would get them in trouble, you’re most likely not imagining it.
How about when someone tel s you she’s hanging out with someone she used to have a crush on just to study, don’t believe her.
So true.
Or if your best friend says she’s going to a track meet solely to keep you company, you don’t assume she’s there to hit on another guy.
That was not why I went.
Who’s lying now?
I’m not lying. I can’t help it that my pale skin and sparkling charisma make me irresistible to men. What was I supposed to do, be rude?
Whatever.
C H A P T E R E I G H T
I thought having a girl best friend and a girlfriend would’ve given me some understanding of how the female mind worked.
Yeah, not so much.
Things became real y bizarre between me and Emily. She began
being extra enthusiastic around me. And any time I mentioned
Macal an’s name, she would laugh and then change the subject.
Macal an wasn’t much better. It used to be that whenever I mentioned Emily’s name, she’d smile. Now she winced.
A buddy of mine in Cali gave me his theory that they were both in love with me and fighting over me.
Yeah, right. Maybe if this was a dream.
I avoided talking about Macal an with Emily and vice versa. As
long as Emily didn’t come up, things were normal between Macal an and me. So I was looking forward to going to the high school’s
track and field meet with Macal an and Daniel e.
We sat in the bleachers with Macal an in the middle. She held up her hand to shield the sun from her eyes. “Glad I brought sunblock,”
she said before riffling through her bag and applying lotion to her face and arms. Macal an’s hair in the spring and summer was my
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favorite; in the sun it was almost bright red with an orange under-tone. But if we went inside it looked like it did in the fal .
She continued to squint. “Here, take my sunglasses,” I said. I had a hat on so at least the sun wouldn’t bother me as much.
“Oh!” Daniel e elbowed Macal an. “Look — Ian’s stretching.”
I couldn’t see Macal an’s reaction, but whatever it was made
Danielle laugh.
Who’s Ian? I thought. I looked over and saw some guy stretching his hamstrings and doing a quick jog with his knees up. Did Macal an know him? I didn’t remember her ever talking about an Ian.
I studied Ian. He was tall and skinny with dark hair that curled up at the ends. I guess he’d be considered handsome, if you liked
lanky guys. I mean, I could be considered lanky. So would I be
Macallan’s type?
He took to the starting line and was in the middle lane with seven other guys.
“What times are we looking for?” Macal an asked me. She didn’t
seem too interested in him. Maybe Daniel e was the one with the crush?
“I usual y do the four-hundred in fifty-five seconds. So, hopeful y, they’re around that time.”
The shot fired off and the runners began sprinting. I noticed that they held their chests out more than I do. I have a tendency to slouch when I run. Not good for speed.
Ian was in a close second, and as they rounded the final corner of the track, he sped up.
“GO, IAN!” Daniel e stood up and cheered. She grabbed Macal an
to join her.
“Could you be more embarrassing?” Macal an asked her.
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“Challenge accepted.”
Macal an waved her hands. “Never mind. I give in!”
They both cheered as Ian finished first by a hair. We waited for the official times to be announced. Ian finished in 50.82 — nearly four seconds faster than my best time. And while four seconds doesn’t seem like a lot of time, in track it might as well be four hours.
“How do you know Ian?” I asked as Macal an watched him
cool down.
“Oh, he came to . . .” She winced.
“He was at the New Year’s Eve party,” Daniel e finished for her.
“And he’s been asking about Macal an.”
“Oh.” I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that Macal an would have guys interested in her. And I had a girlfriend, so it would’ve been completely hypocritical of me to be jealous that she could potential y have a boyfriend.
I told myself I wasn’t jealous. Just protective.
Daniel e jumped up. “I’m going to get something to drink. And it so happens that I’ll need to walk right by Ian. Imagine that.”
Macal an groaned. “Have fun — not like I could ever stop you
from doing otherwise.”
“At least you understand your limitations.” Daniel e hopped
down the bleachers and leaned against the fence as she talked
to Ian.
“Is it too late to transfer schools next year?” Macal an asked.
“So, do you like him?” The words came out before I had a chance to stop them.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t real y know him that wel .
He’s cute.”
So he was Macal an’s type.
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“Wel . . .” I didn’t know what to say. I knew I should’ve been supportive about it, but it was making me uneasy. I decided to pretend she was one of my buddies back home. “Why don’t you invite him
out and we could go on a double date?”