I let out a scoff. “Tater, are you serious?”
“Yeah, why?”
I sighed. “Okay, look. I think Nora’s super cool. But I don’t like her like that. Does she think I might ask her to prom?”
Nora had transferred to our high school sophomore year and every time she saw me, it was like cartoon hearts appeared above her head. I mean, I wasn’t blind to girls when they were attracted to me, but even if I was, Nora wasn’t secretive about being thirsty and that kept me at arms’ length. But if Tate saw something in her, maybe I was being too harsh and should give Nora a chance.
“No, Flash,” she’d practically growled. “I’m sure she doesn’t think you’re going to ask her.”
“But...” I waved a finger as I considered her suggestion. “Maybe I should ask her. I mean, she’s super sweet, and she’s liked me for, like, forever. It would probably be fun.”
Tate gasped. “Really?”
“Yeah. We could double. Did anyone ask you yet?”
She frowned. “No, Parker, no one has asked me yet.”
“I’m sure someone will.” I shrugged. “I’ll ask her tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion, Tater. You’re so good at this guy-girl stuff.”
“Yeah, I’m really good at that. A regular expert,” she’d bit out. “I should get back.”
I cocked my head. “We’ve got twenty minutes.”
“I need to study.” Tate stood and cleared away her half-eaten food.
––––––––
Even though Tate haddecided to go with friends, rather than a date, she’d fallen “suddenly” ill the night of prom and stayed home. I’d taken Nora and we’d ended up back at her place because her mom was working late. She’d wanted to take things all the way, but I’d been worried about Tate, so instead of taking advantage of Nora and her willing body, I’d driven home and texted Tate to see if I could swing by. She’d said she was contagious, and she’d see me back at school on Monday.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I hissed. Tate hadn’t been trying to set me up with starry-eyed Nora, she’d been trying to subtly get me to ask her. “Jesus, I’m an idiot.”
“Right, so as I see it, you need to decide how you feel about Tate,” Mom said. “I think it would be a good idea to make sure she knows you never slept with Madison, because she’s obviously been affected by incorrect information, but you need to deliver that news delicately. If you feel the same way about her, then you fight like hell to fix what you broke, even if it was based on a miscommunication and not your fault. If you don’t feel the same way, you need to go gentle... then you need to let her go.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Dad said, squeezing my mom’s arms gently. “Now, you’re going back to bed.”
“The tea.”
“I’llmake you tea.”
“And I’d like a few bikkies as well,” Mom said.
“I’ll find that nasty shortbread shit you love and put your tea in a proper cup,” Dad promised.
“Excuse me, sir, my mother made me those biscuits. They are not nasty.”
I wrinkled my nose. Theywerenasty, and they’d been mailed from England, so they were also suspect in their freshness.
“I apologize, your majesty. You can punish me later. Now off to bed with you,” Dad imitated my mother’s very proper British accent as he turned her and walked her back into the house, effectively leaving me to my thoughts.
I decided I needed a beer and some space, so I hauled my ass to the club. Pulling my bike around the back, I entered the code on the door and walked through the great room, stalling when I saw my sister on the sofa with my nephew, Niall, their heads buried in a book.
She glanced up and grinned. “Hey, little brother, what are you doing here?”
“I could ask the same of you.”
“Uncle Flash!” Niall said, dropping the book and making a run for me. We did our super-secret handshake, then he hugged me and went back to his book.
Poppy stood and made her way to me, giving me a hug.
