Joke’s on You by Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,14

woke up, I was already in the back of the ambulance. One of my dad’s good friends was in the back with me, so despite me informing him that I was okay, and that I didn’t want to go to the hospital, he forced me to go anyway. More like, he ignored me and my complaints.”

I smiled, even though a sudden, vicious wave of sickness had coursed through me at the mention of him having passed out and riding in an ambulance.

The idea of him being hurt that badly for him to pass out had the smile quickly falling away.

“It was good that you went,” I told him as I turned to go. “Take some ibuprofen, at least. You’re gonna hate yourself in the morning.”

I was two steps down the pathway to my car when Booth’s voice halted me in my tracks.

“Hey, Dillan?” he called, making me halt halfway back to my car.

I turned and surveyed him. “Yeah?”

“I did a lot of thinking on the floor of that dressing room before I passed out,” he said.

I frowned. “Really?”

He nodded. “Came to a few conclusions.”

I felt my heart start to pick up its pace.

“What were those?” I asked hesitantly.

“I’m done waiting,” he said. “I’m no longer going to let life pass me by.”

I was almost afraid to ask what he meant by that.

“Oh yeah?” I licked my lips. “What’s that mean?”

“It means that I’m done waiting,” he answered. “You and me? We’re going to happen. It might not be the most conventional. It’s going to be tough and confusing as hell… but we’re going to happen.”

I started to breathe faster. “What’s that mean?”

Was that all I knew how to say?

“It means that Saturday night, I’d love to go out to dinner with you,” he said. “My mom’s gonna watch Asa for me.”

My heart was pounding away in my chest.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it, unsure what to say.

“Goodnight, Dillan,” he whispered.

I licked my lips and practically ran to my car after that.

When I got home, there was a text message on my phone.

I grinned when I saw it was from Kerrie.

Kerrie was my childhood best friend. Or, at least, he was at one point. Our text messaging and hanging out had come to a rather abrupt halt when he’d started to be a little friendlier than I’d wanted. When I’d explained that we were never going to be that kind of friends, our hanging out had definitely slowed down.

I still texted him quite a bit, there just wasn’t as much ‘hanging out’ in our future.

Opening the text up, I read it.

Kerrie: Dinner Saturday night?

My reply?

Dillan: Can’t. I have a date with Booth!

Kerrie’s reply was almost instant.

Kerrie: You’re joking.

Dillan: Not at all.

Kerrie: I don’t think that’s a good idea.

I sent him the smiley face then the shrugging emoticon and plugged my phone into the charger.

After finishing up my nightly routine, I crawled into bed, then picked my phone up one last time.

This time, there were multiple text messages.

But only one held my attention.

Booth Pena: Saturday night. I’ll pick you up. Wear those jeans that have the hole in the left butt cheek pocket.

I felt my face flush.

I knew the jeans that he was talking about instantly, and it practically burned me alive to know that Booth noticed them on me.

I’d actually torn those jeans in his presence.

He’d been picking Asa up from me for the weekend, and I’d been helping him get Asa’s new cot Booth had bought at the Army Navy Store into his truck. His place hadn’t been completely furnished yet, so Booth had purchased it for his place. Only, Asa loved it so much that he’d taken it with him back and forth for almost a year before Booth had finally broken down and gotten him another one.

I’d been climbing into the back of Booth’s truck when my pants had caught on the side of his truck bed.

The denim, already stressed by my use since high school, and possibly straining already due to them being just a bit too small, had parted like warm butter.

I’d patched them to the best of my ability because I loved them so much, but still wore them.

Apparently, Booth had noticed.

I texted the number back.

Dillan: Sure thing. Do you know where I live? :P

I then went to bed and ignored all the other text messages from Kerrie.

He could just wait until the morning.

I had way more exciting things to think about that night. Kerrie’s cautionary words would only make me worry.

And I