by Judy Corry
"I’m really curious about this boy. I keep eavesdropping on people in the hall just to see if I hear an English accent."
"I know. Me too. Sometimes I wish our school was smaller."
"Want me to hide somewhere close by and watch for him?" Eliana asked, a devious look on her face.
"I wish! But I promised him I wouldn't check around, so for now, no. But I might take you up on that later."
When I got to the Chemistry lab later that day, I opened the door and peeked in to check if British Boy was in there yet, but no one answered. So I slipped inside and waited for a few minutes. I was so nervous for some reason, having a hard time getting my breathing under control. Our last conversation had been really good, and I couldn't get him out of my mind.
I waited for what seemed like forever, but the door didn't open. When he still hadn't shown up a few more minutes later, I decided to get started on my lunch. When I’d finished my sandwich and had eaten about half of my carrot sticks, something slid through the gap under the door. I glanced at the time on my phone—about ten minutes left in the lunch period. Had British Boy just stood me up? That didn't seem like him. Hopefully he wasn't sick.
I packed my things back into my lunchbox and stood, using my flashlight app as a guide. There was a piece of paper on the floor by the door. I ran my hand along the wall until I found the light switch. The note was addressed to "Mystery Girl."
I quickly opened it and leaned against the cabinet behind me as I read the blocky handwriting.
Mystery Girl,
Sorry I couldn't show up today. Something came up and it looks like my lunch periods will be a lot busier from now on. Maybe we could email each other instead? If you're interested, just shoot an email to: [email protected]. I hope to hear from you. Please forgive me for standing you up. I really do think you're awesome.
Sincerely,
British Boy
My heart sank. Our lunch meetings were over? Already? What could have come up?
I tried not to be too disappointed. At least he'd given me his email address. I smiled at the fact that he used the nickname that I'd given him as his email username. I quickly folded the note and slipped it into the back pocket of my jeans. After making sure the hall was clear, I stepped out into the light. When I turned around the corner, I ran right into Luke Davenport's chest.
He seemed surprised at our sudden meeting. "Oh hey, Ashlyn. How are you today?" He tipped his head down to look me over as if he thought something might be wrong.
"I'm doing great. My, um, tutoring session was good. Probably won't need them after today." I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder.
Luke looked at me skeptically. "I didn't realize Mr. Phipp's classroom had moved to the same hall as the Chem lab."
My face heated. Had he just caught me in my lie? "My tutoring session ended a little while ago. I was just walking around the halls."
Luke nodded, not convinced. But I tried not to worry about whether he believed me or not. There was no way he could know about my meetings with British Boy, right?
But I should probably get away from him before he could ask any more questions. "Well, it was nice bumping into you. You still planning on Saturday?"
"Yep. I even watched a couple of episodes of that show after you left last night. So be prepared for me to really wow you with my excellent dancing skills."
I smiled at the thought of him taking things so seriously. There weren't many guys at school that I could imagine actually wanting to do well at this dancing thing. I figured most guys would just mess around and make a joke out of the whole thing. Madison had complained this morning about Noah doing just that during their practice. But Luke was surprising me all the time.
"British Boy and I are done with our secret meetings." I frowned when I met Eliana on our way to Spanish.
"Why?" she asked.
I hugged my books to my chest. "He didn't show up. And when I was leaving, I found this note that he'd slid under the door for me. He says he's busy during lunch now."
We turned the corner and squeezed through a tight area of the hall that was jam-packed with students. Once we had made it through, Eliana looked over her shoulder and said, "That stinks. But it’ll be nice having you back at our table again. It was totally awkward being a third wheel to Jess and Stacy today."
"I can't believe they're still dating. It's already been like three weeks."
Eliana laughed. "I know. Maybe they're meant to be."
"Yeah, right."
"So, did British Boy leave you a way to contact him?" Eliana asked.
"He gave me his email address, so it's not like we're losing all contact. But I'm sad I won't get to hear his accent anymore."
"You'll just have to set Siri to speak like a British man. Then you can swoon every time your phone talks to you." Eliana giggled.
I laughed. "That might help me with my withdrawals." I shrugged. "I'll probably send him an email after school, just to see if he really does want to keep in contact. If he doesn't, he won't respond."
We reached our Spanish class and took our seats on the third row. But all through Mrs. Frederick's lesson I couldn't get my mind off of British Boy and the possible reasons behind his absence today. I really hoped our conversations hadn't been meaningless to him. I'd told him some pretty sensitive things about myself and thought we had a good thing going for us.
I set up an anonymous email account and sent British Boy an email as soon as I got to my car after school.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Sad we couldn't meet today. I was really looking forward to talking to you after last time. If you ever want to talk again just email me back.
– Mystery Girl
By the time I got home from watching Eliana’s soccer game, I had an email from British Boy waiting for me.
I felt terrible not being able to meet you today. I'd love to keep in contact. -British Boy
It was a short email, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face, knowing he still wanted to be friends.
