We text back and forth, me telling her about the horrible date with Harold and how Nonna keeps trying to set me up with random guys that I always manage to look ridiculous in front of. Just before our lunch break is over, I text:
ME:I’m trying really hard not to be scared for you and the baby
MARGOT:Me too Soph. Me, too.
The crowd tonight at Nonna’s is at an all-time high. It would be faster to list the family membersnotin attendance. Olivia’s wearing what can only be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen; it’s as if she took a small, fully decorated artificial tree (including lights), sliced it straight down the middle, then glued it to the front of her sweater.
Aunt Lisa and some of my cousins are helping Nonna put the finishing touches on my own hideous sweater. Whereas Olivia’s sweater has a definite theme, mine is chaos. There are bows and tinsel and streamers and ornaments and God knows what else hot-glued to every available space. This sweater probably weighs a good fifteen pounds.
“Are you ready?” Charlie calls from the hall just before he walks in. We all stare at his sweater.
“Charlie, is that reindeer…vomiting?” Nonna asks.
Charlie struts into the room, arms spread wide, and models his outfit. Near his right shoulder is a piece of brown felt cut out in the shape of the front half of a reindeer with its mouth wide open. All different types of candy are hot-glued to the rest of the sweater as if the reindeer is projectile vomiting it.
“Isn’t it awesome?” he says. “Wait until you see Judd’s.”
“Who’s Judd?” I ask at the same time Olivia screeches, “Tell me you didn’t set her up with Judd!”
“What?” Charlie says, a confused look on his face. “Judd’s fun.”
“Judd’s obnoxious. And an idiot,” Olivia says.
I sink down on the edge of the bed and look at Olivia. “Like, I should use my ‘get out of date free’ card obnoxious?”
Nonna straightens and looks at me. “After all the work we’ve put in the sweater?”
Charlie moves farther into the room. “Judd is cool, and I’m telling you, save the card for the Evil Joes.”
Nonna clucks her tongue. “What have I told you about calling them that?”
“Not to,” Charlie answers her, then pulls me up and drags me out of the room. “Judd’s downstairs. Come meet him.”
With my entourage following, we all march into the kitchen, where Judd is waiting. He’s got his back to us, but he’s looking over his shoulder mischievously, waiting on Charlie. Charlie stands next to him like they’ve rehearsed this, and they slowly turn around together, making sure their shoulders never lose contact.
Nonna lets out a surprised gasp while the rest of us just stare at them. Where Charlie has the head and front end of the deer who is vomiting, Judd has the back half of the reindeer. Let’s just say there’s an equal amount of candy flying out of that end as well.
They jump around the kitchen, pounding their hands in the air. “We’re going to kill it tonight!” Judd yells.
“No way we’re not winning this!” Charlie yells back.
The only good thing about this date is that it seems Judd will have to stick pretty close to Charlie all night.
Even though the party is down the street from Nonna’s, we pile into Charlie’s truck so we can pick up his date, Izzy, who lives across town. Judd sits in the backseat with me, making it look like Charlie is chauffeuring us.
He clicks his seat belt, then turns sideways to face me. “So, Sophie, do you have plans for college yet?”
Charlie laughs, and I say, “Yes, I do.”
“Have you made a choice as to where you would like to go, or are you keeping some options open?” Judd asks in a formal voice as if he prepared icebreaker questions in advance.
“I’ve applied to twelve different schools,” I answer.
Charlie whips around to look at me and says, “Twelve?” in a horrified voice. “There are twelve different schools you might want to go to?”
“I want to keep my options open!” I say back.
“What twelve?” he asks.
