observe the boys playing basketball. “What if I’d practiced more?”
Nyelle follows my line of sight and grins. “You sucked at basketball?” I shrug. I wasn’t very good at basketball. I made the team—just to warm the bench. Guess that wasn’t hard to figure out. Or maybe I suck at being cryptic too.
“Okay,” Nyelle says, scrunching her face in thought. “What if I had been a better liar?”
I laugh. Isn’t that what she’s doing right now? “You regret not being able to lie?”
“What can I say?” Nyelle smiles. “I can keep a promise for an eternity, but don’t ask me to lie. I will avoid having to lie to a person like you avoid your exes.”
Wow
, I mouth. “I promise to never ask you to lie for me.” I just wish she’d stop lying
to
me.
“Thanks,” she responds. “Are you a good liar?”
“I have done my share of lying,” I admit, unashamed. “But only to keep from hurting someone. Or to not get in trouble as a kid. Stupid stuff. Nothing morally corrupt or anything.” This entire conversation is causing me to break out in a sweat. I have no idea how she’s remaining so calm. Unless… she doesn’t really believe she’s lying.
“I see what’s going on, Cal. You look all nice and innocent. Then you break these poor girls’ hearts while lying to them about why.” She shakes her head in disapproval, but the teasing spark in her eye gives her away.
“I’m pretty sure they’ve all recovered,” I defend with a forced smile.
“What if you could date one of them again? Would you?”
I take a deep breath and try to consider her question seriously. I flip through the girls’ faces in my head, but don’t pause on any, except one. But we were just kids then, and now I don’t know where she is. “Nope.”
Nyelle’s mouth opens in surprise. “Really? You have no leftover feelings for any of them?”
“I don’t think I really had strong enough feelings to begin with. I liked them. Still do for the most part, but…” I shrug, feeling heat creep up my neck. “What about you? If you could give one of the guys you dated another chance, would you?” I hold my breath, anticipating some sort of reaction.
She starts laughing, hard. Not the reaction I was expecting.
I’m afraid she’s going to fall out of the tree when she grabs her stomach and shakes her head. It takes her a minute to pull herself together, wiping the corners of her eyes.
“That bad?” I’m thinking of Kyle Talbert, the guy she dated throughout most of high school. And I’m assuming she is too.
“The worst.”
I couldn’t agree with her more, except if she dated his younger brother, Neil—that would be
much
worse. But then why did they stay together for so long? This may be the strangest non-conversation I’ve ever had.
“I definitely want a do-over.” She shudders, causing me to laugh loudly. “That and my first kiss.” Nyelle’s nose scrunches with the thought of it as she sticks out her tongue in disgust. “Yuck.”
“You’re starting to make me feel sorry for you,” I tease. “You had a horrible boyfriend. And your first kiss was evidently… disgusting.”
“It was!” she says adamantly. “My first kiss was all tongue and slobbery. I really wanted to ask him if he could taste what I had for dinner, but I wasn’t bold enough. I had to find a way to wipe my face with my sleeve after. So gross.”
“Yeah, that is bad.” I cringe, having no idea who her first kiss was. “I’ve kissed girls who were… all over the place. Not my first. But still. It’s not a turn-on, so I can empathize.”
“I’m sure you can,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “Tell me this, if you
could
go back and do your firsts over again, would you?”
“My first kiss?”
“First kiss. First time having sex…” Nyelle clarifies.
I laugh awkwardly. “Okay. We’re going
there
.” She nods in encouragement. “Being honest, I don’t care who it’s with. I think everyone’s first time is
Nyelle follows my line of sight and grins. “You sucked at basketball?” I shrug. I wasn’t very good at basketball. I made the team—just to warm the bench. Guess that wasn’t hard to figure out. Or maybe I suck at being cryptic too.
“Okay,” Nyelle says, scrunching her face in thought. “What if I had been a better liar?”
I laugh. Isn’t that what she’s doing right now? “You regret not being able to lie?”
“What can I say?” Nyelle smiles. “I can keep a promise for an eternity, but don’t ask me to lie. I will avoid having to lie to a person like you avoid your exes.”
Wow
, I mouth. “I promise to never ask you to lie for me.” I just wish she’d stop lying
to
me.
“Thanks,” she responds. “Are you a good liar?”
“I have done my share of lying,” I admit, unashamed. “But only to keep from hurting someone. Or to not get in trouble as a kid. Stupid stuff. Nothing morally corrupt or anything.” This entire conversation is causing me to break out in a sweat. I have no idea how she’s remaining so calm. Unless… she doesn’t really believe she’s lying.
“I see what’s going on, Cal. You look all nice and innocent. Then you break these poor girls’ hearts while lying to them about why.” She shakes her head in disapproval, but the teasing spark in her eye gives her away.
“I’m pretty sure they’ve all recovered,” I defend with a forced smile.
“What if you could date one of them again? Would you?”
I take a deep breath and try to consider her question seriously. I flip through the girls’ faces in my head, but don’t pause on any, except one. But we were just kids then, and now I don’t know where she is. “Nope.”
Nyelle’s mouth opens in surprise. “Really? You have no leftover feelings for any of them?”
“I don’t think I really had strong enough feelings to begin with. I liked them. Still do for the most part, but…” I shrug, feeling heat creep up my neck. “What about you? If you could give one of the guys you dated another chance, would you?” I hold my breath, anticipating some sort of reaction.
She starts laughing, hard. Not the reaction I was expecting.
I’m afraid she’s going to fall out of the tree when she grabs her stomach and shakes her head. It takes her a minute to pull herself together, wiping the corners of her eyes.
“That bad?” I’m thinking of Kyle Talbert, the guy she dated throughout most of high school. And I’m assuming she is too.
“The worst.”
I couldn’t agree with her more, except if she dated his younger brother, Neil—that would be
much
worse. But then why did they stay together for so long? This may be the strangest non-conversation I’ve ever had.
“I definitely want a do-over.” She shudders, causing me to laugh loudly. “That and my first kiss.” Nyelle’s nose scrunches with the thought of it as she sticks out her tongue in disgust. “Yuck.”
“You’re starting to make me feel sorry for you,” I tease. “You had a horrible boyfriend. And your first kiss was evidently… disgusting.”
“It was!” she says adamantly. “My first kiss was all tongue and slobbery. I really wanted to ask him if he could taste what I had for dinner, but I wasn’t bold enough. I had to find a way to wipe my face with my sleeve after. So gross.”
“Yeah, that is bad.” I cringe, having no idea who her first kiss was. “I’ve kissed girls who were… all over the place. Not my first. But still. It’s not a turn-on, so I can empathize.”
“I’m sure you can,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “Tell me this, if you
could
go back and do your firsts over again, would you?”
“My first kiss?”
“First kiss. First time having sex…” Nyelle clarifies.
I laugh awkwardly. “Okay. We’re going
there
.” She nods in encouragement. “Being honest, I don’t care who it’s with. I think everyone’s first time is