“Do you want your usual?” Ty asks.
“Yeah, thanks, man.” I take a deep breath, then answer the phone.
3. Best Summer of My Life
Oh, my gosh! The way Ford kissed me. He whispered a thousand words without uttering a single sound. He put everything he feels for me into that kiss. I trace my fingers over my swollen lips. They’re still sensitive, and a little zing of pleasure sizzles down my spine. He left me speechless. If I could have formed words, I would have said I want him back.
It’s a good thing Jack wanted to drive my car. My whole body feels tingly and weak. I thought Ford might get upset about me giving him the Mickey toy back. I kept waiting for him to say something sarcastic or off-handed, like he didn’t care about the toy anymore. He couldn’t and wouldn’t because of our bet. But he said plenty without uttering a single word. I want to get back together with Ford, but he won’t open up to me. He hasn’t even told me about his parents. My feelings for Ford are not going away. They’re getting stronger by the day.
When we pull into Poncho’s, Tyler is alone in line. I look around, and Ford is sitting in Ty’s Jeep, talking on the phone. He doesn’t look happy. “What’s Ford doing?”
“His dad called.” Ty purses his lips and shakes his head.
I want to ask more, but I don’t want to put Jack and Tyler in an awkward position. I try not to stare at Ford, but glancing back at him every ten seconds isn’t helping either. I want to talk to him. To smooth away the wrinkles across his forehead and tell him everything will be okay. What if I called a truce on our stupid bet? Tell him he wins, and he can talk to me. I thought I was being funny when I made the bet this morning, but it’s turned into a giant headache. I can’t take it anymore, and I get out of line and head toward Tyler’s Jeep, but Jack grabs my arm. “Maybe…” he starts, but then trails off, glancing back at Ford.
“Is the bet that important to him?”
“No, but you’re important to him, and if he has to win a bet to get time with you, he’ll do whatever it takes.”
I blow out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, okay. I’m the one who started this stupid thing.” I look back at Ford again, and he glances at me. “Hi,” I mouth, putting my hand to my throat and grasping my necklace. He puts his hand over his chest and then blows me a kiss.
“What does everybody want?” Tyler asks when we get to the front of the line. Everyone gets pork tacos and bottled water, but I order Ford the horchata drink he likes.
Tyler pulls his debit card out, but I bat his hand away. “I’ll get it. I owe Jack.”
“You’re sure?” Ty asks.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. My mother told me never to argue with a lady.” He smiles and puts his card away. “Thanks, Clark.” Tyler pats my head. “I owe you one.”
“You may regret that, Ty.” Jack teases.
“It’s worth it for free tacos.” Tyler smiles at me.
Jack shakes his head. “Whatever, dude, it’s your funeral.”
Tyler looks at me with a worried glance. I smile and give him a little wink, and the crease between his forehead disappears, and he smiles again. He and Jack sit at a picnic table, but June walks to the next table and sits down. “Are you okay?” I ask her.
“Yeah, it’s just weird seeing you all buddy-buddy with Jack. Don’t you guys hate each other?”
“We did. A lot happened over the summer, and when the dust settled, we decided we needed to be nicer and do better for our family’s sake. Hating someone takes a lot more time and energy, and in the long run, the only person you end up hurting is yourself. In my and Jack’s case, it was hurting our family. I feel like this burden has been lifted off me since Jack and I decided to be brother and sister instead of enemies. And I kind of like the guy. He’s fun to hang out with, and it’s even more fun to beat him at Madden on the Xbox.”
“I heard that,” Jack calls. “One time, you beat me, and technically, we didn’t even finish the game.”
I shrug. “Not my fault. You turned the game off. I’m up for a rematch anytime.” The guys get up and move to our table, sitting across from us.
“When did you learn to play the Xbox?” Tyler asks.
“Over the summer. Ford made me learn. I’m pretty sure that’s all we did the entire month of June,” I huff.
“You hung out with Ford over the summer?” June asks.
“I—uh—yeah.” I glance across the table at the guys, unsure what they know or what I should say about everything that happened between Ford and me over the summer.
Jack smiles. “We know you lost a bet to Ford and that the wager was you had to spend four hours a day with him over summer break.”
“Oh. He told you that?” I ask, surprised.
