Oh, to be seventeen. “One, stop being so dramatic. I was thinking that you remind me of my best friend. She had this thing for this ultra-popular hockey player when she was a sophomore. He was a senior so she thought she didn’t have a chance. She didn’t do anything about it, and he went off to college.”
She rotated so her cheek lay against the book. “That’s the most depressing story ever, but thank you.”
“Not really. Turns out he’d had a thing for her all along.”
She sat up and leaned in. “Really? What happened?”
“They met up again when they were in college, and they’re madly in love. Like off-the-charts kind of love. They’ve been together over a year now.”
Her gaze flickered toward Grady.
“See, it’s possible, so don’t be so hard on yourself. Stop letting where you think you rank, or anyone’s opinion define you. You’ll be a hell of a lot happier once you do.” I sorted the mail and started to work on the next week’s schedule.
“What, like you’re happy?” she fired back, working on the next problem.
“With who I am? Not yet, but I’m realizing that I might not ever be. I am a glorious work in progress, Avery. Stand back, I may spontaneously combust at any moment.” I winked at her.
“And the tears?”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, well…sometimes love is just…complicated.”
She glanced at Grady and let out a dramatic sigh. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
I hid my smile a little better as I turned on the computer to fire up Excel. “Hey, have you had any luck on our computer problem?”
Her eyes lit up. “They’re all looped, each one responsible for the other, so I just need to find the one origin email that began the chain. But I can tell you that they all originated in Colorado.”
Fucking Harrison. “Thanks, Avery. I really appreciate it.”
She shrugged with an impish grin. “I like doing it.”
A weight clanged to the ground, and Grady bounced on one foot. “You okay?” I called out.
“Grady, you all right?” Avery said at the same moment.
He turned scarlet and picked up the small dumbbell. “Yeah, all good.”
I didn’t miss the way his eyes dropped away from Avery when he picked up the weight. Interesting. He quickly retreated to the locker room.
I finished the next month’s schedule quickly and printed it as Grady walked out of the locker room, his black backpack slung over his shoulder. “Is that the same backpack he uses for school?”
“Yep,” she popped the P. “He brings it to every class.”
“Okay, well, I’m done here. You good with your homework?” I stood in a hurry.
“Yeah, I think I’m getting it.”
“Sounds good!” I said and nearly ran to the front entrance, throwing open the glass door with more energy than I’d had in the last four days.
Grady stood two cars over, digging through his backpack, muttering about his car keys. Perfect. I snuck over, quiet as I could be, until I was only a foot away from his back.
“Hiya, Grady!” I squeaked.
He jumped, losing the grip on his backpack. It hit the pavement, spilling open. Dozens of pencils rolled under the car.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Let me help you with these.” I picked up all the pencils but pocketed one without him noticing. “You like pencils, huh?”
“No problem, Miss Samantha. And…uh…yeah.” He stood, his face flushed, and damn-near raced to get in his car.
Once he had peeled out of the parking lot, I skipped back into the gym. “What are you doing back?” Avery asked.
I leaned over the front of the counter and grabbed the fine-tip permanent marker. A few seconds later, I’d scribed the word Homecoming? along the shaft. “Give this to him when he asks for a pencil tomorrow.”
She took the pencil and scoffed. “Yeah, right.”
“Woman to woman, trust me. You’re not his office supply store.”
A faint hope sparked in her eyes, and I smiled. First love was so freeing, like the first wing beats of a baby bird on its fall from the nest.
It was the messy, quasi-adult kind of love that plucked your feathers until you fell from the sky.