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“Did I shake my head?” Payton laughs with me. “I don’t know why I did. It’s seriously cool, and I completely understand.”
“Awesome.” I clap my hands together. God knows why. “Who are you shopping for?”
“Delilah.”
“Oh! I didn’t realize you two were that close.” Am I jealous? What the actual fuck, Marjorie? Chill out. “That’s cool.”
Payton shrugs. “We’re not super close, but I thought it would be nice. What about you?”
“Just my brother and sister. I never know what to get those two idiots.”
“I guess we better start looking then, huh?”
The air seems to get less thick around us as we begin to shop and soon all of that initial weirdness is gone. Once we have our gifts bought, I look at my phone and find that it’s already 6:30. No wonder my stomach is doing this weird flipping thing. “I can’t stay out super late because I need to get sleep for my game, but do you want to get dinner?”
“Only if we can get those burgers we got last time. Those were heavenly.”
I smile wide, because everything about that sounds perfect. “You’re speaking my language.”
“So, what’s it really like at Griffin Hill?” I ask when we are at dinner. “I feel like you never really talk about school.”
“There’s not much to say. It’s school. I go, and I learn. Then I come home. Or go to work.”
I take another bite of my burger and chew it down before speaking again. “What are your friends like?”
Payton stares down at her burger, and I worry that I struck a nerve. “You pretty much know all of them. My classmates are just that. Classmates. I don’t really hang out with them outside of school.”
“That’s so crazy to me. You’d be so popular at Capital Creek. You’re pretty. You’re nice. Easy to talk to. My friends would love you.” I stop there because I feel like I’m starting to ramble.
Payton’s face turns that same light shade of red that it did at the mall. “You’re just saying that to be nice.”
“I would never say something just to be nice.”
Payton laughs and gives me a doubtful smile. “Oh, come on. You’re Marjorie Madden. You’re, like, the nicest person I know.”
“Really?” I don’t know why this information makes my whole body warm up, but it does.
“Yeah.” Payton’s response is soft and almost breathless. We stare at each other silently before Payton looks down at her watch. “We better finish these burgers. You need to rest for your game.”
“Speaking of my game…” I take a deep breath as if I’m about to ask a girl to prom or something. “I know Capital Creek is your rival, but any chance you would want to come to my game tomorrow?”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I point to her sweatshirt. “Just don’t wear that.”
“Maybe you could bring something for me that I can wear.”
When I realize I’m wearing my Capital Creek Basketball hoodie, I take it off and wave it at Payton. “Trade me.”
She points to her sweatshirt. “You want to wear this?”
“Only because I was an idiot and didn’t wear a coat in the middle of winter, so I’ll freeze if I don’t.”
“Wouldn’t want that.” Payton takes off her hoodie and hands it to me, grabbing mine at the same time.
When we say goodbye, I do give her a hug and I don’t let myself overthink it, especially since it feels much better to be in her arms than it probably should.
As soon as I’m in my car, my phone starts to ring with a call from Lydia. “What’s up, bestie?”
