I shrug.
“Girl…” Simone looks at me like she’s telling me she’s not stupid and she knows me better than that.
“Fine,” I say, flopping on my back, holding my phone in front of me to type back a response. “I maybe…might…like him…a little. I don’t know.”
Simone and Harper squeal in unison.
“Y’all are so annoying!”
Simone shoves me playfully. “Listen, we’re just happy for you. I mean, I was starting to think you might be a lesbian, which, hey,” she says, raising her hands, “no judgment, totally support you either way. I was just starting to wonder why you never talked about any boys. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you even have a crush on someone before.”
“Yeah, well, that’s because boys are a lot to deal with.”
“How would you know?” Katie asks. “You’ve never talked to or dated one.”
I roll my eyes. “I listen to all of you enough to know boys suck; they’re so immature, and just play with girls’ emotions.”
Harper nods. “True.”
“Hey, not all of them are like that,” Simone says defensively.
“Okay, Tyler is the exception. You two will probably be that kind of young love that actually makes it and gets married one day.”
“And Eli could be the exception, too,” she tells me.
“Eh, I don’t know. I don’t know him well enough yet. I mean, I feel like we literally talk about everything already, and he’s so sweet…but…we’re just an odd pair, don’t you think?”
Harper shakes her head. “No, I think you two weirdly work. You would be so perfect together. The high school football star and the black cat,” she says, laughing. “You’re so opposite that it’s cute.”
“Yeah, and if he’s giving you this much attention,” Katie says, “you need to lock him down. Every girl at school wants to date him.”
I scrunch my nose up. “I don’t know if I want that kind of attention.”
“Let them hate. They’re just jealous you’re prettier than them and cooler and a bad bitch.”
“Simone…I am definitelynota bad bitch,”
“The baddest bitch I know,” she says with pride in her voice.
We all laugh, and I realize I haven’t responded to his text yet. “Crap…what do I say back?”
“Here, give me your phone,” Harper says. “I’ll reply for you.”
I give her a suspicious look, and she gives me a pointed one back, reaching her hand out in a ‘give me’ motion. I toss my phone over to her, and she barely catches it.
“Let me work my magic,” she says, hovering her fingers over the phone like she’s thinking. “Eli, love of my life, I would love to—”
“Stop!” I yell at her, laughing.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Okay, okay…let’s go with something laid-back, not too eager-sounding. How about ‘Sure, I think I can squeeze you in’?”
I shake my head, not being able to come up with anything better, and then sigh. “Okay, fine,” I huff. “Hit send.”
She does and then tosses it back to me.
“I love this for you,” Simone says, running her fingers through my hair.
I think I love it too, but it’s kind of scary. I’ve never felt like this before.
