You must have coached him in the ways of charm. Sounds like he’s become a Levi apprentice.
My hand flies to my head. I never would have said that in real life.
You think I’m charming?
Ryan Gosling wants his rizz back.
Leslie Knope wishes she could compliment like you.
Levi, you rainbow-infused space unicorn.
Kit, you clever land-mermaid. Your heart is even more perfect than your face.
Try not falling for a guy who misquotesParks & Reclike that.
It’s Thursday night, which means I’m at the Flooders game. Levi is all over the field, catching balls and blocking passes, while I sit on the sideline, trying and failing to be as cool as the root beer float I’m finishing off. It’s impossible not to watch Dreamy Athlete Levi, but I’m working hard to keep my expression in check, lest the other girls remember to tease me mercilessly. “Kit’s drooling again,” Mia reported last week. Sophie always sings clever but mortifying songs. Even Ayumi smiles knowingly. I love my friends, but they pull me way out of my comfort zone—not sure I like it. As for the rest of the floor, so much gossip goes around about me. It doesn’t help that I offer zero explanation for why I refuse to date the most sought-after bachelor at our little school,but I don’t know why my thing with him is so interesting to everyone. There are plenty of other girls with a love interest who are actually doing something about it. I guess Levi and I are a strange pair. The prince and the pauper. The athlete and the nerd. The guy who wouldn’t date anybody and the girl who won’t date him.
“When that chem test beat ya up and stress ya, but ya see that Levi playin’, it remind ya of ya blessings,” Sophie raps.
I double over at that one. I love “Church Clap.” One of Sophie’s best lyric swaps.
The girls giggle as they try to recite the fast-paced verses and clap beneath their knees.
Clouds roll in, and the air crackles with foreboding. I shiver, despite the thick, warm air.
“Mamma Mia!” I call.
Arriving late, she sits with a flourish. I scooch to her, and she wraps an arm around me.
“What’s good, my friend?”
“How are you?” I ask at the same time.
“Chillin’ like a mango that hasn’t fallen.”
I spit out a laugh. “What?”
“My cousins taught me that one.” She grins. “It’s good, right?”
“It’s amazing. Are you coming tonight?”
“I’ll be there. Sorry it’s been a while. I got kinda outta control there for a minute.” She lowers her voice. “I met some guys. I kinda got a bad feeling though.”
I clench a fold of the blanket beneath me. I know how stories like this end.
“Girl, relax. Nothing happened. I’m just saying I was hanging out with them a bunch and now I’m not.”
“Oh.” I breathe again. “I’m glad the Spirit guided you.”
“Ya know, I hadn’t given him credit. Thanks for that.”
I hug her again. “So happy you’re here. It’s never the same without you.”
She beams until her brow furrows. “You wanna tell me why you looked like you saw a ghost when I said, ‘bad feeling’?”
Face forward, shake my head. Maybe she’ll let it lie.
I didn’t used to be like this. I used to ask my friends about everything, always wanting advice, someone to lean on.
