each other anymore. Only, I wasn’t sure which of us had changed.
“Skip building houses,” Dad said after the flight attendant cleared our trays. “And I’ll have Jose cancel my events today. We’ll hang out, just the two of us.”
He really meant it too. Jose would’ve flipped out if I’d let Dad torch his schedule to play hooky with me. But I kind of wanted to say yes.
“It’ll be like when I used to pick you up early from school and we’d go get ice cream and not tell your mom.”
I laughed. “She always knew anyway, though.”
“I still don’t understand how.”
I sighed. “I can’t, Dad. And neither can you.”
“You don’t want to build houses anyway,” he said. “Remember the birdhouse?”
“I was nine!”
“They had to condemn that birdhouse, Dre. Three birds almost died.”
“Now you’re just making shit up.”
“Are you calling your father, the future president of the United States, a liar? I’m pretty sure it’s in the Constitution that you can’t do that.”
I laughed in spite of myself. “Thanks, Dad, but I can’t leave Dean hanging.”
“Sure you can,” Dad said. “We’ll tell the Arnaults you came down with the flu.”
It was the kind of thing Dad and I had done all the time before, and I was so tempted to say yes. But as much as I wanted to hang out with my dad, I wanted to see Dean more.
“Maybe next time,” I said.
My dad nodded, trying to hide his disappointment at me not bailing on my plans with Dean. “When this election is over, I’ll make it up to you.”
I felt bad about what I’d said and I didn’t want him going back out on the campaign trail feeling guilty and thinking he could be my dad or he could be president but that he couldn’t be both. I didn’t want him to be president, but I kind of thought he’d do a halfway decent job.
“Make it up to me by winning,” I said. “Take down Janice Arnault and Jackson McMann, and win this bitch.”
Dad hugged me and kissed the top of my head.
“I’d also take a car.”
“Not happening.”
“But it could.”
“Nope.”
Dad picked his book back up, though I caught him smirking my way. I rolled my eyes and made sure he could see me. Then I pulled out my phone to see if Dean had written. We’d been talking nonstop, but he hadn’t mentioned the trip to Louisiana, and I didn’t want to bring it up because I was afraid I’d jinx it. Instead, we talked about everything else. Comic books and movies and college and how he’d gotten to meet Ariana Grande even though he didn’t know who she was at the time, and I had never been more jealous in my life. Talking to Dean was the brightest spot in my every day, and I could hardly believe I was going to get to see him in a couple of hours.
At the same time, I was terrified to see him because it wouldn’t just be us. There would be reporters and other volunteers present. We’d have to be careful what we said and how we acted toward one another. I was also scared because, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was seeing Dean as more than a friend, and I didn’t know if I could take him not seeing me the same way, even though it was pretty likely that was all he considered me. Maybe I should’ve told him what was on my mind, but I decided to play it casual instead and see what happened.
My phone buzzed, but instead of a message from Dean, it was one from Mel.
Mel: you get the latex?
Dre: latex . . .
Mel: for the fantasy fish shoot?!?
Mel: i will murder you if you forgot
Dre: i didn’t forget
Oh yeah, I’d definitely forgotten. Liquid Dreams, a special effects studio, was holding a Fantasy Fish Photo Challenge. The prize was cash and makeup and the chance to intern for Liquid Dreams, but the exposure was the biggest reward. I’d forgotten, when I’d agreed to build houses with Dean, that I’d already made plans with Mel to work on the challenge.
Shit.
Dre: im in louisiana with my dad today
Mel: Okay.
Dre: capitalized and punctuated?!?
Dre: dont be like that
Mel: i’ll see you when youre back
Dre: im sorry
Dre: didnt i suffer through the ball with you so you could choose between your boys
Dre: a choice you still havent made btw
Mel: this is more important than a stupid dance
Mel: forget it
Dre: don’t be like that
Dre: mel?
Dre: mel????
My