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Her fingers freeze as her eyes look up at me. “That’s not how I said it.”
“But it’s what you meant.” I smile.
“Fine.” She closes the laptop, folding her arms over it and leaning over to the table, so our faces are just inches away. “If that’s what you want to think, you can think that.”
“I don’t think. I know.”
“Funny, I never knew you were this egotistical.”
“It’s not ego.” I raise an eyebrow. “When are you just gonna admit it?”
“Admit what?”
“That you like me.” I lean closer. “Because I like you.”
There, I said. I’m ninety-nine percent sure she likes me, but now it’s out there, so she knows for sure. No questions on the table about how I feel.
I watch her as her emotions seem to play out over her face. The slight blushing of her cheeks tells me she’s nervous, but her eyes roam from mine to my mouth, then back up. She bites her bottom lip, as a calmness seems to settle over her.
“Fine. I do like you, Matt. Are we done now?”
“What? No. Go to prom with me?”
“What?” She flinches.
My request catches me off guard too. I didn’t expect myself to ask her that, but I can’t pass it up. I like her. I want to go out with her. And I want to take her to prom.
“Go to prom with me, Izzy.”
She stares at me, and everything on her face looks like she wants to say yes. That she’s going to say yes. Then she shakes her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because, Matt. You’re not comfortable with being who you really are, and that’s not okay with me. I wish I didn’t feel like that, but I do.”
I nod, looking down at the table. I can’t blame her. And as much as I want to be mad at the rejection, I can’t be. She’d go with me if I could just man up and be who I really am. But I can’t. Or maybe I don’t want to. I don’t know. What I can do is try to win her over, even if she won’t do prom with me.
“Okay,” I finally say. “You do owe me though.”
“For what?”
“For telling my secret.”
She looks at the table. “Fine. What’s the price? And don’t say prom.”
As bummed out as I am about the denied prom date, a smirk crosses my lips. I know something else I want. “You saw my nerd lair. I think it’s only fair I get to see yours.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“That’s the price.”
The bell rings for the end of lunch, but neither of us moves. I keep my eyes locked on hers, as she seems to try and stare me down to make me change my mind. After a full minute of silently daring to back off, she finally slumps her shoulders.
“Fine.”
“Awesome.” I jump up from the table. “Text me your address and I’ll GPS it. I’ll bring something to eat. Maybe we can make dinner and a movie out if it.”
“You are so funny,” she answers back without an ounce of humor in her voice.
“Yeah, I know.” I give her a grin, before walking away.
