“Do you want to meet up at the mall? Like, after school?” he finally asked.
Ivy didn’t respond. She thought she must have misheard him.
“Hey, listen, I . . . never mind,” Brendan gabbled. He shook his head. “I’ll see you around.” Suddenly he was walking away.
Speak! the voice in Ivy’s head cried. Speak!
“Brendan!” Ivy croaked. He spun around. “Um, what time?” she asked.
His smile shone. “Does four work for you?”
“Sure,” she answered, trying to sound relaxed. “I’ll tell my dad I’ll be home before sundown.”
“Great,” he said. He held up his hand, and then was gone.
Ivy collapsed against the lockers. Her hands were still shaking, and her heart pounded. People looked at her as they walked by on their way to class, but she didn’t care.
Well, she thought breathlessly, that’s one good thing about having a twin sister who’s a social butterfly!
As if on cue, Olivia emerged from the bathroom. “Wow! You look like you just did a triple handspring and landed on your head,” Olivia said. “What happened?”
“He asked me out,” Ivy whispered. She couldn’t believe she was saying it.
“What?” Olivia asked, drawing closer. “Talk louder.”
“He asked me out!” Ivy said again hoarsely.
Olivia’s face burst into a smile. “Go, Ivy!” she shouted really loudly.
“Shut up!” Ivy scolded, even though she couldn’t help smiling, too.
“That’s awesome!” Olivia said. “When’s the big date?”
“Today. After school.” Ivy panted. “The mall.”
Olivia gave her a squeeze. “I have to scoot or I’m going to be late for art, but we are going to have so much to talk about in science!” She hurried off with a wink.
Ivy was going to be late for class, too. She worked up the strength to start walking, and, as she made her way slowly through the prebell crowd, she let herself imagine her coming date with Brendan.
They would walk around Spins, the record store, together; she knew he was into punk. He’d hold up a pair of black jeans at Dungeon Clothing. He’d sit across from her in the food court, drinking red lemonade through a straw.
As Ivy turned into the main hallway, she imagined the two of them walking side by side, talking on and on about . . .
What are we going to talk about? she thought with a jolt.
Her wave of excitement disappeared like predawn fog. How was she going to talk to Brendan Daniels for a whole afternoon when five minutes ago she could barely string two words together?
She imagined herself with Brendan at the mall again, but now she couldn’t picture him smiling. They’d sit in silence. He’d have to order another red lemonade and drink it just to kill time. He would think she was an utter loser. She’d try to come up with something funny to say, probably some stupid joke about the school paper, but he wouldn’t laugh. He’d just look away.
I can’t go, Ivy thought.
The bell for the next class rang.
I’ll tell him I’m sick, she decided.
Suddenly somebody came up from behind and linked arms with her. She nearly jumped out of her skin.
“And where were you at lunch today?” Sophia demanded, poking her in the side. “Giddyup! We’re late for English.”