don’t like her. You like Hannah. Spend your energy on her. And shut up about me talking to her. You don’t talk to Hannah .”
I moved to the school’s tenor drums and adjusted the carrier. When we played home games, parades or competitions, I used my own drums, but for practice I made do with the beat-up set.
“The difference is that Hannah doesn’t give me a way in like Olivia’s doing with you.” I kept working and ignored him. Final y, he walked away, mumbling. I pushed al the noisy chatter in my brain to the side and concentrated on the task at hand: keeping a beat while moving my feet.
Thursday I didn’t look up in first period to see if Olivia waved at me. I spent my lunch in the library going over my Physics notes, and I lingered by my locker after school was finished in order to avoid seeing her as I walked out to the field. I was being stupid. I knew that, but I couldn’t help it. It felt like there was tremendous pressure to do something with Olivia.
I liked her. I really did, but I wasn’t an idiot. I wasn’t going to try to go out with her. She was nice enough that I thought she’d say yes if I asked her, but it would be out of pity and nothing else.
Friday morning, however, I couldn’t avoid her. She sat down in Jesse Rainer’s seat. Mr. Bel man hadn’t started class yet. I swal owed hard, feeling caught and trapped. “I was going to stop by last night after work.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile. I couldn’t force myself to look at her directly. “My night at work would’ve been so much better if I could’ve taken my break with you.” The fact that she’d said “with you” and not “with someone” wasn’t lost on me. In fact, it was what pushed me over the edge, al owing me to actual y look at her for the first time this morning. “I had practice.”
“I know. I wish you didn’t, though.”
God, how I wished I had some of my brother’s cool, col ected calm right about now. How did he talk to girls like this al the time? I glanced over at Aaron. He was twisted in his seat, one hand draped on Maya’s desk, pretending to listen to her talk, but I could tel that he was paying attention to what was happening over here.
“It’s over in October,” I said without looking at her. “Marching band, that is.”
“Then you’l work more?”
I turned to her and nodded. Her hair was up today, changing the way her face looked. It sent waves upon waves of jitters through me.
“And you have a game tonight?”
Again, I nodded.
“I think I’m going to come. I guess games are big events around here.”
“Yeah.”
“So, listen, I have a quiz in history today. Would you help me study at lunch? We haven’t had much time to work together, so my notes haven’t real y improved and I thought . . .”
I looked back at Aaron, whose face was now expectant. He nodded to me, silently tel ing me that while he might not have heard every word, he knew that this was a defining moment. He wanted me to take the opportunity to spend time with her.
The thought that if I took too long he would make his move was biting at the back of my brain. “Yeah, okay, sure.”
“Real y?” Her voice was as hopeful as her expression. I didn’t understand it. Did she not realize that every guy in school wanted to spend time with her?
“Yeah. I said I’d help you with history.”
We looked toward the front of the classroom as Bel man stood. “Nice of you to join us, Mr. Rainer, and just in the nick of time.” We looked up to see Jesse waiting next to Olivia, obviously wanting to sit down in his seat. She stood and said, “Thanks, Adam, you’re the best.”
I tried not to think about the pressure of everything as school dragged on and lunchtime approached. Now that Aaron knew, my feelings for Olivia seemed even heavier. Casey would make fun of me, that much was a given, but we had an understanding that for guys like us, liking pretty girls was going to be nothing more than
I moved to the school’s tenor drums and adjusted the carrier. When we played home games, parades or competitions, I used my own drums, but for practice I made do with the beat-up set.
“The difference is that Hannah doesn’t give me a way in like Olivia’s doing with you.” I kept working and ignored him. Final y, he walked away, mumbling. I pushed al the noisy chatter in my brain to the side and concentrated on the task at hand: keeping a beat while moving my feet.
Thursday I didn’t look up in first period to see if Olivia waved at me. I spent my lunch in the library going over my Physics notes, and I lingered by my locker after school was finished in order to avoid seeing her as I walked out to the field. I was being stupid. I knew that, but I couldn’t help it. It felt like there was tremendous pressure to do something with Olivia.
I liked her. I really did, but I wasn’t an idiot. I wasn’t going to try to go out with her. She was nice enough that I thought she’d say yes if I asked her, but it would be out of pity and nothing else.
Friday morning, however, I couldn’t avoid her. She sat down in Jesse Rainer’s seat. Mr. Bel man hadn’t started class yet. I swal owed hard, feeling caught and trapped. “I was going to stop by last night after work.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile. I couldn’t force myself to look at her directly. “My night at work would’ve been so much better if I could’ve taken my break with you.” The fact that she’d said “with you” and not “with someone” wasn’t lost on me. In fact, it was what pushed me over the edge, al owing me to actual y look at her for the first time this morning. “I had practice.”
“I know. I wish you didn’t, though.”
God, how I wished I had some of my brother’s cool, col ected calm right about now. How did he talk to girls like this al the time? I glanced over at Aaron. He was twisted in his seat, one hand draped on Maya’s desk, pretending to listen to her talk, but I could tel that he was paying attention to what was happening over here.
“It’s over in October,” I said without looking at her. “Marching band, that is.”
“Then you’l work more?”
I turned to her and nodded. Her hair was up today, changing the way her face looked. It sent waves upon waves of jitters through me.
“And you have a game tonight?”
Again, I nodded.
“I think I’m going to come. I guess games are big events around here.”
“Yeah.”
“So, listen, I have a quiz in history today. Would you help me study at lunch? We haven’t had much time to work together, so my notes haven’t real y improved and I thought . . .”
I looked back at Aaron, whose face was now expectant. He nodded to me, silently tel ing me that while he might not have heard every word, he knew that this was a defining moment. He wanted me to take the opportunity to spend time with her.
The thought that if I took too long he would make his move was biting at the back of my brain. “Yeah, okay, sure.”
“Real y?” Her voice was as hopeful as her expression. I didn’t understand it. Did she not realize that every guy in school wanted to spend time with her?
“Yeah. I said I’d help you with history.”
We looked toward the front of the classroom as Bel man stood. “Nice of you to join us, Mr. Rainer, and just in the nick of time.” We looked up to see Jesse waiting next to Olivia, obviously wanting to sit down in his seat. She stood and said, “Thanks, Adam, you’re the best.”
I tried not to think about the pressure of everything as school dragged on and lunchtime approached. Now that Aaron knew, my feelings for Olivia seemed even heavier. Casey would make fun of me, that much was a given, but we had an understanding that for guys like us, liking pretty girls was going to be nothing more than
Similar Books
