tel if it was because he thought it was funny that I liked her or if it was because I’d never real y liked a girl before.
“Adam, you’re turning bright red.”
I took a sip of my juice then chewed on the inside of my bottom lip.
“So if you like her, ask her out.”
My chest tightened and my mouth went dry.
“Does she like you?”
“I don’t know,” I managed to whisper.
He pushed away from the table and stood. He lifted his empty plate and slapped me on the back. “Wel ,” he said. “Find out and then ask her out.” I concentrated on finishing my juice as he ran the water to rinse his dishes.
As he was leaving, I stood up, intent on cleaning up. “But don’t wait too long,” he cal ed over his shoulder. “If you’re not going to at least try, I’m going to.”
I contemplated the conversation with my brother al morning. I’d never liked the same girl as Aaron. He’d implied that he was wil ing to back off to give me the chance at her first. It seemed wrong to think about Olivia like that—like something to bargain for—but if Aaron was going to put aside his drive to date her, I would happily let him.
She waved at me in first period again, then at lunch, and then as Casey and I walked out onto the field for practice we saw her walking toward her car. She saw me and waved, the keys jingling in her hand.
“Oh, my God, dude,” Casey whispered. “She total y likes you!” I twisted my neck to glance at him, but he pushed me, so I turned back to see Olivia. She’d stopped looking our way and was nearly to her car. “Go over there and talk to her. Ask her to watch practice or something.” For a moment, I thought about it. I imagined myself running over to her, leaning against her car like Aaron would. Being confident as I asked her to stick around. Touching her arm as I said something funny.
But as she unlocked her door, I knew I wouldn’t do any of it. “She won’t want to watch marching band practice,” I said as I turned back.
I tried to ignore my friend as he continued to talk about how I was wasting an opportunity, and how he was so disappointed in me, and how Olivia was just waiting for me to go flirt with her. But when we reached the field, he said, “If you don’t, I’m going to go talk to her. And not for you, but for me, because maybe she’s real y smiling at me.”
I turned on him. “Shut up about Olivia. You
Similar Books
