“The old dude with glasses is my dentist. Dr. Bunnfield.”
“Your fucking dentist was at that party last night?” Finn questions in a shocked laugh.
Ace nods. Scottie starts asking him a bunch of questions about how his dentist ended up at that party last night, and while Ace tries to explain how truly unpredictable his baby brother is, I discreetly pick up my phone to open my text thread with Drew.
Drew: So…have you come to a final conclusion on my second date chances? Not trying to pressure you, but also, if it isn’t obvious already, I really want to see you again, Julia.
I didn’t give him a real answer last night about rescheduling, but that’s probably because I was distracted by how everything was going to turn out for Ace and Gunnar in the light of day.
Now that I know Ace is alive and well and thriving as usual, I feel okay to say yes.
Me: Tell me the time and place, and I’ll put it on my calendar.
Friday, June 20th
Ace
Gary drops me off at the curb of Brower Center, the student union building for Dickson University, and then pulls away to find a place to park and hang out while I do my thing. I saythank youandsee you soonbecause I’m not an impolite fuck, but I have to admit, with the text that just came in from my best friend—and recent LOML—Julia Brooks after asking her what her plans are for today, I don’t have much space to handle anything else.
Julia: At the swim club with Drew, actually. You should come meet us when you get done on campus! Did your peer counselor say why she wanted to meet and go over your schedule again? I only had to meet with mine once.
Since the failed party initiative at my parents’ place, Julia’s gone on another date with the fuckbag and hung out with him and his fuckbag friends twice, including today.
I’m annoyed, but I’m also optimistic since starting the next phase of my plan.
Now that I’m balls deep in trying to make my best friend fall in love with me, I’m putting everything I can into action that will paint me in the best light possible and keep me close to Julia.
I wouldn’t say I have my plan all plotted out into a bullet-point list, but I know it’s multifaceted and I know it’s in motion. Creative inspiration takes time to prove that you’re a responsible, trustworthy,perfect, love-worthy man. And whenever that inspiration strikes, I’m grabbing it with both hands and running with it.
Trust me, it hasn’t been easy beingverysupportive of Julia’s new dating status, but I’m doing it as a keystone of security. Close is the place to be, even if I’m secretly the enemy. I’ve smiled, I’ve congratulated, I’ve checked in and done it often. And I’ve held back the urge to ask Gunnar to help me kidnap Drew mafia-style, put cinder blocks on his ankles, and toss him in the Hudson.
I hate knowing she’s spending five percent of her time with someone else—but ninety-five percent has still been with me. She texts and calls when she’s with him, and we haven’t fought or needed the fifteen-minute rule at all.
I am Zen. I am steady. I am everything she needs and then some.
Me: Sounds good babe. I dunno she wasn’t specific but I’ll meet you there when I’m done
I stroll through the food court and grab a quick bite of oatmeal—this level of sleuthing requires fueling—and when I realize I’ve only got two minutes until meeting start time, I head back out of the cafeteria in the direction of my peer counselor’s office.
I’m excited.
In opposition to what I told Julia, I am the one who asked for this meeting, and I did so with purpose. It’s all a part of the plan, of course—oof.
Like two concrete walls being slammed into each other, I run into a body with the force of my distraction. I push back gently, ready to apologize for having my head too far in Julia’s ass to pay attention, but the voice that greets me is a sound for sore ears.
“Hey, Ace.”
“Holy shit, everybody, it’s Blake Boden!” I yell dramatically, cupping my hands around my mouth to fashion a makeshift megaphone. Blake blushes, and I get my jollies. I fucking love how bashful he is about being a football star. Not to mention, it feelslike this bastard has been avoiding me since final exams were over in May. “How’s it going, man? You’re up and about pretty early.”
“Me?” he questions, glancing at me and then at the bustling people behind me and back again. “What about you? What are you doing on campus this morning?” He’s right to be suspicious, though I don’t appreciate the distrust to my vision. If Blake should know anything at all about me by now, it’s that I always have a plan and a reason. Always.
“I have a meeting with my peer counselor in a little bit to go over my schedule for the fall. I’m planning to make some changes to my original plan, so I wanted to get ahead of the game.”
“Changes? You switching majors or something?”
I laugh.Majors.This fucking kid with his “societal norms” and shit. “Oh. No. I’m putting myself in a position to be in every single one of Julia’s classes, that’s all.”
His face is a mask of both judgment and appreciation, and I revel in both. I don’t hide from my ways—I embrace them. The only thing I haven’t quite mastered yet is how to confront Julia, but that has more to do with positioning myself away from failure than embarrassment.