I responded back with: I'm glad. Have a great night.
My phone immediately pinged with an instant message from British Boy. I smiled at the thought of him wanting to talk with me some more.
BritishBoy: How was your day?
MysteryGirl: It was good, aside from getting stood up by this guy with a gorgeous voice.
BritishBoy: The scoundrel. You're too good for him anyway. ;)
I laughed. It was fun being able to joke around with him like this. I'd never been able to joke around with Noah when we were dating. Not that me and British Boy were dating or anything. I didn't even know his real name.
MysteryGirl: It's ok. Eating my lunch in the dark was getting tricky anyway.
BritishBoy: At least you were smart and brought your lunch. I bet the poor schmuck was just hungry today.
MysteryGirl: Maybe. Got any fun plans for the weekend?
BritishBoy: Not really. You?
MysteryGirl: Working on a project with a guy from school. It's probably going to take most of the day.
BritishBoy: Sorry. I hope he's at least tolerable to be around.
I thought about my last couple of interactions with Luke. He was definitely becoming more tolerable these days.
MysteryGirl: He's cool. Has a bit of a rebellious streak, likes to joke around a bit too much. I used to think he was really annoying, but I don't know about that anymore.
BritishBoy: Sounds like you know him well.
MysteryGirl: Actually, not really. He's surprising me more and more.
Friday night, I went to the movies with Eliana and Jess since I didn't have to dance at the out-of-town football game. Jess broke up with Stacy yesterday after school, claiming that Stacy was becoming too clingy for him, so it was just the three of us.
"How are things coming along with the dancing competition?" Eliana asked, as we waited for the movie to start. We were sitting in our
usual seats in the very back row. The theater was crowded tonight with couples and teens excited to see the latest thriller.
I took a sip of my soda to wash down my bite of popcorn. "It's going fine. Luke did okay at our last practice. I'm still trying to decide exactly what I want to do with our dance. I'm sure it'll come to me once I pick a song. Lucky for me, we're free to do whatever style we want."
Jess offered his box of Junior Mints to Eliana and then to me. "You don't think he signed up for this just to have another way to prank you, do you?" Jess asked.
I shook some candy into the palm of my hand. "I don't think so. He hasn't told me why, but it seems like there's a personal reason for it."
Something like understanding dawned on Eliana's face. "That's right. I remember my parents talking about his mom last year and how her cancer had come back again."
"His mom has cancer?" I asked. Did everyone have cancer these days? Why hadn't he said anything when I was at his house?
Eliana nodded. "Yeah."
Maybe that was why no one was at his house on Wednesday. Maybe she was bedridden? Or in the hospital getting treatments? There was a heaviness in my chest as I thought about how hard that must be for Luke to deal with right now. He was in high school. He wasn't supposed to be worrying about his mom possibly dying.
I pushed those thoughts away. "I hope the dance competition helps keep his mind off things. It's always nice to have a distraction when things are hard."
The theater lights dimmed and the last people found their seats. Jess leaned closer to Eliana and whispered just loud enough for me to hear, "Did you guys ever decide what Ashlyn has to get you since you won the bet about my sad dating life?"
I groaned internally because I just remembered what I was going to have to do.
Eliana looked slyly at me before turning back to Jess. "We actually agreed to make this one a little different than the other times. Instead of her buying me something, she gets to wear her pajamas to wherever I choose. It's pretty much going to be awesome."
Jess gasped. "Ashlyn is going to wear her pajamas in public? I have to see that."
Eliana grinned. "I'm just trying to decide where I'm gonna make her go. I did think about having her walk around the mall tomorrow night, but somehow that doesn't seem nearly humiliating enough."
A sneaky smile spread across my brother's lips. Sometimes sharing a best friend with my brother was not the best. "I heard Jake Haley’s throwing a party next Saturday. You should totally make Ashlyn go there. Might teach you guys to quit this betting game of yours."
I felt the blood drain from my face. "No way. I will not go to a party in my pajamas."
"Oh, but I think you will." Eliana laughed. "And I was thinking those footie pajamas you got for Christmas last year might be the perfect outfit for the night."
12
Luke
"Who have you been texting all night?" Kellen called across the aisle to me. It was ten p.m. on Friday and we were driving home on the bus from our game against Cortland High. We'd won twenty-eight to fourteen, and everyone was feeling pretty good about it.
"Just some girl I met," I said, hoping he'd leave me alone. Messaging with Ashlyn was actually a lot of fun. She was witty and smart, and after texting her constantly for the past few days, I was starting to regret not getting to know her better sooner.
Kellen leaned over to get a closer look. I pushed the side button to make the screen go dark. I wasn't about to let him find out that I’d been pretending to be some British dude.
Kellen raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so you're sending those kinds of messages. I totally get that." He held up his knuckles for a fist bump.
I shook my head. "No, we just talk."
Kellen’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Just talk?"
"Yep. Some girls like a little conversation."
Kellen shrugged. "Not girls I'd be interested in."
