Is… is it possible this guy takes playlists more seriously than I do?
“Fine,” I grumble.
He beams like he just won the lottery. His teeth are straight and white, but I notice that one front tooth overlaps the other just a touch. That slight imperfection makes his smile even more charming. He nods toward one of the logs. “Want to sit?”
I probably should, because my legs are toast after me being on my feet at work today. But I scrunch my nose. I’ve been happy to lounge around and mope for the summer so far, but I realize that tonight I feel a little fluttery and restless.
“Take a walk?” he tries again.
I glance back at the seniors. Myles still hasn’t rejoined them. “Sure. Walking along the beach at night is my second-favorite activity.”
I start walking around the bonfire, weaving through people to reach the water’s edge.
“What’s the first?” Gregory asks from behind me.
“Sleeping.”
“Really?”
He catches up to me, and we clear the group of partygoers and turn right to move parallel to the water, just shy of the shoreline.
I pause to take off my sandals and hook them around myfinger. I take note of where we are, because certain parts of the beach get a little too rocky to cover barefoot. “Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I don’t know. I guess I had you pegged for one of those seize-the-day overachievers.”
I frown. “Just because I love my sleep doesn’t mean I’m lazy.”
“So you are, then? An overachiever?”
“It depends on how you define that.”
“What’s your GPA?”
I pause. “Four-point-oh,” I grumble. I need a scholarship, remember?
He snorts in a way that says,I was right.
“I might have good grades,” I say, “but that’s all I’ve got. I’m not a perfect studentplusthe star of the tennis team.”
“Like your friend that moved away?”
As soon as he asks about Kat, I realize how bitter my comment sounded. I’m not sure how much I can trust Gregory, but we did decide to be friends, and I came here tonight for the whole purpose of making new ones, so. Might as well start somewhere. “Yes, she’s one of those freaks who has perfect grades and rocks at sports.”
“Eh, I’m not impressed by that kind of thing.”
“What are you impressed by, then?” I don’t care if Gregory finds me impressive. I swear, Idon’t.
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and I peek over at him. His brow is furrowed as if he’s deep in thought.
“Good taste in music,” he finally says. “Not everyone can laugh at themselves, so that, too. Spontaneity, because life’sshort.” He nudges me with his elbow. “Pretty high schoolers with perfect GPAs.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, cheeseball.” But I’m smiling.
“What about you?” he asks.
“What impresses me?”
“Yeah.”
