of Cedar Hill and skirt the lake over to Whitfield Farms. I climb the fence and walk past cows and pigs and ducks and other animals up to Rory’s farmhouse. I ring the doorbell, he lets me in, and we go to his room. His dog Ava is lounging on the rug, panting with her tongue hanging out.
Old movie posters cover his walls. It seems all posters in his room must feature one or all of the following:
1. An explosion
2. A woman’s cleavage
3. George Clooney
Rory flops down on the floor and resumes playing some crazy racecar game called Ho Down in Hoochieville, where he drives around and picks up hookers.
Pig.
I drop onto Rory’s bed and sigh. “You’ve gotta ditch the Star Wars bedding if you ever expect to get laid.”
“The right girl will accept me, Darth Vader and all,” Rory says, thumbing his controller.
Trying to block out images of Sunday night’s almost kiss and trying to forget how Jack said I could go to college—which further proves he and I will never work out—I cuddle with Rory’s Chewbacca stuffed animal and watch him play his video game that is effectively setting women’s rights back a hundred years.
“I heard you ate lunch with Jack yesterday,” Rory says.
“It was more like he wanted to steal my roast beef sandwich.”
“I’d bet $20 that you’ll hook up with him within a month.”
I fall backward onto Rory’s pillow, thinking about the past few days. Jack could be a first-class womanizer who’s way out of my league…but he has a soft side. He calls his sister sweetheart and helps his mom with her cookbook. He brought me coffee just the way I like it. But I won’t be one of the supposed one-night stands the maids talk about. Hell, he could’ve hooked up with both Kelsey and Abby last weekend, and that was after flirting with me! But he’s so nice…and he wasn’t paying all that much attention to Kelsey at lunch…
“You’re on. That’ll be an easy $20. I’m not gonna hook up with him,” I say.
Rory pauses his game. “Just be careful. He won’t give you the kind of relationship you deserve.”
My friend is telling the truth, but embarrassment washes over me nevertheless.
“Well, just for that, I’m not gonna tell you the great gossip I’ve got on you, Ror.”
“Me?” He starts playing his game again. “Did someone tell you how I acted out a scene from Call Me When Your Mom Is Back in Town —”
“No, no,” I say. “Somebody likes you.”
“God, I wish we could send that girl to Antarctica or something. I can’t stand how Evelyn Treanor stalks me between classes and tries to pinch my butt. Who does that—”
“It’s not Evelyn.”
Rory’s pimp character picks up a hooker in a monster truck. “Who is it then?” he asks, sideswiping a pimpmobile.
“Vanessa Green.”
He drops his controller and whips around, his mouth falling open. On the screen, his monster truck runs into a 7-11, flinging a bunch of bystanders into the air and causing a massive explosion.
“Bullshit.”
“Nope. Should I talk to her or anything?”
Rory pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. “I’m interested, but you don’t have to say anything. I’ll handle it myself.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I dunno,” Rory replies with a shrug. He pushes his bangs off his forehead. “I’ll just wait and see what happens.”
But doesn’t he want to be in control of something like this? Doesn’t he want to put himself out there?
“Would you take her to dinner or something?” I ask. “A girl like that—you gotta take her somewhere fancy in Nashville, not Tennessee Ballers. Where are you gonna get the money for a date like that?”
“I’d find the money.”
He abandons the hooker game to stand and pace around the room, pausing to check his floppy brown hair in the mirror. I love that Rory says he’d find the money. It’s black and white for him: if he wants to take a girl on a fancy date, he’ll find a way to make it happen.
Would Jack ever take a risk
Old movie posters cover his walls. It seems all posters in his room must feature one or all of the following:
1. An explosion
2. A woman’s cleavage
3. George Clooney
Rory flops down on the floor and resumes playing some crazy racecar game called Ho Down in Hoochieville, where he drives around and picks up hookers.
Pig.
I drop onto Rory’s bed and sigh. “You’ve gotta ditch the Star Wars bedding if you ever expect to get laid.”
“The right girl will accept me, Darth Vader and all,” Rory says, thumbing his controller.
Trying to block out images of Sunday night’s almost kiss and trying to forget how Jack said I could go to college—which further proves he and I will never work out—I cuddle with Rory’s Chewbacca stuffed animal and watch him play his video game that is effectively setting women’s rights back a hundred years.
“I heard you ate lunch with Jack yesterday,” Rory says.
“It was more like he wanted to steal my roast beef sandwich.”
“I’d bet $20 that you’ll hook up with him within a month.”
I fall backward onto Rory’s pillow, thinking about the past few days. Jack could be a first-class womanizer who’s way out of my league…but he has a soft side. He calls his sister sweetheart and helps his mom with her cookbook. He brought me coffee just the way I like it. But I won’t be one of the supposed one-night stands the maids talk about. Hell, he could’ve hooked up with both Kelsey and Abby last weekend, and that was after flirting with me! But he’s so nice…and he wasn’t paying all that much attention to Kelsey at lunch…
“You’re on. That’ll be an easy $20. I’m not gonna hook up with him,” I say.
Rory pauses his game. “Just be careful. He won’t give you the kind of relationship you deserve.”
My friend is telling the truth, but embarrassment washes over me nevertheless.
“Well, just for that, I’m not gonna tell you the great gossip I’ve got on you, Ror.”
“Me?” He starts playing his game again. “Did someone tell you how I acted out a scene from Call Me When Your Mom Is Back in Town —”
“No, no,” I say. “Somebody likes you.”
“God, I wish we could send that girl to Antarctica or something. I can’t stand how Evelyn Treanor stalks me between classes and tries to pinch my butt. Who does that—”
“It’s not Evelyn.”
Rory’s pimp character picks up a hooker in a monster truck. “Who is it then?” he asks, sideswiping a pimpmobile.
“Vanessa Green.”
He drops his controller and whips around, his mouth falling open. On the screen, his monster truck runs into a 7-11, flinging a bunch of bystanders into the air and causing a massive explosion.
“Bullshit.”
“Nope. Should I talk to her or anything?”
Rory pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. “I’m interested, but you don’t have to say anything. I’ll handle it myself.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I dunno,” Rory replies with a shrug. He pushes his bangs off his forehead. “I’ll just wait and see what happens.”
But doesn’t he want to be in control of something like this? Doesn’t he want to put himself out there?
“Would you take her to dinner or something?” I ask. “A girl like that—you gotta take her somewhere fancy in Nashville, not Tennessee Ballers. Where are you gonna get the money for a date like that?”
“I’d find the money.”
He abandons the hooker game to stand and pace around the room, pausing to check his floppy brown hair in the mirror. I love that Rory says he’d find the money. It’s black and white for him: if he wants to take a girl on a fancy date, he’ll find a way to make it happen.
Would Jack ever take a risk