The Summer I Learned to Dive - By Shannon McCrimmon Page 0,26

and jeans. It was ironic. He was a science nerd but loved hard rock bands. Trace wasn’t the most social guy either and my mother didn’t like that. When he came to pick me up, he walked inside my house and uttered about five words through the entire conversation. My mother tried to ask him questions, but he clammed up from nervousness. I had hoped that my mom would have cooled off and see that he was struggling. Instead she pressed further, trying to force him to talk. It only made things worse. By the time we left for the show, I knew she hated him.

The laser show was fun. I enjoyed listening to Trace’s favorite band Led Zeppelin while watching an array of different colored lasers zig and zag to the music, dancing on the screen and amazing everyone in the audience. But I think I mostly enjoyed myself because I was out on a date and for the first time, I wasn’t nervous around a boy. Maybe it was because I knew Trace? We didn’t talk much that night, but during the show, he grabbed my hand and held it until his mom picked us up after the show. His hand was cold and sweaty, but I didn’t care. It was the first time I had ever gotten that close with a boy and I liked it. I was beginning to see Trace in a new light. That evening, I saw Trace as someone I could get to know better, someone that could potentially be my boyfriend.

When I got home from the show, my mother was relentless in her insults. She said that he was weird and that I could do better. She made me feel like I was too good for him. Against my better judgment, I didn’t go on anymore dates with Trace after that even though I had fun with him. He stopped asking me after a few rejections and began dating Amy Thompkins a few weeks later. He never asked me to go out with him again. There were times, when we worked on our labs in science class, that I wondered what it would have been like to go on more dates with him. I wondered what it would have been like to hold his hand again, to kiss him, to be his girlfriend. I regretted not listening to my heart and instead following the advice of my mother. Now I think that maybe he was too good for me.

***

I went back to Dylan’s table and delivered their meals. The girl glared at me again. “This salad has dressing on it,” she said loudly. “I didn’t want dressing,” she pushed the plate away and pouted.

“Relax, Becca. She can bring a new one out,” Blake said. “Right?” he asked me.

I nodded, “Sure.” I tried to keep my composure, but her whole demeanor was really annoying.

“I don’t understand why some people can’t understand simple English,” she said. “I want a salad without dressing,” she said, staring at me while speaking slowly, an octave higher.

“She doesn’t have ESP, Becca. You didn’t ask for no dressing to begin with,” Dylan offered. He smiled at me. I was grateful for his help but irritated that she could be so rude.

She rolled her eyes, “Whatever,” she said. “I’m not eating it.”

I walked away trying to contain my anger and yelled out the order emphasizing no dressing.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Meg said looking at her. “She looks finicky.”

I looked at the table and caught Dylan’s eye. He smiled at me, and I immediately turned my face in another direction.

“Dylan’s checking you out,” Meg said.

“No he’s not,” I said blushing.

“Be careful with that one. He’s a player,” she said before she walked away to check on a customer.

I didn’t know what she meant by that. I looked at him again and saw him looking disinterested in what Becca was saying. It was probably something petty or superficial. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw me looking at him. He rolled his eyes at her and I laughed. I turned around to face the counter. Jesse had been watching me. He pushed the plate toward me with more force than usual.

“Here’s your order. Next time pay attention so it doesn’t get cold,” he said annoyed.

“It’s salad, Jesse,” I said sarcastically. “Next time just throw it at me why don’t you.” I glowered at him.

“Maybe you should do your job instead of flirting with the customers,” he said. I grabbed the plate