The Summer I Became a Nerd

#18

“Found it! Let’s go.” I tug on Logan’s shirt sleeve then kind of crab-walk/crawl toward the exit until I’m sure I’m out of

Terra’s line of sight.

He gives me a weird look but doesn’t acknowledge my crazy behavior. “So where to now? You said you wanted to go to the shop,

right?” He holds the door open for me and Vera.

“Uh.” I glance over my shoulder just to be sure Terra isn’t following.

And there she is standing in front of Barbie’s desk, holding her phone and giving me a I-think-I’m-glad-to-see-you smile. I try

to smile back, but it’s weak, like she just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar.

Logan doesn’t notice the quick exchange between Terra and me because he’s keeping an eye on Vera as she crosses the parking lot.

Without looking back, he reaches down and takes my hand, leading me out the door. The part of me that wants to squeal at the

little gesture is quickly tucked away by the part of me that’s flailing because, “Oh my God, Terra just saw me holding hands

with a boy she doesn’t know exists.”

We climb into the car, and Logan cranks it. “I forgot about something.” He digs in the glove box, then pulls something out. He

holds the NerdCon pass up by the end of its purple string. It dangles there, mocking me.

The brightness of his smile makes me take the pass. “Oh… I’d forgotten, too.” I laugh nervously, but he’s too busy beaming to

notice.

“So, the shop?” Logan asks.

“Aw, come on, do we have to?” Vera whines.

“Vera, if Maddie wants to—”

“No, it’s okay,” I say. “You know what, I should really be getting home.”

“Are you sure? Vera really doesn’t mind going to the shop, do you, Veer?”

She just huffs and rolls her eyes.

I put a hand over my stomach and grimace. “I’m not feeling so great all of a sudden, actually. Too much burrito, maybe.”

He takes a breath like he’s about to say something but then let’s it out like he just gives up. “Okay.”

We don’t say much during the drive home. Even Vera is quiet, like she can feel the uncomfortable weight that has settled over us,

too.

If this was an alternate timeline or maybe a galaxy far, far away, I might have the guts to tell him the truth. But this isn’t.

This is the galaxy where Madelyne Jean Summers is a liar and a wuss, end of story, thanks for watching, roll the credits.

I twist and untwist the purple string of the NerdCon pass as we drive through town. I’m doing it again. I’m screwing everything

up. I can’t let Logan believe I’m going with him to the convention. It’s not right.

Dusk is coming on fast when we pull up at my house. Logan turns off the car and picks at the steering wheel where the plastic

covering is peeling away.

“I can’t go to the con with you,” I blurt out.

He shakes his head, a mixture of disbelief and frustration written all over his face. “Why? You practically fought me for that

pass and now you can’t go? And what happened back there at the bowling alley? Everything was fine, and then we get in the car,

and all of a sudden, you’re ready to go home? I just don’t get it, Maddie.”

“Nothing happened. I had a really good time. I just… I promised to do something else that night and forgot about it. Really.”

“It’s fine.” He crosses his arms and flops back in his seat. “Maybe next year.”

“Yeah, next year.” I nod so fast, my head kind of hurts. “I’m totally going next year.”

I throw my purse strap over my shoulder and tell Vera bye, then turn to Logan. I want to hug him or kiss him on the cheek or

something, but he looks like he’s about to ask more questions I don’t want to answer, so I settle for, “Bye, Logan. Thanks for

today.”

I scramble out of the car and go inside. As I watch him drive away through the screen door, I realize I’m still wearing his

socks. Maybe I’ll give them a home with the Phoenix bag. Then I smack my forehead because I don’t have the bag anymore. It’s

currently in my notebook which Logan has.

In all my giddiness over the date and the disaster of seeing Terra, I forgot that the most damning evidence of my secret identity

now resides in the glove box of a boy who may or may not hate my guts after how crappy I acted on our first date.

At that thought, I turn and stomp up the stairs. Mom is at the top, wanting to know how the date went.

“Fine,” I say pitifully. I can’t even muster the energy to lie convincingly anymore.

I go in my room and close the door. Leaning against it, I let my head fall back and stare at my popcorn ceiling. Terra’s going to

be mad when she figures out what she saw. Logan is probably already mad. Eric’s going to freak out when he finds out who I dumped

him for.

Crappity-crap-crap.