My mom works nights.” She pauses and laughs. “I’m rhyming again. Geez!”
I put the car in park and reach back for her umbrella. She tightens and recoils against the door when I brush against her arm.
Definite germ-a-phobe.
“Well, thanks for the ride. And let me know about the other thing if you want.”
I nod, not sure what else to do. I kind of want to give her a hug or something. But I have no idea why that sudden thought comes to me.
“Uh, y-you’re welcome.” You sound like a moron, Brody. Say something else to make you sound less like a moron. “Maybe next time we talk you’ll be rhyming words with ‘fart’.
Nice one, dude. Very smooth.
“Start, mart, cart…” She laughs. “Bart, heart, dart, part, tart…” She laughs again, really loud. “And don’t forget shart!”
Her face goes a little red, but I’m not sure if it’s ‘cause she’s embarrassed for saying that, or if it’s ‘cause we’re both cracking up so much the windows fog.
Yup, I don’t think it’s possible to feel awkward for long around this girl.
She puts the book on her head and opens the umbrella outside the door. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow, Brody.”
There goes that stomach twist again.
“See ya.”
Just like that, she’s gone, and I’m driving back home, wondering what to do with her offer.
Hayley’s good at just about everything she does, so maybe she could help me get the girl.
Am I a lunatic for considering it?
Yes, you are.
But then Quynn pops up. Right there in the forefront of my mind. From the long blonde hair to her flip-flops and I’m there with her, cradling her against my chest and all that other romantic junk too cheesy to share with anyone.
I pretty much blow at getting the girl. I think my longest relationship lasted a week when Lily Peters labeled me as her make-out partner in an attempt to make Ian Dunn jealous. That sucked ass ‘cause I actually liked the girl. But oh well.
Since then I’ve never really been involved with anyone. Few dates here and there, but nothing serious. And Quynn will definitely be lookin’ for something serious. She’s a major commitment girl, especially after what happened with Gabe. I kind of want to do that for her. She deserves someone who’s not my douche brother. But how do I get her to think I’m for real?
Hayley’s offer is sounding better and better. Do I even have her number in my phone? I think she put it in there during one of our classes together, but I can’t remember why. And I don’t look at my phone often enough to know for sure if she’s in my contacts.
“There you are!” Mom says as I trudge in the house. “I told you not to be long.”
“I would’ve been faster if I didn’t run out of gas.”
Her face goes from annoyance to ‘my bad’ in two seconds. Dad laughs from the recliner.
“Why didn’t you call?” Mom asks, her tone now all gooey, like the one moms use when they wanna say, ‘You poor baby!’
“It wasn’t a big deal.” I shrug and slump into the couch. “Gas station was only about a block away.”
“But it was raining.” She frowns, and I think she may start strokin’ my hair or something. Ugh.
“I ran into a friend, and she had an umbrella.”
“She?” Dad raises his eyebrow. He’s my stepdad, but he’s more of a dad than bio-dad is. Bio-dad pulled a Gabe and destroyed Mom’s heart by runnin’ out on her with another chick. But Mark, he’s not like that.
“Yeah. Girl in my ASL class. She walked with me to the gas station then I took her home.” Yeah, I’m honest with my parents. Vague, but honest.
“That was nice of her.” Mom smiles while Dad still shoots me the eyebrow. “What’s her name?”
“Hayley.”
“Oh that’s right. You’re signing partner.” Mom waves her hand in the air then sets it on Dad’s shoulder. “Well, now that we’re all here, we can eat.”
She walks off into the kitchen. I’m about to follow her—stomach needs some attention—but Dad leans forward, not lookin’ at me but at where Mom just disappeared.
“All right, kid, I know you’re a big boy, but I skipped this conversation with Gabe, and you see how well that turned out.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“I’d like to think I’ve taught you by example how to treat the women in your life with respect.”
Yeah, he has. So I nod.
“You just be good to all the girls out there.”
“She’s just a friend, Dad.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
I