Never Always Sometimes - Adi Alsaid Page 0,45

new we-actually-hang-out-with-other-people thing. It’s

not like you. What happened to thinking you’re better than everybody

else?”

“We never thought we were better than anyone,” Julia said with a

sigh, like she’d tried to explain this to him dozens of times before. “Like you said, we’re just coming out of our shells a little bit. Just because we did different things than other people didn’t mean we thought we were

better than anyone.”

“Sure,” Brett said. “Now you’re just slummin’ it with us common

folk for a while to see what it’s like.”

Julia blushed. “Don’t go back to being mean.”

“You mean calling you on your shit?”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Julia said, smiling.

They were in Julia’s backyard, the three kegs set strategically in

three different corners to spread out the crowd. Dave was lounging

in the grass, trying to get a nap in before the party started. He hadn’t been sleeping all week. Every time he was about to nod off, the

thought of not kissing Gretchen popped in his head, as insistent as a

mosquito buzzing past his ear. He’d texted Gretchen the next morning

about what a great time he’d had, and they still sat together in Chem

when they could, and walked in the halls together whenever he wasn’t

walking with Julia. But he hadn’t touched her since Tuesday night,

hadn’t even brushed her knee with his. The lack of a kiss lingered like

a sore muscle.

It was a hot day. Dave looked up at the clouds and watched the

smallest white wisps evaporate before his eyes, little by little. His lower back was sweaty, his T-shirt sticking to him and making the grass

beneath him itchy. His cell phone was resting on his stomach. He felt

like a failure, like someone who would never experience love because

he couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it. A mopey thought,

sure, but it felt true.

“Dave, come help me get stuff ready inside. I need to hide all the

dads’ valuables.”

“But I’m sleepy,” Dave said, trying to sink further into the grass. “I’ll need all my energy to schmooze with the crowd tonight.”

“You’ve been a zombie all week,” Julia said, handing Brett the

money for the kegs. “Fine, sleep. But I’m waking you up an hour before

the party so we can have you fitted for your prom king sash and tiara.”

“You know so little about prom,” Brett said, taking a seat on the

patio furniture and pulling a cigarette from his shirt pocket.

150 NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES

“You know so little about humor,” Julia said grabbing his cigarette

and tossing it in the bushes. “And that’s gross.”

“You’re gonna have so much more gross than that to clean up.”

Julia sighed and called Brett a jerk, then the two of them disappeared

into the house, teasing each other. Dave still had the urge to watch her leave. He checked his cell phone, as if a message might show up at any

moment that could change everything for him, Gretchen telling him she

was going to take matters into her own hands. Or maybe something

from his dad, some little nugget of wisdom he’d kept to himself until

now, knowing Dave needed it. But his phone showed nothing but the

time, and Dave set it back down on his stomach, not surprised.

At seven Julia walked over to Dave and squatted by him, flicking the

tip of his nose. “I’m awake,” he said.

“Yes. And I am flicking your nose. Shall we continue to update one

another on our activities?”

“As long as you promise to exclude any Marroney-related updates,”

Dave said, taking off the sunglasses he’d been wearing.

“Deal,” she said. “I’m gonna go shower. I left out a towel for you in

case you want to use the dads’ bathroom to shower, too.” She flicked

his nose again. “You ready to celebrate your unlikeliest of victories?”

“I was conceived ready.”

She stood up and looked around the yard as if assessing it, then

turned toward the house. “If anyone shows up while I’m upstairs, tell

them they’re unfashionably early and then mock them until they feel

ostracized.”

DAVE 151

“Will do,” Dave said.

The sky was starting to darken into purple, the few clouds that had

survived the heat of the afternoon took on shades of gold. Dave stayed

on the grass, watching the sky, unable to muster the inertia to move

until night had finally settled in. He tried not to think about Gretchen but that inertia was hard to overcome, too, so he went into the house

and changed into the shirt he’d brought with him for the party.

Julia had hung a banner in the kitchen that read, IN HONOR OF THE

GREAT AND VENERABLE POTENTIAL PROM KING, DAVE “THAT’S NOT MY

NAME” GUTIERREZ. Cans of beer were strategically placed throughout

the house for drunk