Yeah, Kellen was definitely not the kind of guy who would just message a girl.
Noah turned in his seat. I hadn't realized he was sitting in front of me until that moment. "You're messaging with some chick? Telling her all about your feelings?" he taunted.
I ignored him and looked out the window at the street lamps we were passing.
Noah continued, "That's all Ashlyn ever wanted—to talk about her feelings. Never wanted to give it up for me. Glad that's over."
I clenched my hands into fists, resisting the urge to punch Noah in the face. But I didn't say anything because I wasn't supposed to know what he'd done to her.
My phone vibrated with another message.
MysteryGirl: Don't ever make a bet with your best friend over your brother's relationships. You will regret it.
BritishBoy: Why do you say that?
Why would anyone gamble on Jess's relationships? He went through girls faster than even Kellen and Jake…and he was a nerd.
Mystery girl: I may or may not have to wear my pajamas to a really public place next weekend.
That was not something I ever imagined Ashlyn would say. I didn't think I'd ever seen her not looking her best at any time. She looked spectacular even in her dance workout clothes.
BritishBoy: I wish I could see that.
MysteryGirl: You could if you wanted.
That made me smile. That meant she liked me enough that she wanted to meet again. Too bad that was the last thing we'd be able to do.
BritishBoy: If only we hadn't set up the ground rules of not revealing too much about ourselves.
Ok, if Noah or Kellen saw those last few messages, their dirty minds would totally read them differently. I peeked up just to make sure they weren't. Thankfully, they were both talking to Jake about his party.
MysteryGirl: Rules are meant to be broken sometimes.
BritishBoy: We'll see. But not yet. I'm liking our deal way too much. But maybe someday.
I just hoped she wouldn't slap me when that someday came.
My phone rang late Saturday morning, waking me up. My hand fumbled around my nightstand, trying to silence it.
Who was calling me? My mom was the only person who had ever actually called me. Everyone just texted.
I blinked my eyes a few times and they eventually focused enough to read the name on the screen.
Ashlyn Brooks.
"Hello?" I said the word slowly, the phone pressed against my ear.
"Hey, Luke. Did I wake you?"
"Uh, no," I lied. I tried to quietly clear my throat.
"Good." She sounded relieved. "I just had the best idea for our practice. Are you free for a couple of hours?"
I frowned. "Depends."
There was no telling what Ashlyn might come up with.
"It’ll be fun. I was thinking about our last practice and I came up with the perfect way to get you to loosen up." Her voice was bright, and I could just imagine the big smile on her face.
"What are we doing?" I asked cautiously.
"It's a surprise."
I shook my head and chuckled. "That sounds dangerous coming from you."
She laughed. "No one will be harmed. I promise."
"How reassuring."
"You're going to love it. Pick me up at one o'clock?"
My dad would be out golfing most of the afternoon, which left me alone in my empty house. I had actually been looking forward to my dance lesson with Ashlyn today, since we were becoming pretty good friends already, even if she didn't know it. But the surprise she had up her sleeve worried me. From our pranking war, she definitely had a great track record for humiliating me.
I looked out my door to the hall. Empty. I listened to the sounds of my house. Silence. And I knew my answer. I'd do almost anything to feel normal again. And these days that was most likely to happen with Ashlyn.
I sighed. "I'll be there."
That afternoon, I drove to Ashlyn's house without the slightest clue of what we might be doing.
She must have been watching for me from the window, because as soon as I parked against the cu
rb, she opened the door. She sashayed down the steps wearing a lacy yellow dress that looked amazing next to her bronzed skin in the sunlight. I tried not to let my mouth hang open as I watched her. Her legs were long and toned, and she looked way too good for me to be alone with for a few minutes, let alone however long we'd be together this afternoon. She looked beyond hot. She was breathtaking.
I tried to wipe the admiration off my face as she climbed in the Jeep.
"If I would've known you were going to wear that, I would've worn more than just a T-shirt and shorts," I said as she buckled herself in.
"So you like it then?" She looked up at me through her eyelashes. Had her eyes always been such a beautiful shade of blue?
I swallowed. "Don't pretend like you don't know what a dress like that does to a guy."
She gave me an appraising look. "You look great too, Luke. And what you're wearing is perfect for today."
She directed me to Syracuse, which was about a twenty-minute drive. What would have normally been an uncomfortable ride with a girl was surprisingly enjoyable. I'd never had such an easy time talking to someone before—well, except for when I talked to Ashlyn in the dark and through our messages. I'd assumed it was because she didn't know who I was and that I didn't have to worry about being judged. But now, I was starting to think it was just because Ashlyn had something special about her that made me feel like I could tell her anything. She even laughed at my jokes, which didn't always happen with high school girls.
"Now that we're almost there, can you tell me where we're going?" I asked as I pulled off the freeway into Syracuse.
She shook her head and there was mischief in her eyes. "Not yet. Before we can do that, we need to stop by a store."