Better Off Friends

how annoyed were you that I was going to the dance with


someone else?

Infinity.





C H A P T E R S E V E N T E E N


It’s funny how quickly your opinion of a dance can change.

I always thought the idea of a winter dance was silly. It

was only three months after homecoming and three months

before prom — did we really need another reason to fret over

dates, dresses, and the drama that follows such occasions?

But when a cute college guy asked me to go? Well, who was

I to stand in the way of tradition? Plus, we all know how

much I loved my distractions.

Alex took me out to eat the weekend before the dance. It

was a nice change to have a guy pick me up instead of my

having to constantly take Levi around. While I was more

than happy to help him out, it was still a chore.

I kept glancing over my menu at Alex. He was only a couple inches taller than me, but he was lean, with broad

shoulders, dark hair, and dark eyes — almost the exact opposite of Levi. I couldn’t understand why he would want to hang

out with me, a high school girl.

“Hey.” Alex smiled at me. “Do you remember when we were

little and we went up to Door County with our moms?”

259

My heart warmed at the memory. Our moms had been

really close. So, in a way, Alex was my first guy friend. My

warm-up to Levi.

“Yes, but as I remember, you weren’t that excited to be

hanging out with a girl. Ew!” I scrunched up my face.

“That’s because I was an idiot.”

I did remember that week in Door County when I was six

and Alex was eight. We’d gone swimming, went for walks

among the cherry trees, and picked our own cherries — our

hands and mouths stained red, our bellies full.

“I remember your mom had this huge hat.” He held his arms out wide. “That hat was epic.”

That hat. I can still picture her in that black and white striped hat. It flopped nearly over her shoulders.

“Well, Mom and I have the same pasty white skin tone.

Don’t you remember how burned I got?”

“Yes!” He shook his head. “Your mom took you outside and

sprayed you with vinegar.”

“That stung so much! But it was better the next day.” I’d

smelled for a bit, but once the vinegar had evaporated from

my skin, it hadn’t been so awful. “Mom had some strange

home remedies, but they worked.”

Alex looked at me thoughtfully. “Is it okay that we talk

about her?”

“Of course.” I knew it would be a disservice if I didn’t celebrate the time I’d had with her.

At least that was the attitude I tried to have. I still would

have my moments when I’d get sad. But I would’ve been worried if that hadn’t happened.

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Alex got quiet. “I’m sorry we didn’t hang out much after.”

Alex’s mom had joined the parade of casseroles after the

funeral. She’d come by every now and then to check up on me,

but then life happened. People got busy.

A smile spread across his face. “I do remember being

shocked the first time I saw you freshman year. It was like,

‘Is that little Macallan Dietz? She’s all grown up!’ ”

I recalled passing Alex in the hallway a few times, and

how we’d smile and say hi to each other. But the first time

we’d had a real conversation in years was when he spotted me

in line at the grocery store.

Alex continued. “And then I couldn’t believe you had that

boyfriend. What was his name — Lewis?”

“Levi?”

“Yeah, Levi. He’s a great runner. But of course, if your

relationship ended badly, he’s the devil.” I had to hand it to

Alex — he understood girls very well.

“No, nothing really ended.” A look of concern flashed on

Alex’s face. “Because we never dated. We’re just friends. Well,

not just friends. He’s my best friend. He has been for almost five years.” Give or take a few months of cold feet and cold shoulders.

“Oh.” Alex looked confused.

I was honestly so tired of this conversation that I looked

down at the menu and pretended to be really interested in

the specials listed.

“Do you know what you want to get?” Alex asked. Probably

also grateful to change the subject.

“I think so. Do you want to get cheese curds to start?”

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He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Yuck. I know, how very

un-Wisconsin of me, but I don’t like those things.”

“Oh, okay.”

“But feel free to get some.”

Usually, Levi and I would split the appetizer, so it would be

too much for only me. Even if I did like my fried cheese.

Alex reached into his pocket for his phone. “Sorry — I keep

getting texts from my buddies. They’re giving me grief for

going back to my high school for a dance.” He scrolled down

his messages, occasionally groaning. “Something about rob—

bing the cradle. How original.”

I wasn’t going to lie and say I hadn’t wondered the same

thing. Why would he want to go back to attend a high school