“Obviously,” I repeated.
“I heard Vanessa talking to Britt this morning,” Jaz said, quickly changing the subject. “She was wondering if she should try out for the hockey team too.”
“Why on earth would she do that?”
“Probably jealous, now that everyone’s talking about you being the first girl ever to play for the Ransom Devils. Maybe she thinks Parker would pay her more attention if she was on the team.”
I didn’t like the idea of people talking about me at school. But I guessed it was a more positive thing to be known for than assaulting the star hockey player or having to wear lost and found clothes on my first day.
“I wouldn’t wish his attention on anyone,” I replied. “Not even her.”
Jaz shrugged. “They had a bit of a thing over the summer. But I think he got bored of her once school started back up.”
“Is she really surprised? I’ve known enough guys like Parker; they all seem to tire of girls quickly.”
“Until they find the right one.”
“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes. “You must read too many rom-coms. We all know that doesn’t happen in real life.”
“Don’t be so pessimistic.” Jaz wagged a finger at me. “My brother Matt was always dating different girls in high school. But he met someone the first day of college this year and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Ineverthought he was the kind of guy who’d get a girlfriend in college, but he’s already planning on bringing her home for Thanksgiving.”
“I guess there’s an exception to every rule.”
She smiled and shook her head at me. “Just how bad were the guys at your old school?”
“I mean, notallof them were bad. But it’s not something I really worried about.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because my sparkly personality scares most guys off,” I said, batting my eyelashes.
Jaz smiled. “I’m sure that’s not true. And even if it were, it says more about the guys than it does about you. Look at Parker; he’s not scared of you. Even after you punched him.”
“Yeah, well, that’s Parker. If he’s the yardstick we’re using to judge all men then we’re in big trouble.”
Jaz laughed and nodded in agreement. “Well, I happen to love yoursparklypersonality.”
“You also love some strange sport called hoop dance…”
She scrunched her nose at me, and I smiled back. I hadn’t been in Ransom long, but already I felt close with Jaz. She could be a little odd sometimes, but that was probably my favorite thing about her. She was sweet and sincere, and there weren’t nearly enough people like her in the world.
The car slowed as Jaz pulled into a free space, and she nodded out the window at the old red-brick building in front of us. “We’re here. I hope you’re ready to swoon—I mean, hoop.”
I gave an awkward laugh. “It’s too late to back out, right?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go.” Jaz jumped from the car and practically dragged me toward the entrance.
A faded sign above the doors read, ‘ansom Community Center.’ The place looked like it might be missing a piece of its soul, along with the first letter on its sign. But I was pleasantly surprised as I followed Jaz inside. It was light and bright and a little chaotic. Between squealing toddlers darting through the foyer, music pumping from the back of the building, the smell of fresh coffee, and all sorts of different people mingling throughout the space, the center felt alive with activity.
Jaz guided me to a room at the back of the building that overlooked the park behind. Colorful hoops were spread out on the floor. And standing in the middle of it all, dressed in bright orange spandex, was Dominic.
“Oh, my God.” I lifted a hand to my mouth to hide my laughter. He must have been about twenty, yet he was being swarmed by a group of women who were at least my stepmom’s age. Dominic didn’t seem to mind though. In fact, given the flirtatious smile he was flashing around the room, I suspectedhe wore the oh-so-tight spandex on purpose.
“Hot, right?” Jaz said, fanning her face. “This is the best part of my week.”
“Looks like it’s the best part of a lot of people’s weeks.” I nodded at the women again. But Jaz turned to me and frowned.
“You’re supposed to be swooning. Why aren’t you swooning?”
