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It’s internship day, which for me means swapping out the Welles jacket for the more formal gray one to match my suit pants. I’ve been helping to pull files together for a big financial case the firm is handling. My work is mundane, but I feel important. I only hope I can parlay it into law school. And maybe one day, far down the road, helping my dad earn back his right to vote.
“Hey, bro. This mood shift wouldn’t have anything to do with you spending time with Brooklyn lately, would it?”
I shrug.
“Maybe.”
It does.
I flatten myself on our floor to scan for my missing shoe, finding it halfway under my bed. I use my belt to loop it and drag it toward me then stand to dust off my pants. When I take a seat on my bed to finish getting ready, I’m hit with Theo’s mashed up lips and generally miserable expression. It’s hard to tell whether that’s meant for me or if he’s just moody. He’s like that.
“You all right, man?” I toss one of my shoes from one hand to the other then slip it my foot.
“You know she doesn’t date, right? I mean, anyone.” Yeah, that grimace was meant for me.
“Okay,” I say. This conversation is pointless. I’m not naïve. I know that whatever is happening with Brooky and me is transitory. It’s flirting, and it feels nice. And maybe it’s all I get, and that’s fine. I like how being around her makes me feel. I always have. Now, I just get that time one-on-one. I like to make her laugh.
I glance up to see Theo has moved closer, his hands dropped in his pants pockets and his head tilted like he’s my boss. I lean back on my palms and mimic his stare.
“Fuck, man. What’s your deal?” I sigh out.
“Cam, you date everybody. Sometimes twice. You have relationships that last days, sometimes hours, and leave girls so pissed at you because you like to fall in love and leave,” he accuses.
I sit up tall and point at him.
“That is a falsehood. I do not fall in love. Never have. Nobody can accuse me of that.”
Do I like affection? Uh, yeah. I love attention. It’s a greedy, selfish trait I have, but I’m fully aware of it. I’ve never made promises to any girl that I would be more than a good time. I’ve never been cruel. And I have learned something from every relationship, however brief they may have been.
“Fine, but Brooklyn is different. You know it, and I know it. You mess something up there and you’ll find yourself shipped off to be homeschooled or to one of those online high schools or some shit. And forget about getting into a good college. You’ll be blacklisted by her father so fast.”
I wave my hand and stand, turning my back to him while I tuck in my shirt and thread my belt. My gaze narrows on my twisted blanket, blurring while I soak in his words. He’s leaping to a lot of conclusions, improbable ones. Of course Brooky’s different. Of any person on this planet, she’s the only one Iwouldfall for. But the odds of it being mutual are the kind that blow statisticians’ minds. I know what our relationship is. We’re friends. Good friends. Maybe a little attracted to each other. That’s not an epic romantic tragedy in the making. It’s an afterschool special.
Rolling my shoulders, I turn to face him, putting my hands on his cheeks, because I know it pisses him off. His brow furrows.
“I hear you, friend. And I promise, we’re just two friends getting along. I showed her some climbing exercises. She did well. We made plans to climb again. That’s it.” I pat his right cheek and he shirks me off, rolling his eyes.
“Fine, but remember that I warned you. If you get burned—”
“You won’t be there to eat gallons of ice cream and watch chick flicks with me. Got it,” I say, ticking my finger in the air to show his point is made. He smacks the back of my head as we head out our door.
“Dipshit.”
“Wow, hitting me with an old man insult. You learn that from your grandpa?” I tease back.
We both laugh and by the time we leave McKinley Hall, the subject feels closed. My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I stop to read the message while Theo continues on.
“See you at practice, man,” he says, walking backward to where Lily is waiting for him to head to the train.
I mumble out abyewhile I read my summons to the headmaster’s office. This is becoming a daily thing, and I’m not keen on it. Especially because I’m going to miss my van ride to my internship if this takes too long.
I jog up the steps and pull on the main hall’s door just as it flies toward me. It catches me off guard and I stumble down a step or two, only to look up and see Brooklyn standing behind her father in the doorway. My stomach clenches at the coincidence, considering the offer I got yesterday to try and persuade political favor out of this man.
“Cameron, uh . . . hi!” Brooklyn’s eyes dart from me to her dad as her words stumble out.
“Good morning. Hello, sir,” I say, clearing my throat and reaching out my hand. Walden Bennett has one hell of a smile, and when he hits me with it, I feel at ease.
“Cameron, is . . . is that what you said?” He glances over his shoulder to Brooklyn, who nods.
