Okay, so today is not a good day to ask. Obviously, with the attack in Texas, they would say no right off. But, I have until Saturday to get permission. There must be some way that I could get them to agree.
The bathroom door opens up and Teagan walks out in a pair of sweat pants and an old concert t-shirt. Her hair is up in a towel, and I’m not at all surprised that she still looks pretty, even in old clothes.
My phone vibrates again and I look at the screen.
BROOKS: So, I might have taken a nasty hit during football practice because I was thinking about you.
The words make me smile big.
“Are you texting Estaine?” Teagan asks.
I put my phone down without responding. “Why?”
“You’re smiling. I think Estaine likes you. Maybe you like him too. You two were both acting weird during lunch,” she says. “I just figured maybe you two kissed or something and it was awkward.”
“No. No kissing,” I say, but sit up. Teagan probably has a lot of experience with guys. “So… what does it mean if a guy tells you that he likes you and that he wants to hang out?”
“Um... that he likes you and wants to hang out,” she says, as she starts to comb through her long, blonde hair.
“I mean, I don’t want to read too much into it,” I say. “Like, what if I like this guy way more than he likes me?”
“That is just a risk you have to take,” she says, pausing in her hair brushing. She holds her hands on her lap. “Love is... exciting and fun. But it’s also unpredictable. Sometimes, you get your heart broken. Other times, you do the heart breaking. We’re young and we have plenty of time to find Prince Charming. Until then, we should enjoy kissing frogs.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I say, lying back against my pillow.
“Is Estaine who you’re hanging out with?” Teagan asks.
“No. I’m avoiding him,” I say.
“Then who is it?” she asks.
“I’m not ready to tell you, yet,” I say, grinning cryptically at her.
“Uh,” she says. “Phoenix, you are going to drive me crazy.”
“And I am going to enjoy every second of it,” I say.
She throws a pillow at me, but misses by a few feet. I just laugh, thinking that I couldn’t have been roomed with anybody better than Teagan.
“What about you?” I ask. “You’ve never told me who this mysterious guy is that you’ve been crushing on.”
“Okay, I see your point,” she says. “But this guy I’m crushing on doesn’t even know I exist. The guy you’re crushing on basically asked you on a date. If the guy I liked asked me on a date, I would be shouting it from the rooftops.”
She wouldn’t if he went to West Raven Academy. Which Brooks definitely does, so... for now, it’s my little secret.
Thursday, August 24
I’m not okay.
At lunch on Thursday, I sit down at a spot on the opposite side of Estaine.
I’m not sure what is worse, sitting beside him or directly in front of him. At least, when I sat beside him I could avoid looking at him. Now, he’s right in front of my face, and he’s looking at me. I can’t help but feel extremely guilty when I see him.
“Hey, Phoenix,” Estaine says to me.
“Hey,” I say, not looking him directly in the eye. Instead, I focus on his hair, loving how curly his dark hair is.
Estaine is a very attractive guy. I don’t understand why he doesn’t have a girlfriend. It’s not that girls here don’t like him, I know they do. Girls always try to flirt with him, but he just doesn’t seem to care, which only makes them try harder.
I wonder about his past girlfriends. He talked about one girl he dated, who no longer goes here, but that was two years ago. Who else has he dated at East Raven? What is his type?
Why do I even care?
“Can we talk?” he asks. “After school?”
“I’ve got soccer practice,” I say, thankful for an excuse.
“I have football practice,” he says. “I meant after that.”
“Maybe,” I say. “I have to call my uncle.”
Actually, I’ll probably talk to Jake, not Uncle Matty. And I’ll go in person. That way, if Jake says no, I can start crying. He will feel bad and he’ll have to let me go. At least, I hope that’s the case.
Teagan, who is talking to Emma, turns to look at me. She probably is listening to our conversation, but I ignore her watchful glance.
“After that,” Estaine says.
I am out of excuses.
Crap.
“Okay,” I say, nodding once. “I’ll come to your dorm after dinner.”
Still, I will try to find a way out of it.
“Sounds good,” Estaine says, smiling at me. “So, how is your cousin?”
At first, I’m confused. I hope it doesn’t show on my face, but Estaine is observant. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d caught me in yet another lie.
“Jake is good,” I answer. “A little sore, but he’s going to be fine.”
“That’s good,” Estaine says, never taking his eyes off me. “You were pretty freaked out yesterday.”
“Well, I didn’t know everything was okay yesterday, when I got that text from my uncle,” I say.
“Yeah,” he says, still watching me.
He doesn’t trust me.
I don’t blame him, because I wouldn’t trust me if I were him.
Estaine thinks I’m a liar.
He’s right.