my tongue out at our poor, dead crab. And just when Ithought things couldn’t get any worse, something really bizarre happened. I heard a cell phone ring and it was Mint’s. I was really surprised to hear this. Because she’d said she’d left her cell phone in my dad’s car. Why was she lying to me about that? What else was she lying to me about? I couldn’t stop glaring at her.
“It’s my mom!” she said, cheerfully placing her phone next to her head. “She said she’d phone me as soon as the ship got to their port in Italy.”
I turned to my mom. “Shouldn’t she take that call in the lobby?” My mom couldn’t stand it when people talked on their cell phones at the table.
My mom motioned to Mint. “Follow me up front.”
Mint and my mom weaved their way around people’s tables and turned a corner, out of view. I was just about to tell my dad that I could not stand Mint when his phone started to buzz.
“I need to take this,” he said, getting up.
Sitting alone at the table with two dead crabs wasn’t ideal. Because, in addition to looking like dead crabs, they smelled like dead crabs. So I just decided to breathe half as much as normal and stare at the saltshaker until my family returned. But then something unexpected happened. I felt a person tap me on the shoulder. And when I turned around I was shocked to see Todd.
“Hi, Lane,” Todd said.
I felt my face blush. He looked very dressed up in khaki pants and a cute sweater. Why was he here?
“I didn’t know you came to this restaurant,” he said. “My family is celebrating my grandparents’ anniversary.”
I blinked at him in disbelief.
“We’re over there,” he said.
I followed the aim of his finger to a crowded table filled with the remains of a big white cake.
“I brought you a piece,” he said, handing me a small dish loaded with a slice of heavily frosted cake.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention all night,” he said.
My heart raced very quickly when I heard this. I loved the idea of Todd trying to get my attention all night.
“I’ve got to get back to my table now,” he said. Then he did something terrible. He handed me a second piece of cake.
“Oh, thanks,” I said. But I didn’t think I could eat two pieces of cake.
“It’s for Mint,” he said. “Does she eat cake?”
I didn’t even answer that question, because I didn’t even care.
“Thanks,” I said. “You’d better go. My dad is coming back.”
“He can know that we’re friends, can’t he?” Todd asked.
But if he knew we were friends, he might eventually suspect that we were more than friends. Which we most definitely were. We passed each other notes all the time. And we’d held hands. Twice.
1) Before lunch two weeks ago.
2) After lunch one week ago.
“He’s taking an important business call,” I said. “Next time?”
“Okay,” Todd said. “I’ll text you later.”
“Cool,” I said. Then I waved.
And as soon as Todd left, I inhaled Mint’s piece of cake. There was no way I was going to let Todd give my crazy cousin a slice of his grandparents’ anniversary cake. No. Way. But then I realized that I didn’t want to have to explain who had brought me my own piece of cake. So I ate that one too. And then I stashed the empty plates on a nearby table whose occupants had just left. By the time my parents got back, I was feeling very full and extremely energized.
“My mom is having an amazing honeymoon,” Mint said. “She and Clark just visited the Colosseum.”
Gag. I’d heard of the Colosseum in fourth grade. It was a place where crowds gathered to watch gladiators fight vicious animals to the death, like tigers, elephants, lions, bears, and ostriches. What a rotten place to visit on your honeymoon.
“Aren’t you going to eat more crab?” my mom asked, pointing to the big orange shell on the platter that I had not touched.
“I’m good,” I said. I turned around and sneaked
“It’s my mom!” she said, cheerfully placing her phone next to her head. “She said she’d phone me as soon as the ship got to their port in Italy.”
I turned to my mom. “Shouldn’t she take that call in the lobby?” My mom couldn’t stand it when people talked on their cell phones at the table.
My mom motioned to Mint. “Follow me up front.”
Mint and my mom weaved their way around people’s tables and turned a corner, out of view. I was just about to tell my dad that I could not stand Mint when his phone started to buzz.
“I need to take this,” he said, getting up.
Sitting alone at the table with two dead crabs wasn’t ideal. Because, in addition to looking like dead crabs, they smelled like dead crabs. So I just decided to breathe half as much as normal and stare at the saltshaker until my family returned. But then something unexpected happened. I felt a person tap me on the shoulder. And when I turned around I was shocked to see Todd.
“Hi, Lane,” Todd said.
I felt my face blush. He looked very dressed up in khaki pants and a cute sweater. Why was he here?
“I didn’t know you came to this restaurant,” he said. “My family is celebrating my grandparents’ anniversary.”
I blinked at him in disbelief.
“We’re over there,” he said.
I followed the aim of his finger to a crowded table filled with the remains of a big white cake.
“I brought you a piece,” he said, handing me a small dish loaded with a slice of heavily frosted cake.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention all night,” he said.
My heart raced very quickly when I heard this. I loved the idea of Todd trying to get my attention all night.
“I’ve got to get back to my table now,” he said. Then he did something terrible. He handed me a second piece of cake.
“Oh, thanks,” I said. But I didn’t think I could eat two pieces of cake.
“It’s for Mint,” he said. “Does she eat cake?”
I didn’t even answer that question, because I didn’t even care.
“Thanks,” I said. “You’d better go. My dad is coming back.”
“He can know that we’re friends, can’t he?” Todd asked.
But if he knew we were friends, he might eventually suspect that we were more than friends. Which we most definitely were. We passed each other notes all the time. And we’d held hands. Twice.
1) Before lunch two weeks ago.
2) After lunch one week ago.
“He’s taking an important business call,” I said. “Next time?”
“Okay,” Todd said. “I’ll text you later.”
“Cool,” I said. Then I waved.
And as soon as Todd left, I inhaled Mint’s piece of cake. There was no way I was going to let Todd give my crazy cousin a slice of his grandparents’ anniversary cake. No. Way. But then I realized that I didn’t want to have to explain who had brought me my own piece of cake. So I ate that one too. And then I stashed the empty plates on a nearby table whose occupants had just left. By the time my parents got back, I was feeling very full and extremely energized.
“My mom is having an amazing honeymoon,” Mint said. “She and Clark just visited the Colosseum.”
Gag. I’d heard of the Colosseum in fourth grade. It was a place where crowds gathered to watch gladiators fight vicious animals to the death, like tigers, elephants, lions, bears, and ostriches. What a rotten place to visit on your honeymoon.
“Aren’t you going to eat more crab?” my mom asked, pointing to the big orange shell on the platter that I had not touched.
“I’m good,” I said. I turned around and sneaked
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