“Ideas on how I can translate that skill to the football field?” Austin asks.
“You’d better keep me at kicker,” I say. “I’ll see if I can find someone to teach me.” I cringe. I walked right into that.
Everyone at the table turns to Levi. Haymitch tips his chair back to arc a napkin ball at him. Mia snorts. Austin raises brows at Levi, who smiles charmingly at me. Sophie hasn’t made a teasing remark. She’s studying Austin.
Quick, someone else in the spotlight. “Mia, what position are you playing?”
My change of subject is successful, and I can settle back in my seat. Levi sends me a wink, and my heart flutters. Lessons with him would be a blast. Might even be worth the horror of all those eyes on me every week, and that’s saying something.
When the food arrives, Blake places a funny face pancake in front of me. I politely remind him that I didn’t order anything, and he gives a far-fetched reply. There was an extra and I don’t need to pay? I turn to Levi. He knows about that particular childhood memory. He’s half smiling but refuses to meet my gaze, cutting his Belgian waffle and strawberries with refinement. Sweet Levi. When he glances over later, I mouthThank you. He pretends to have no idea what I’m talking about but those playful eyes say otherwise.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A few days later,I find Sophie in the suite and tap her foot resting on the coffee table. “Hey, girl. Any change in the Leo situation?”
She lowers her phone with a Tigger-worthy sitting bounce. “Totally. Funny you should ask. He’s been acting super weird, but like, in a good way.”
This is Levi’s work. Who could do better than Mr. Charming himself?
I sit cross-legged on the sofa. “Tell me more!”
“Okay so, we have a lot of our classes in the same building, and I pass him a bunch walking around. There was like a phase one, and for a couple days he would sorta-kinda smile at me, but it was more like this.”
I laugh at her exaggerated grimace.
“After that, he waved at me for a few days. I was kinda mad athim still, but the waves were nice, so I started waving back a couple days into phase two.”
It’s weird that Sophie has been sitting on this information. “Your narration is amazing. Go on.”
“Phase three was he would stop and say exactly one sentence. Like, ‘It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?’ and ‘Have a good class.’ But he never waited long enough for me to say something back. He would just walk away super-fast, like he was nervous.”
“Nervous is a great sign.”
“Right? It’s like he’s trying to convince me, and he won’t stop long enough to see I’m totally in already.” Signature Sophie-clapping.
I mirror her. “I’m so excited!”
She hugs me. “Me too. Thanks for asking.”
“What’s going to be phase four?” I ask.
“Maybe he’ll actually let me answer him!”
We giggle.
“You can witness it tonight, I bet, or sometime this week,” she says.
It’s Spirit Week at Mayberry, which means there are school-wide traditions for days. Car Cram is tonight. Apparently each floor tries to fit as many of their residents as possible into an old VW Bug. Other days we’ll have root beer floats, a homemade-boat derby at the pond, roller skating—G1 and Flooders are dressing up 80s-style this year—and other fun nonsense. We’ll be seeing even more of the Flooders this week than usual.
Sophie bursts into song. This time it’s “Sunday Best” by Surfaces. I chime in and sing with her.
Before I think hard enough about it, I send off a text to Levi.
You’ve achieved hero status.
A quick reply.
I have a bad feeling Hiccup earned that praise instead.
