Stephanie made it sound like shaking pompoms was on par with curing cancer. Then Martin said something I couldn’t hear and she answered, “It’s a date!”
A date! I was thinking. She just wants to—
Whap. Martin drummed the side of his head with his hand, as if he were trying to get water out of his ear.
“You know what else we should do,” she said.
“What?” At least he couldn’t read her like he could read me.
“Homecoming.” She said it casually, the way only a girl like Stephanie could say it. “For old time’s sake. I’m certain Billy wouldn’t mind.”
“Uhh…” This from Billy, who didn’t sound as certain.
“What’s homecoming, exactly?” asked Martin.
Like he hadn’t gleaned anything from all of the brain scanning he’d been doing the past two days! I reached down and tied my other shoe.
“A dance, silly,” she said. “Everybody goes. It’s the only thing to do this weekend. It’s the only thing to do all fall, really. You know, Chilton .” She said the word like it was a joke between the two of them.
“It’s beautiful here,” Martin said. “It smells good.”
“You have so much to learn,” she said.
“I can’t believe it’s really you, Steph.”
“Uhh, hey—” said Billy.
“So, how about it: homecoming?” She talked over Billy as if he hadn’t spoken.
“You said—” Billy started.
“Yeah, I know, we’re going, Billy.” She sighed. I could almost hear her lips turn down in a pout. “But Martin can come, too, can’t he?”
“I really think I should go with Annabelle,” Martin said.
“Well, I guess if you like that sort of thing,” Stephanie said, as Billy muttered, “Damn straight.”
I was having more uncharitable feelings about Stephanie and I was having them at the top of my lungs. Brain.
Martin dug his fingers through his hair and glanced toward my column.
“So, later?” he asked Stephanie.
“Be there with bells on,” she said.
“People wear bells?”
“You’re so silly!” She laughed, but it was fake.
A second later, Martin peeked around the pole and helped me up. “You know,” he whispered like he was letting me in on a secret, “I can’t hear a thing when you yell like that.”
“I wasn’t yelling. I was thinking.”
“Don’t think so loud,” he said. “It’s like a siren going off in my head.”
“Sorry,” I said. Better? I thought in a softer voice.
“Better.”
“So, you know Stephanie pretty well, I guess?” I asked out loud.
“I told you. We’re just friends.”
“Just friends,” I said, but I was thinking, Not if she has anything to do with it.
“Maybe it’s like your Will situation,” he said.
“What Will situation?”
He looked at me like I was the clueless one. “Never mind,” he said.
We started to walk toward our table again, but he stopped.
“There’s a dance next weekend,” he said. “Homecoming?”
I shrugged, but I stopped breathing. “What about it?” I said.
He got down on one knee—I swear to God, one knee—right there in the cafeteria. “Will you go with me?”
The whole cafeteria was watching us, but I didn’t care. I looked at Martin’s face and those warm, honest eyes that liked me and maybe even more than liked. I knew he could read my mind but I wanted to say the answer out loud anyway.
“Yes,” I said.
Chapter 16
When we got back to the table, I was too amped up to eat my sandwich, so I just nibbled on carrots while I watched Martin poke at his Salisbury steak. He was like some sort of Greek god.
I thought of the guys in the romance novels that my mom sometimes read: “broad-chested” and “chiseled” with “dark waves of hair,” “piercing eyes,” and “smoldering lips.”
Okay, maybe the lip part was a little over the top, and Martin’s waves were more golden than dark, but the rest was pretty much him. And, he was mine. Sort of.
He looked over at me and his lips (maybe smoldering a little) curled up at the edges in this
A date! I was thinking. She just wants to—
Whap. Martin drummed the side of his head with his hand, as if he were trying to get water out of his ear.
“You know what else we should do,” she said.
“What?” At least he couldn’t read her like he could read me.
“Homecoming.” She said it casually, the way only a girl like Stephanie could say it. “For old time’s sake. I’m certain Billy wouldn’t mind.”
“Uhh…” This from Billy, who didn’t sound as certain.
“What’s homecoming, exactly?” asked Martin.
Like he hadn’t gleaned anything from all of the brain scanning he’d been doing the past two days! I reached down and tied my other shoe.
“A dance, silly,” she said. “Everybody goes. It’s the only thing to do this weekend. It’s the only thing to do all fall, really. You know, Chilton .” She said the word like it was a joke between the two of them.
“It’s beautiful here,” Martin said. “It smells good.”
“You have so much to learn,” she said.
“I can’t believe it’s really you, Steph.”
“Uhh, hey—” said Billy.
“So, how about it: homecoming?” She talked over Billy as if he hadn’t spoken.
“You said—” Billy started.
“Yeah, I know, we’re going, Billy.” She sighed. I could almost hear her lips turn down in a pout. “But Martin can come, too, can’t he?”
“I really think I should go with Annabelle,” Martin said.
“Well, I guess if you like that sort of thing,” Stephanie said, as Billy muttered, “Damn straight.”
I was having more uncharitable feelings about Stephanie and I was having them at the top of my lungs. Brain.
Martin dug his fingers through his hair and glanced toward my column.
“So, later?” he asked Stephanie.
“Be there with bells on,” she said.
“People wear bells?”
“You’re so silly!” She laughed, but it was fake.
A second later, Martin peeked around the pole and helped me up. “You know,” he whispered like he was letting me in on a secret, “I can’t hear a thing when you yell like that.”
“I wasn’t yelling. I was thinking.”
“Don’t think so loud,” he said. “It’s like a siren going off in my head.”
“Sorry,” I said. Better? I thought in a softer voice.
“Better.”
“So, you know Stephanie pretty well, I guess?” I asked out loud.
“I told you. We’re just friends.”
“Just friends,” I said, but I was thinking, Not if she has anything to do with it.
“Maybe it’s like your Will situation,” he said.
“What Will situation?”
He looked at me like I was the clueless one. “Never mind,” he said.
We started to walk toward our table again, but he stopped.
“There’s a dance next weekend,” he said. “Homecoming?”
I shrugged, but I stopped breathing. “What about it?” I said.
He got down on one knee—I swear to God, one knee—right there in the cafeteria. “Will you go with me?”
The whole cafeteria was watching us, but I didn’t care. I looked at Martin’s face and those warm, honest eyes that liked me and maybe even more than liked. I knew he could read my mind but I wanted to say the answer out loud anyway.
“Yes,” I said.
Chapter 16
When we got back to the table, I was too amped up to eat my sandwich, so I just nibbled on carrots while I watched Martin poke at his Salisbury steak. He was like some sort of Greek god.
I thought of the guys in the romance novels that my mom sometimes read: “broad-chested” and “chiseled” with “dark waves of hair,” “piercing eyes,” and “smoldering lips.”
Okay, maybe the lip part was a little over the top, and Martin’s waves were more golden than dark, but the rest was pretty much him. And, he was mine. Sort of.
He looked over at me and his lips (maybe smoldering a little) curled up at the edges in this
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