The Summer I Became a Nerd - By Leah Rae Miller Page 0,46
rudeness evaporates in a cloud of panic. My parents have never really met one of my boyfriends. They kind of met Eric once at a football game, but he was in game mode and wasn’t very responsive.
What are they going to think of Logan? I can’t think of any reason they wouldn’t like him, but I could be a little biased. Don’t parents always find some reason not to like the guy their daughter is dating? Plus, this is the crucial first impression moment. Will Dad be put off by Logan’s messy hair? What if Logan wears the infamous porn-that’s-not-porn T-shirt?
Actually, nerdy as he is, that shirt might make my dad like Logan even more.
When Dad opens the door, I see Logan went with a different look entirely. His hair is flat, although, to me, it looks barely restrained—like it wants to jut out at strange angles any second—and he’s wearing a baby blue polo shirt. Did he wear glasses because I said I like them or because they make him look smart? Maybe a little bit of both.
“Hello, sir, I’m Logan Scott. I’m here to pick up Maddie.” Every word is spoken precisely with a kind, clear voice.
They shake hands, Logan giving one firm up and down. “And this”—he steps to the side—“is my little sister, Vera.”
“Hello, Mr. Summers, what a lovely home you have,” Vera says in a practiced manner. She steps up and sticks her hand out. Her blond hair is in pigtails and each of her wrists is lined with bulky, beaded bracelets that rattle as she shakes Dad’s hand.
I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. Granted, Vera is freaking adorable, but why did he bring her? There’s no way I could have misunderstood him about this being a date. Right?
“Nice to meet you, Vera. Y’all come on in.” Dad turns, and I catch his huge grin. He sees me standing on the bottom step, and his grin disappears like he doesn’t want me to know he approves of Logan already. He’s probably comparing Logan to Eric, who never even gets out of his truck when he picks me up. He just honks the horn.
“Hi, Vera,” I say as we walk into the living room.
“I lost a tooth.” She smiles up at me, revealing a gap where one of her front teeth should be. “The tooth fairy gave me four quarters. I’m going to use them in the claw machine today. There are these earrings with big hearts I saw last time we went to the—”
“Vera, remember what I said in the car?” Logan asks.
“Right, right, right. No telling where we are going. It’s a surprise.” She nods a lot.
I nudge Logan with my elbow. He grins at me, and those pure blue eyes twinkle mischievously. An unexpected giggle escapes my mouth. From what Vera just said, it sounds like he actually put a lot of thought into this date—if it’s still a date—which is unheard of when it comes to the guys I hang out with. It’s always the same thing with them: a movie and fast food, or just driving around on a Saturday night, looking for parties.
Dad plops down in his extremely worn and extremely smelly La-Z-Boy recliner, TV remote in hand. Mom has begged him a million times to let her buy him a new chair, but he never gives in. “So, Logan Scott, huh? I don’t know any Scotts around here.”
Logan sits on the couch in the spot closest to Dad. “We’re from Arkansas. We just moved here a few years ago. My parents own the comic shop across from the college. Maybe you’ve seen it?”
Dad’s eyebrows rise. “I know that place. I’ve thought about stopping in there before. I used to love comic books when I was younger.”
“We’d be happy to have you. We have tons of back issues. You could catch up on your favorites.”
Mom walks in, and her eyes light up at the sight of Vera swinging her legs back and forth as she sits next to Logan on the couch.
I catch Mom up on the conversation. “This is Logan and Vera. Logan’s parents own the comic shop in town, and Vera just lost a tooth.”
Mom sits next to Vera. “Hello, Vera. Logan, what do you have planned for your first date?”
“It’s a surprise, Mrs. Summers. But don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous or illegal.” Logan bumps Vera. “Right, Veer?”
Vera nods emphatically again. “It’s totally awesome.”
“I’d love some strawberry ice cream. How about you, Vera?” Dad leans forward