Tags:
YA),
Young Adult Fiction,
Young Adult,
teen,
teen fiction,
ya fiction,
ya novel,
young adult novel,
teen novel,
teen lit,
teen book,
teen reads,
ya book,
young adult book,
words & their meanings,
words and there meanings,
words & there meanings
out.â
Iâm pretty sure the whole neighborhood heard her squeal in delight. In fact, Iâm a little worried Mateo heard it, clear across town.
Got to love a drama queen, I suppose.
18
N at drives me home because running is not an option. Neither is walking, considering the quarter-size blisters I have on my heels. And the button-size ones on top of my toes.
âLetâs wait a few days to go through Joeâs room,â Nat says as she turns into my driveway. âIn the meantime, youâve got to call Mateo back.â
I start to protest but sheâs already reciting the lines she wants me to say.
âHey, Mateo,â Nat practically coos, âitâs Anna! Sorry I rushed off the phone this morning, I was in the middle of drying my hairâ (Nat flips hers as she says this). âAnyway, Iâm busy tonight, but I have a free afternoon tomorrow, if you want to go with me to see my best friendâs boyfriendâs soccer game. You know Nat, right? Sheâs the most fabulous friend in the universe, super talented and beautiful andââ
âOh, yeah.â I nod. âI am totally going to say all of that.â
Nat smiles and shoves me out the door before stalling the car, twice.
Once Iâm alone, I pull the phone from my pocket. Play hot potato with it. My blood is running flood-river style through my body right now. I decide Iâm not calling. Decide I am calling. Decide heâs probably figured out Iâm a hot mess. Decide I need to know if this is true.
He picks up on the first ring.
âHi,â I say, too fast to hang up.
Silence. I pick a frayed thread on my shorts.
âHi?â I try again.
âYeah, Iâm here,â Mateo replies. âJust had to double-check who was calling, because after this morning, I didnât think Iâd be hearing from you.â
I set my jaw. This was a bad idea.
âBut Iâm glad,â he adds. âThat you called.â
âYeah, well.â I stall as much as Dolores. âEven though you ate way more banana split than I did last night, I figure I either owe you six dollars or can drag you to watch my friend Natâs boyfriend play soccer tomorrow, where I can pay six dollars for you to experience the concession standâs equally enticing hot dogs and fake-buttered buckets of popcorn.â
âYouâve got a weird sense of balancing out a debt,â Mateo says. I can tell his dimple is showing.
âWell, I know itâs slummingââ I cough to cover up my faux pas. Itâs not that I assume Mateo lives in a ghetto, itâs just, well, us township kids arenât well versed in his area of town. And vice versa.
âHow do you know I havenât already experienced those delicacies?â he asks. I twist a chunk of hair around and around until my finger turns purple.
âDo you play travel soccer?â
âNo.â
âDo you have friends that play travel soccer? At the field on my side of town?â
âYour side of town?â
âThatâs not what I meant.â
âUh-huh. Iâve never been to this snack shack of yours, so how about I pick you up tomorrow and allow you the pleasure of introducing my fine palette to such preservative-rich treasures.â
I canât help laughing.
âYou sound ridiculous when you talk like that,â I say after snorting.
âHow do you know this is not how I carry on a normal conversation?â His words come out like a slow current.
âI just do,â I say, trying to match his tempo.
Daily Verse:
You can always count on me to be just yapping away.
19
I opt for a thin purple (pre-Patti, to appease Mom) long-sleeve shirt, cut-off jean shorts, black Converse high-tops, and three leather cords draped around my neck. The one hanging closest to my twined gold key has swirling glass beads on each side of a Celtic cross. The designs carved into the metal used to be tinted
Maggie Brendan
Barbara O'Connor
Jan Washburn
Terri Blackstock
Norah Simone
Barry Kemp
G.P. Taylor
Alan Cumyn
Linda Barnes
Lisa Jackson