“I’m sorry,” I say as I straighten a stack of business cards on the counter just for something to do. “I didn’t realize we’d be busy.”
“We’ve been much busier lately, especially with the new book selection, and it’s very hard to run this place by myself, Natalie.”
Her nostrils flare and I know she could go on griping at me, but a woman comes up to ask her a question about the handmade glass vases. I take the opportunity to leave the counter and I wander around the store saying hello to customers and straightening up the merchandise. As much as I’d loved having frozen yogurt with Jonah, now I’m regretting it a little bit. I had no idea we’d be this busy, but people tend to stay in stores longer when it’s raining outside. I should have thought of that.
Still. Mom should behappy, not pissed. We have customers! We’re making money. This is a good thing. And so what, even if she is mad at me. More customers mean Jack Brown can’t talk us into selling the store.
After we close the Magpie for the night, Mom seems to have gotten over her anger at me. We earned four hundred dollars today, which is a huge sales day for a Tuesday, which is usually one of our worst days. Mom seems happy about it as she counts the money from the register.
I want to tell her about my grades getting better, but I’m afraid that’ll make her think of tutorials again and then she’ll go back to being annoyed with me.
At home, I head up to my room and that’s when all of the stuff in my real life comes back to me. At work, it’s easier to shove aside thoughts of guys and dates because I have to focus on the store. But now, at nine o’clock on a school night, when my hair is wet from my shower, and there’s nothing to do but lie awake in bed, I start thinking about it all again.
Jonah made it pretty clear that we’re friends. That’s a good thing, I guess. I don’t need some stupid teenage love triangle between Caleb and Jonah—I just need to focus on one guy I like. I stare at my phone and pull up my text messages. Besides April, the last text I have is from Jonah. It was all the smiley faces he sent me for my test grade. Below that are texts from my mom, my aunt Sheryl, and Jessica from my chemistry class who wanted to know the password to ChemXLabs.
And even further down the list is Caleb’s name.ha ha. Be there to pick you up in five mins
I click on the message and send him a new one. He kissed me, and I want to get to the bottom of this. Does he like me or not?
Me:I’m sick of this rainy weather!
I turn on my television and flip through the channels as I wait for a reply. After twenty minutes, my phone beeps.
Caleb:me too. Fuckin sucked setting up for OL today.
It takes me minute to know what he’s talking about, but then I remember that Operation Lunch is tomorrow. Every year, the student council throws an outdoor lunch on campus to raise funds for whatever charity they’ve chosen this time. Local businesses donate pizzas and burgers and stuff that the school sells for charity, and we all eat outside and play games. I guess he had to set up the game booths today in the rain.
Me:That sucks
Caleb:tell me about it. I don’t know why they make the football team do it every year. We have a perfectly capable baseball, basketball, and soccer team. Smh
Me:haha…at least it’s for charity? You could put it on your college applications
Caleb:no need to suck up on applications. They all want me for football
I don’t know what to say back, so I decide to be the mysterious girl again and I leave him hanging. He doesn’t write back though, and I wonder if he finds me mysterious or just boring.
***
At lunch the next day, April and I meet up at her locker. Everyone is excited for Operation Lunch because a local pizza shop donated fifty macaroni and cheese pizzas in addition to the normal ones. April wants to try it out, so we get in the long line in front of the pizza food truck.
Luckily, yesterday’s bad weather went away last night and today is bright and sunny again with a cool breeze brought in from the storm.
“So I texted him last night,” I say, keeping my voice low so no one in line can overhear me.
“Which him?” April asks.
I give her a look. “There’s only one guy in my life.”
She tilts her head. “Technically there’s two, but you’re too scared to admit it.”
I’m not a violent person, but I get the sudden urge to stomp on her foot to make her shut up. Instead, I say, “I textedCaleb. He didn’t really seem too interested in talking to me.”
“He’s a dude,” she says with a shrug. “You have to lay it on thick to get a message across to them.” She folds her arms across her chest and looks out at the courtyard. I follow her gaze.
There he is. Caleb and his football friends are tossing around a football. The picnic benches that line the courtyard are filled with cheerleaders and other popular girls, who are picking at their food and watching the boys show off. Caleb’s right in the middle, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. He intercepts a football pass and holds the ball in the air, doing a victory pump.
I can’t believe he kissed me. A guy as popular as that, with gorgeous eyes and the perfect athlete’s build. I must look like I’m swooning pretty hard because April smacks me in the arm.
