say no.
No, wait. I’m not as bad as she is. I always say no….
Just not to kissing.
And Tommy Sullivan looked as if he’d be a lot of fun to kiss….
Oh, God!
“So Liam tells me you’re running for Quahog Princess,” Tommy said, casually breaking in on my thoughts about kissing him.
Quahog Princess! Yes! Concentrate on that. Anything but Tommy Sullivan’s lips.
“Yeah,” I said. “I am.”
Then, because I remembered, all too clearly, having made fun of Quahog Princesses back when Tommy and I used to hang out together, I added quickly, “The money’s really good. Fifteen hundred bucks for first place. Which Sidney will win, of course, but I have a chance at second. The only other candidates are Morgan Castle, and you know she barely even talks. And then there’s Jenna Hicks…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t want to say anything bad about Jenna, who is probably a really nice person. She just never speaks to anyone, so it’s hard to tell.
I needn’t have worried. Tommy said it for me. He’d always had a way of saying what I was thinking but didn’t want to say, for fear of seeming mean, and becoming as unpopular as he always was.
“Jenna still only wear black?” Tommy wanted to know.
“Yeah,” I said. I couldn’t believe he remembered. I mean, it was one thing to remember about me and theDramamine, considering how much Tommy and I used to hang out together. But it was quite another to remember Jenna Hicks, with whom I was fairly certain Tommy had never hung out. I mean, even Jenna, uncool as she’d always been, had considered Tommy even uncooler than she was. “Her mom is making her enter. I guess she thinks Jenna’ll make some new friends, or something. Ones who aren’t into, you know. Death.”
Not that it was working.
“Still,” I added. “Second place is a thousand dollars.”
Tommy whistled. “That’s some scratch.”
“That’s what I was thinking. I really want to get the new digital Leica—”
“Still doing the photography thing,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah,” I said, pushing away a sudden onslaught of memories of all the times he and I had done stories together for the Eastport Middle School Eagle , him writing them, me doing the photography—and spending the whole time praying fervently that Sidney didn’t find out how much I actually enjoyed being with someone as fatally uncool as Tommy. Probably it was better, under the circumstances, not to think about that.
Still, I couldn’t help asking, because I was curious, “How about you? Still writing?”
“You’re looking at the former editor in chief,” he said, “of Hoyt Hall Military Academy’s weekly paper, The Masthead .”
“No way!” I cried, forgetting how weird this wholething was in my excitement for him. I mean, editor in chief…that’s big. “That’s so great, Tommy! Editor in chief?”
Then I thought of something, and my grin faded. “Wait…did you say former editor-in-chief?”
He nodded. “I resigned. Something better came along.”
“What could be better than editor in chief?” I asked wonderingly. Then, because it had just hit me, I cried, “Wait… military academy ?”
He shrugged again. “No big.” Then—I guess because of my expression, which was still dismayed—he added, “I didn’t hate it, Katie. I mean, it wasn’t like in the movies. For one thing, it was co-ed. Thank God.”
I blinked. I’d forgotten, in those few moments, all about hating him. Instead, I just felt really, really bad.
Although, who I felt worse for—him or me—was debatable.
“Oh, Tommy,” I said. “ That’s where you went after…here? Military school?”
“I wanted to,” he assured me with a laugh. “I thought I could use some self-defense tips. After what happened back here, and all, before I left.”
So that was what he’d meant when he’d said, back at the restaurant, They can try.
And why he was so cut.
“I’m surprised you came back at all,” I
No, wait. I’m not as bad as she is. I always say no….
Just not to kissing.
And Tommy Sullivan looked as if he’d be a lot of fun to kiss….
Oh, God!
“So Liam tells me you’re running for Quahog Princess,” Tommy said, casually breaking in on my thoughts about kissing him.
Quahog Princess! Yes! Concentrate on that. Anything but Tommy Sullivan’s lips.
“Yeah,” I said. “I am.”
Then, because I remembered, all too clearly, having made fun of Quahog Princesses back when Tommy and I used to hang out together, I added quickly, “The money’s really good. Fifteen hundred bucks for first place. Which Sidney will win, of course, but I have a chance at second. The only other candidates are Morgan Castle, and you know she barely even talks. And then there’s Jenna Hicks…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t want to say anything bad about Jenna, who is probably a really nice person. She just never speaks to anyone, so it’s hard to tell.
I needn’t have worried. Tommy said it for me. He’d always had a way of saying what I was thinking but didn’t want to say, for fear of seeming mean, and becoming as unpopular as he always was.
“Jenna still only wear black?” Tommy wanted to know.
“Yeah,” I said. I couldn’t believe he remembered. I mean, it was one thing to remember about me and theDramamine, considering how much Tommy and I used to hang out together. But it was quite another to remember Jenna Hicks, with whom I was fairly certain Tommy had never hung out. I mean, even Jenna, uncool as she’d always been, had considered Tommy even uncooler than she was. “Her mom is making her enter. I guess she thinks Jenna’ll make some new friends, or something. Ones who aren’t into, you know. Death.”
Not that it was working.
“Still,” I added. “Second place is a thousand dollars.”
Tommy whistled. “That’s some scratch.”
“That’s what I was thinking. I really want to get the new digital Leica—”
“Still doing the photography thing,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah,” I said, pushing away a sudden onslaught of memories of all the times he and I had done stories together for the Eastport Middle School Eagle , him writing them, me doing the photography—and spending the whole time praying fervently that Sidney didn’t find out how much I actually enjoyed being with someone as fatally uncool as Tommy. Probably it was better, under the circumstances, not to think about that.
Still, I couldn’t help asking, because I was curious, “How about you? Still writing?”
“You’re looking at the former editor in chief,” he said, “of Hoyt Hall Military Academy’s weekly paper, The Masthead .”
“No way!” I cried, forgetting how weird this wholething was in my excitement for him. I mean, editor in chief…that’s big. “That’s so great, Tommy! Editor in chief?”
Then I thought of something, and my grin faded. “Wait…did you say former editor-in-chief?”
He nodded. “I resigned. Something better came along.”
“What could be better than editor in chief?” I asked wonderingly. Then, because it had just hit me, I cried, “Wait… military academy ?”
He shrugged again. “No big.” Then—I guess because of my expression, which was still dismayed—he added, “I didn’t hate it, Katie. I mean, it wasn’t like in the movies. For one thing, it was co-ed. Thank God.”
I blinked. I’d forgotten, in those few moments, all about hating him. Instead, I just felt really, really bad.
Although, who I felt worse for—him or me—was debatable.
“Oh, Tommy,” I said. “ That’s where you went after…here? Military school?”
“I wanted to,” he assured me with a laugh. “I thought I could use some self-defense tips. After what happened back here, and all, before I left.”
So that was what he’d meant when he’d said, back at the restaurant, They can try.
And why he was so cut.
“I’m surprised you came back at all,” I
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