Besides being really sweet, she was running for student council and volunteering at the animal shelter on the weekends. I felt like a total slacker in comparison.
Although I was having a good time, I had to fight every instinct I had to talk to Levi whenever a thought came up that I knew he’d enjoy or have a comeback for. I needed to be on my best behavior. We had our dates to consider. After all, it was a pretty big miracle we could find members of the opposite sex who enjoyed our company as much as we did.
We arrived at Keith’s house when the party was in full swing. Everybody from the football team, cheerleading squad, and marching band was there.
“Hey, California!” Keith came over and did that guy hand-slap/chest-bump combination that must be taught in some dude class. “Welcome, welcome, all!” He looked me up and down, and I gave him a stare that made it clear I wasn’t the least bit interested in anything he was looking for.
“Hey, man,” Ian said, coming between us. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Oh, right, you two are together. See, I keep forgetting that, since she’s always with him.” He pointed to a clearly annoyed Levi.
“Keith, this is Carrie.” Levi gestured in her direction.
For whatever reason, Keith laughed. “Okay, I get it, I get it.” He reached down in a cooler and pulled out some cans of pop. “I’d say go long, Levi, but I don’t think my mom would appreciate getting pop on the carpet.” He laughed again. We all remained stone-faced.
We each took a can and made our way over to the corner of the kitchen.
“Don’t let him get to you,” I said to Levi.
“But he’s right. I can’t catch anything … except grief.” He shook his head.
I turned my back to Carrie and Ian. I knew how embarrassed Levi got about his lack of catching skills. “You’re getting much better. The other day, Adam was telling me you caught a ball nearly all the way down the block.”
“I guess.” His voice was faint. “But it’s so humiliating sitting on that bench every single game.”
“I thought you only wanted to play football to make some friends and fit in.”
He shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to play.”
“I know, but look around. You’re at a party and Keith invited you.”
“He invited everybody .”
“But at least you’re here. And he’s ribbing you. Isn’t that the bro way of being friendly?”
“The bro way.” He laughed.
“You know, how guys show affection. Or mark their turf. Kind of like how dogs pee on something to let you know it’s theirs.”
“Do you have any idea of what you’re talking about?”
“Of course not,” I admitted. “But does it at least make you feel a little better?”
“Yeah, just a little.”
I elbowed him playfully. “Well, that will not do. Clearly my job here is not done. Let me count the ways that you’re a stud.”
“Wait, wait.” Levi pulled out his phone. “I need to record this. I may even make it my ringtone.”
I grabbed his phone and spoke directly into the mic. “I, Macallan Marion Dietz, do hereby swear that Levi Rodgers is a total manly man, the ultimate bro. Reason number one, he does a mean British accent. Reason number two, he knows to always compliment a lady’s cooking skills. Um, reason number three. Um …”
“Nice.” He grabbed his phone back. “You can’t even come up with three reasons?”
“See, there are just so many reasons, my poor brain is on overload.”
“Good save.”
“Phew!” I wiped my brow dramatically.
“Hey!” Danielle approached us. “I didn’t see you guys come in. But then I saw your dates outside and figured you were doing that thing you do.”
Danielle could read the nonverbal exchange Levi and I shared. “Let me guess. You didn’t realize your dates left.”
I grimaced.
She shook her head. “You guys are too much.”
“Clearly,” Levi and I said in unison.
“Well, may I suggest that you take your party outside and keep your
Although I was having a good time, I had to fight every instinct I had to talk to Levi whenever a thought came up that I knew he’d enjoy or have a comeback for. I needed to be on my best behavior. We had our dates to consider. After all, it was a pretty big miracle we could find members of the opposite sex who enjoyed our company as much as we did.
We arrived at Keith’s house when the party was in full swing. Everybody from the football team, cheerleading squad, and marching band was there.
“Hey, California!” Keith came over and did that guy hand-slap/chest-bump combination that must be taught in some dude class. “Welcome, welcome, all!” He looked me up and down, and I gave him a stare that made it clear I wasn’t the least bit interested in anything he was looking for.
“Hey, man,” Ian said, coming between us. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Oh, right, you two are together. See, I keep forgetting that, since she’s always with him.” He pointed to a clearly annoyed Levi.
“Keith, this is Carrie.” Levi gestured in her direction.
For whatever reason, Keith laughed. “Okay, I get it, I get it.” He reached down in a cooler and pulled out some cans of pop. “I’d say go long, Levi, but I don’t think my mom would appreciate getting pop on the carpet.” He laughed again. We all remained stone-faced.
We each took a can and made our way over to the corner of the kitchen.
“Don’t let him get to you,” I said to Levi.
“But he’s right. I can’t catch anything … except grief.” He shook his head.
I turned my back to Carrie and Ian. I knew how embarrassed Levi got about his lack of catching skills. “You’re getting much better. The other day, Adam was telling me you caught a ball nearly all the way down the block.”
“I guess.” His voice was faint. “But it’s so humiliating sitting on that bench every single game.”
“I thought you only wanted to play football to make some friends and fit in.”
He shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to play.”
“I know, but look around. You’re at a party and Keith invited you.”
“He invited everybody .”
“But at least you’re here. And he’s ribbing you. Isn’t that the bro way of being friendly?”
“The bro way.” He laughed.
“You know, how guys show affection. Or mark their turf. Kind of like how dogs pee on something to let you know it’s theirs.”
“Do you have any idea of what you’re talking about?”
“Of course not,” I admitted. “But does it at least make you feel a little better?”
“Yeah, just a little.”
I elbowed him playfully. “Well, that will not do. Clearly my job here is not done. Let me count the ways that you’re a stud.”
“Wait, wait.” Levi pulled out his phone. “I need to record this. I may even make it my ringtone.”
I grabbed his phone and spoke directly into the mic. “I, Macallan Marion Dietz, do hereby swear that Levi Rodgers is a total manly man, the ultimate bro. Reason number one, he does a mean British accent. Reason number two, he knows to always compliment a lady’s cooking skills. Um, reason number three. Um …”
“Nice.” He grabbed his phone back. “You can’t even come up with three reasons?”
“See, there are just so many reasons, my poor brain is on overload.”
“Good save.”
“Phew!” I wiped my brow dramatically.
“Hey!” Danielle approached us. “I didn’t see you guys come in. But then I saw your dates outside and figured you were doing that thing you do.”
Danielle could read the nonverbal exchange Levi and I shared. “Let me guess. You didn’t realize your dates left.”
I grimaced.
She shook her head. “You guys are too much.”
“Clearly,” Levi and I said in unison.
“Well, may I suggest that you take your party outside and keep your
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