being. That confused me, but I didn’t let on. Why would someone have to be convinced about love? Either you do or you don’t. It should be simple.
Troy and I hung out on Thursday night. We rented some movies and got pizza and watched them at his house. But honestly, I couldn’t tell you a thing about the movies. Troy had spent the entire t ime making fun of the plot and sometimes he would mute the movie and make up his own words. My voice was hoarse the next day from laughing so hard at him. We also made plans to go to the haunted plantation, the Myrtles. It cracked him up how fascinated I was by the whole place.
I checked myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and hoped that she would be at church. I had this overwhelming need to see her. It was like a slow boil in my chest. Not too much that I couldn’t handle it but just enough to let me know it was there. I was sure that just seeing her would still the boil and soothe the burn .
I threw on a gray button d own shirt and some black slacks and my black Chucks. I walked outside and down the stairs and Eric was already in the truck waiting.
We drove to church in silence. He had worked a little longer last night. He got in just in time to get dressed for church and head out.
At the church we sat in the same pew, but now we were joined by Troy and his Dad. As the hymn ended and the sermon began, Troy nudged me and tipped his chin towards the right of the church. Little did he know that I had already seen her and had kept her firmly in my peripheral all this time. I knew when she moved and I knew when she whispered something to her aunt and I especia lly knew when she snuck a look at me as she pretended to turn sideways to stretch her back.
I nodded back to Troy, letting him know that I knew what he was talking about. And then I tried not to stare her down the whole service. It didn’t work. And then during the ending prayer, I was probably going to hell for this, I watched her close her eyes and while the man was praying, she was whispering words of her own. And when he ended the prayer and said “Amen” her eyes stayed closed a little longer than everyone else’s and the she said her own “Amen”.
People were congregated outside the church for ‘dinner on the grounds’ which I was assuming was like a church picnic. Eric wanted to go home since he was tired and Troy’s Dad offered to take me home so I could stay for lunch. I was handed a paper plate and the second she got in line behind me every hair on my skin stood at full attention saluting her presence.
I reached for a plate and a fork wrapped in a napkin and handed it to her and motioned for her to go before me. She smiled at me and went ahead and started to make her plate and halfway through the line she stopped and smiled at me again. I heard my mom’s voice in my head ‘ Manners Matter Cooper.’
She filled up her plate and went to sit down. I was so relieved when I saw that she sat at an empty table. I sat across from her but not before asking if the seat was taken. She laughed and we sat in silence for a few minutes, both eating and taking turns looking at one another.
A plate plopped down next to me and then another plate mimicked the first on the opposite side of the table. Troy sat down next to me and cracked some joke about scaring me so bad that I was going upchuck my food. He introduced himself to Remi and then smiled a knowing smile back at me. Then he introduced the girl who was sitting next to Remi. Her name was Josie and she had the curliest hair I had ever seen. She didn’t say much after Troy
Troy and I hung out on Thursday night. We rented some movies and got pizza and watched them at his house. But honestly, I couldn’t tell you a thing about the movies. Troy had spent the entire t ime making fun of the plot and sometimes he would mute the movie and make up his own words. My voice was hoarse the next day from laughing so hard at him. We also made plans to go to the haunted plantation, the Myrtles. It cracked him up how fascinated I was by the whole place.
I checked myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and hoped that she would be at church. I had this overwhelming need to see her. It was like a slow boil in my chest. Not too much that I couldn’t handle it but just enough to let me know it was there. I was sure that just seeing her would still the boil and soothe the burn .
I threw on a gray button d own shirt and some black slacks and my black Chucks. I walked outside and down the stairs and Eric was already in the truck waiting.
We drove to church in silence. He had worked a little longer last night. He got in just in time to get dressed for church and head out.
At the church we sat in the same pew, but now we were joined by Troy and his Dad. As the hymn ended and the sermon began, Troy nudged me and tipped his chin towards the right of the church. Little did he know that I had already seen her and had kept her firmly in my peripheral all this time. I knew when she moved and I knew when she whispered something to her aunt and I especia lly knew when she snuck a look at me as she pretended to turn sideways to stretch her back.
I nodded back to Troy, letting him know that I knew what he was talking about. And then I tried not to stare her down the whole service. It didn’t work. And then during the ending prayer, I was probably going to hell for this, I watched her close her eyes and while the man was praying, she was whispering words of her own. And when he ended the prayer and said “Amen” her eyes stayed closed a little longer than everyone else’s and the she said her own “Amen”.
People were congregated outside the church for ‘dinner on the grounds’ which I was assuming was like a church picnic. Eric wanted to go home since he was tired and Troy’s Dad offered to take me home so I could stay for lunch. I was handed a paper plate and the second she got in line behind me every hair on my skin stood at full attention saluting her presence.
I reached for a plate and a fork wrapped in a napkin and handed it to her and motioned for her to go before me. She smiled at me and went ahead and started to make her plate and halfway through the line she stopped and smiled at me again. I heard my mom’s voice in my head ‘ Manners Matter Cooper.’
She filled up her plate and went to sit down. I was so relieved when I saw that she sat at an empty table. I sat across from her but not before asking if the seat was taken. She laughed and we sat in silence for a few minutes, both eating and taking turns looking at one another.
A plate plopped down next to me and then another plate mimicked the first on the opposite side of the table. Troy sat down next to me and cracked some joke about scaring me so bad that I was going upchuck my food. He introduced himself to Remi and then smiled a knowing smile back at me. Then he introduced the girl who was sitting next to Remi. Her name was Josie and she had the curliest hair I had ever seen. She didn’t say much after Troy
Similar Books
