she’d want to know about it because keeping it a secret made it seem that much worse. Even if the situation wasn’t like that . Which it wasn’t.
Sydney grabbed two spoons out of the dishwasher and handed one to Drew. He slipped it into his bowl of ice cream.
“It was good.” Sydney and Drew went into the living room to sit. She went into a big explanation about how she met a young mother who seemed to know everything about the hospital and the machines in her daughter’s room and how Sydney was impressed with her. Drew nodded his head at all the right moments, but Sydney could tell he’d started to tune out most of her long-winded explanation.
She ran through the Crush Code in her head, trying to think of a rule to use for this situation. There was one about listening. Maybe she was talking too much, making the conversation only about her.
“So how was the movie?”
Drew shrugged. “It was pretty good, but nothing really that you’d like.”
See, she thought, Drew is used to you not giving a crap.
“Tell me about it anyway,” she encouraged.
He looked at her oddly, then, “Okay. Well, the main plot point of the movie is that it’s set in 2100 A.D., right, and robots have taken over…”
What followed was a fifteen-minute conversation about the difference between robots and alien movies and how CGI was bringing sci-fi into the next generation of movies. Sydney hadn’t heard Drew so excited in a conversation since…well, since he’d adopted Bear.
Sydney asked questions when she needed to, nodded her head when she was supposed to. For the most part, she just listened, despite the fact that she wasn’t, like Drew said, interested in anything sci-fi.
Did that matter, though? She could sacrifice fifteen minutes if it meant making Drew happy.
SEVENTEEN
Rule 35: Get to know your crush slowly! (You may discover that you don’t like him!)
Rule 36: Do not pretend to be a different person when your crush is around!
“What should I wear?” Kelly said to her closet, wishing she had a personal stylist to tell her the answer.
She decided to go with a pair of American Eagle khaki Bermuda shorts and a smocked puff-sleeve shirt the color of a banana.
She sat down on the edge of her bed to slip on her brown flats, when her brother walked by the open door, their little sister, Monica, hurrying behind.
“Give it back, Todd! Mom!”
Todd held a pad of paper over his head with one hand and his cell phone at his ear with the other.
“Mom’s not here,” he said. “She went to get some coffee.”
Kelly tossed her shoes aside, came up behind her brother, and grabbed Monica’s notebook from him. “Quit being such a jerk.”
“Thanks,” Monica said when she took her notebook off Kelly’s hands.
Todd brought his cell up to his mouth. “My sisters are picking on me,” he said. He waited for a response and nodded. Then, “Drew says you two should leave me alone.”
Kelly rolled her eyes and snatched the cell phone out of Todd’s hands.
“Hey!”
“Drew?” Kelly said.
“Yeah?”
“Did you really say that?”
He laughed. “No.”
“I didn’t think so.” Kelly gave the cell back. “Now go away, Todd, please. I have to get ready.”
Monica came into Kelly’s room and flopped down on the bed, her long, strawberry blond hair sliding along her bare shoulders. “Where are you going?”
“Yeah,” Todd said, “where are you going?”
“None of your business.”
Kelly sat down next to her little sister and slipped on the pair of brown flats she’d set aside a few minutes ago.
“I’m going out.”
Monica raised a brow. “With who?”
Kelly looked from her sister to her brother, both of whom were staring at her expectantly.
“With a friend,” Kelly said, checking her reflection in the mirror on the back of her bedroom door.
She sighed to herself. This was the exact reason she’d thought the Crush Code was a bad idea. Adam and she just weren’t a good fit. He probably needed
Sydney grabbed two spoons out of the dishwasher and handed one to Drew. He slipped it into his bowl of ice cream.
“It was good.” Sydney and Drew went into the living room to sit. She went into a big explanation about how she met a young mother who seemed to know everything about the hospital and the machines in her daughter’s room and how Sydney was impressed with her. Drew nodded his head at all the right moments, but Sydney could tell he’d started to tune out most of her long-winded explanation.
She ran through the Crush Code in her head, trying to think of a rule to use for this situation. There was one about listening. Maybe she was talking too much, making the conversation only about her.
“So how was the movie?”
Drew shrugged. “It was pretty good, but nothing really that you’d like.”
See, she thought, Drew is used to you not giving a crap.
“Tell me about it anyway,” she encouraged.
He looked at her oddly, then, “Okay. Well, the main plot point of the movie is that it’s set in 2100 A.D., right, and robots have taken over…”
What followed was a fifteen-minute conversation about the difference between robots and alien movies and how CGI was bringing sci-fi into the next generation of movies. Sydney hadn’t heard Drew so excited in a conversation since…well, since he’d adopted Bear.
Sydney asked questions when she needed to, nodded her head when she was supposed to. For the most part, she just listened, despite the fact that she wasn’t, like Drew said, interested in anything sci-fi.
Did that matter, though? She could sacrifice fifteen minutes if it meant making Drew happy.
SEVENTEEN
Rule 35: Get to know your crush slowly! (You may discover that you don’t like him!)
Rule 36: Do not pretend to be a different person when your crush is around!
“What should I wear?” Kelly said to her closet, wishing she had a personal stylist to tell her the answer.
She decided to go with a pair of American Eagle khaki Bermuda shorts and a smocked puff-sleeve shirt the color of a banana.
She sat down on the edge of her bed to slip on her brown flats, when her brother walked by the open door, their little sister, Monica, hurrying behind.
“Give it back, Todd! Mom!”
Todd held a pad of paper over his head with one hand and his cell phone at his ear with the other.
“Mom’s not here,” he said. “She went to get some coffee.”
Kelly tossed her shoes aside, came up behind her brother, and grabbed Monica’s notebook from him. “Quit being such a jerk.”
“Thanks,” Monica said when she took her notebook off Kelly’s hands.
Todd brought his cell up to his mouth. “My sisters are picking on me,” he said. He waited for a response and nodded. Then, “Drew says you two should leave me alone.”
Kelly rolled her eyes and snatched the cell phone out of Todd’s hands.
“Hey!”
“Drew?” Kelly said.
“Yeah?”
“Did you really say that?”
He laughed. “No.”
“I didn’t think so.” Kelly gave the cell back. “Now go away, Todd, please. I have to get ready.”
Monica came into Kelly’s room and flopped down on the bed, her long, strawberry blond hair sliding along her bare shoulders. “Where are you going?”
“Yeah,” Todd said, “where are you going?”
“None of your business.”
Kelly sat down next to her little sister and slipped on the pair of brown flats she’d set aside a few minutes ago.
“I’m going out.”
Monica raised a brow. “With who?”
Kelly looked from her sister to her brother, both of whom were staring at her expectantly.
“With a friend,” Kelly said, checking her reflection in the mirror on the back of her bedroom door.
She sighed to herself. This was the exact reason she’d thought the Crush Code was a bad idea. Adam and she just weren’t a good fit. He probably needed
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