“Oh, please not the first one,” Luke said. “I’ve seen it well over athousandtimes.”
We gave him quizzical looks.
“I havethreesisters!”
“So number two it is!” I declared, taking the computer from Nina and crouching down in front of the TV to plug it into the HDMI cord.
My friends and I capped off almost every Saturday night like this. We went to a boys’ house and took over their common room by popping in a chick flick and lounging on their furniture, eating junk food. The dorm rotated every week, and no matter which one, it was always a mixed bag of reactions whenever the guys returned for the night; some told us to beat it, while others did their best high-pitched giggles and joined us on the couches. The freshmen boys, though, especially since it was the year’sfirstSaturday night, would most likely walk into the common room, exchange awhat’s going on?look with one another, and then walk right back out again.
After hitting play, I saw that everyone had settled down in their movie-watching position of choice. Reese snagged the leather recliner, and Jennie was in the armchair to the right of the couch, hugging her legs to her chest. I moved a few paces to plop down on the couch with Luke…and Nina. She was lounging on the left end, using the couch’s arm as a backrest, while her legs were stretched out across Luke’s lap.
It’s official, I thought.Nina Davies likes Luke Morrissey.
But Luke was keeping his hands to himself, ignoring Nina’s silent invitation for him to rest them on her legs. Instead, his arms were folded across his chest. To me, the message was clear: He wasn’t interested. And deep down, I had a feeling that even if they became super close and Nina’s flirting continued, Lukestillwouldn’t be interested.
I felt my phone buzz toward the end of the movie, right when Donna’s ghost sings the heartfelt “My Love, My Life” to her daughter Sophie.Before checking it, I flicked my gaze to Luke to see if he was crying. “I won’t need tissues,” he’d said when I jokingly offered them to him. “I’ve seen this movie too…but only a hundred times, not a thousand.” Now, his face was noticeably tear-free, expression completely neutral. Nina’s legs were still draped over him, and sure enough, Luke still hadn’t taken the bait; his arms now rested on the back of the couch. I glanced down at my iPhone, then blinked to double-check the name on-screen. I swiped to see the message:
So wordon campus is the turf saw more action than usual tonight…
I fought the urge to smile.
Retweet, I typed back.The most epic light show!
Epic?came his reply.Impossible!
Guess again, I was about to write, but before I could, he quickly buzzed in:Because you and I both know there’s only ONE epic light show.
And then a third message:Up for an adventure?
Something rippled through me.Up for an adventure?Yes, I was always up for an adventure, and he knew it. So my thumbs dashed off a response, but hovered over the send button for a couple of seconds before sending back:I’m listening…
A few minutes later, I jogged along Belmont Way toward The Meadow.
“Where are you going?” Jennie had asked when I’d stood to leave Thayer.
“Oh, Charlie needs me for something,” I’d said, adjusting my obnoxiousMERICAtrucker hat. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow? At brunch?”
I waited until Reese nodded in confirmation before making my exit. Although I managed to catch Nina telling Luke, “We all think she’s in love with him. I mean, I know you’ve only been here a week, but you see it, right?”
It was close to 11:00 p.m., so unsurprisingly there were a ton of underclassmen loitering on the house porches, trying to make every last second count before their curfew.
Dusk-to-dawn lights dotted the Bexley golf course, lighting the way as I ran the final stretch to our meeting place: the sixth hole. I wished I had Stinger, but leaving tire tracks on the meticulously manicured grass wasn’t the best idea. Breathing now shallow and a ringing noise in my ears, I let out a sigh when I heard Perry Lake’s calming waves. The sixth hole was small and secluded, right on the lakeshore. I leaned against a streetlamp’s post, figuring I’d beaten him here, since he was nowhere to be found, but when my breaths slowed and the ringing died away, I heard someone say, “What the hell are you wearing?”
Then, stepping out of the darkness and into the lamplight’s glow, heinous fleece and all, was Nicholas Carmichael.
Once again, I felt that ripple. New, a little strange, but full of excitement.
“It was my outfit for the dance tonight,” I explained, noticing the Hudson’s Bay blanket he had thrown over his shoulder.
“Right, right.” Nick nodded. “What was the theme again?”
“Red Hot American Summer,” I answered, tilting my head. “Did youreallynot know that?”
One side of his mouth curled up in a smile. “Oh, come on, Sage. You know those aren’t my thing.”
I watched him shake out the blanket and spread it on the puttinggreen. “Yes, how could I forget? The Carmichael twins arefartoo good for Bexley’s dances.”
“You meanCharlieis too good for dances,” Nick corrected as he dropped to the ground. “I don’t go because my couch issocomfortable.”
