“Oh, also, I can’t do Wednesday, either. I’ve got —”
“Something with the guys,” she talked over me, a bitter edge
seeping into her voice.
“Ah, yeah.” I took her menu away. “Look, I’m sorry I’ve been
preoccupied.”
“I get it.” I could tell she was hurt. She was used to me not having any plans. I couldn’t help it if the guys had me booked. I was a man in demand. “So will you be able to come to Adam’s birthday party?”
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“Isn’t that months away?”
“Wel , thought I’d get you to commit now. Even if you’ll probably cancel at the last minute.”
I decided to ignore the passive-aggressive comment.
Macal an picked up her soda and took a long sip. She paused for a second, then put the soda down and said, “So Keith asked me out again.”
“He did what?” I blurted loudly.
“Yeah, he came up to me yesterday after class.” She folded her
body over like she was a caveman. “You. Me. Date. Grunt. I said no.
Obviously.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She studied my face. “I texted you yesterday to call me, but alas, you didn’t get back to me. Shocking.” Her lips were pursed. I remembered getting her text, but it had been during practice. And while I shouldn’t have ignored her, she’d been sending a lot more texts than normal lately. It bordered on needy. “Besides, I would’ve thought he told you.”
“No, he didn’t. He knew I wouldn’t be okay with that. I’ve made it clear that you’re off-limits.”
“I’m off-limits?” she snapped. “What does that mean?”
“It’s just, like, you know . . .”
“No, I don’t know.” She pul ed the elastic out of her hair and
immediately put her hair up again, her hands working quickly. I could tell she was annoyed. She needed something to give her a few seconds to figure out what to say next. “You’re such a hypocrite.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
Disgust fil ed her voice. “It’s total y okay for you to get a whole 138
group of guy friends, but heaven forbid one of them wants to go out with me.”
She had completely lost me. “You want to go out with Keith?”
“No! This isn’t about Keith.” She looked down at the table. “Wel , at least someone in your group wants to spend time with me.”
This wasn’t like Macal an. She wasn’t the kind of person who felt sorry for herself.
“Do you want me to go over there” — I pointed to my table —
“and tell them I won’t hang out with them anymore. Is that what
you want?”
That familiar cold look started to creep over her face. “You know I don’t want that. And I’m sorry I want to spend some time with you.”
“Wel , we’ve got the summer.”
“That feels like it’s ages from now.”
I saw Daniel e approaching and got up. “But seriously, if you want to go out with Keith . . .”
She grimaced.
“Oi!” I cal ed out, knowing how to temper this situation. “Blimey if he don’t fancy him a sweetheart. Before ya know it, he’ll be bringing ’round roses and Bob’s your uncle.”
I waited for her to reply. She sat there stubbornly for a few
moments before she responded in a monotone, “But, Buggy, you’re
uncle’s name is Sam.”
I quickly turned on my heel. I figured it was best for me to leave her quoting Buggy and Floyd than to get in a fight.
Macal an and I didn’t real y fight. It wasn’t our thing.
But this felt like a fight.
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I was so busy with track, practicing bal , and studying for finals as our sophomore year came to an end. But I made a note to spend at least an entire day with Macal an as soon as school was over.
Now we had only one more day to go and then we’d be free.
As much as I loved my guys, I had started to miss Macal an. When I was with her, I didn’t have to always be on. Sure, she and I would trade barbs, but she was also the only person I could have a real conversation with. I thought if I got too deep with the guys, they’d think I was turning into a girl.
“Hey, you.” Macal an came up to me after school with Daniel e not far behind. “I’ve been texting you all week.”
“Hey!” I started shoving books in my backpack.
“Are you —”
“Rodgers!” Tim boomed. “You’re so going to pay for that stunt
in gym.”
“Good luck with that!” I shouted back. I turned back to Macal an.
“Sorry. What were you saying?”
She looked flustered. “I was wondering —”
“CATCH!” I heard Keith call out. I turned around and perfectly
caught the football he’d thrown.
“Mr. Simon, no throwing in the hal s,” a teacher reprimanded him.
“Sorry! Sorry!” Keith played bashful, until the teacher turned her back. “Nice work, California! We’ve got all summer to throw the pig-skin around.”
“I hear that.” We high-fived.
I final y realized Macal an was trying to tell me something. I looked around and couldn’t find her. I saw Daniel e up the hal way and went after her.
“Yo!” I cal ed out.
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