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“Any kind with bacon,” I say before putting on earphones to sample a just-released CD. This forces Dave to stop with the questioning. I listen and watch him wander; he looks a little lost without me to talk to. As I’m trying to figure him out it hits me: He hasn’t figured himself out yet. Trying to act casual, he strolls down a couple of aisles before he ends up near the stairs that lead to the second level. I watch him pause, turn, and gesture that he’s going up, coincidentally to the beat of the song playing in my ears. I nod, then point to my ears to tell him I’m going to keep listening. When he disappears from view, I feel free: I hum along and tap my thumbs on the CD cover I’m holding. The title track ends and a ballad begins, and someone taps on my shoulder. I turn around to find Sean in dark jeans and a black shirt, his hair wilder than usual. He looks at me excitedly; he’s holding the same CD in his hands.
I rip the earphones from my ears.
“Hi!” I say, wide-eyed and smiling.
“Hi,” he says back, looking almost as happy to see me as I am to see him. “It’s good, isn’t it?” he says, pointing to the CD case.
“Amazing.” I nod before casually glancing in the direction of the stairs.
Sean takes a step toward me and looks into my eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about you all weekend,” he says. “I wanted to call you, but I didn’t know if your mom would answer…. I can’t believe we just ran into each other like this.”
Another nervous glance at the stairs.
“I know,” I say. “It’s crazy.”
“Want to get coffee or something?”
Another glance, and this time, he notices.
“Are you here with someone? Is it your mom?”
“No,” I say. “I mean, yes, I’m here with someone. No, it’s not my—”
“Hey, Kelly,” Dave says as he walks up from the opposite direction. I see signs for an elevator over his head; of course he would come down that way. Dave stops right next to me, a little too close.
“What’s up, Chancellor,” Sean says. “Popular place.”
“Guess so.” Dave looks at me. “Are you ready to go?”
Even though I only glance at Sean, I see it: unfiltered jealousy. His eyes have clouded over; his dark eyebrows are knitted together like he’s ready to take down the villain on his superhero planet. Except it’s possible that right now the villain is me.
“You two came here together?” he asks, just to be sure. He looks at my dress accusingly.
“Yep,” Dave says, stepping closer to me as if to mark his territory. I want to shove him away, but I think better of it. Mom’s letting us date. It’s a step in the right direction. If I mess this up, she’ll never let us do it again.
And besides, Ella would kill me.
“I’m ready,” I say. Dave turns to lead me out of the store. I put back the CD, and take a step away from Sean. “See you in class,” I say quietly. There’s nothing else to say.
Apparently, Sean agrees; he turns and walks away.
eleven
“Tell me about it again,” Ella says at breakfast Monday morning. I wish she’d be more sensitive: She knows that the date ended with Dave and me running into Sean. The thought makes me sick.
“El, I told you everything yesterday when I got home,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Twice.” I’m still in pajamas; Mom was out running errands when I got up.
“You might’ve forgotten something,” she says. “Let’s just go over it again. I’m going to see him in less than an hour!”
Though I’m sure she knows the date backward and forward already, right down to little facts like the way he watched the entire movie with just his left foot up on the armrest in front of him, but not his right, I tell her again between bites of cereal, swallowing hard every time Sean enters my mind. Betsey must know what I’m thinking, because she chimes in when I pause too long—she’s already memorized the details, too.
“But he didn’t try to kiss you?” Ella asks when I’m finished. “Just the hug?” She looks a little defensive. Jealous. And why wouldn’t she be? Someone who looks just like her stole her movie date.
“Just the hug,” I reassure her.
“Show me how he did it,” Ella says, standing from the table. She moves tentatively like she’s not sure her twisted ankle is going to support her: It does. I look at her with my mouth open.
