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I swallowed the water. “No, I don’t.” I paused only momentarily before heading the conversation in a different direction. “What colleges are you applying to this year?”
I assumed he had already all but pressed submit on the applications, but it was the only way I could think to take us to a new topic. Most of the upcoming senior class, myself included, had a slew of volunteer activities under our belts by the time we went to middle school and had already sat for SAT prep by the time we were fourteen. We were bred for Ivy Leagues from the moment of conception.
Theo perked up. This was obviously a topic he was comfortable with. “We have a couple of different schools we are looking at. Princeton is at the top of the list, but Yale and Harvard are contenders as well. What about you?”
I poked around at the salad on my plate. I wasn’t going to tell him the truth. The truth was that I didn’t really care which college I went to. I cared about the degree I was going to get, and truthfully, I didn’t need a shiny Ivy League plaque to accomplish it.
“We’re hoping for Yale,” I replied.
“We” being my mother and father. My parents were both alumni as well as their parents and so on and so forth, and if I didn’t go to Yale, it would be the biggest tragedy since the Titanic.
“Yale is a great school. I’m sure you’ll have no problem getting in.” Theo smiled, and I noticed he had a dimple on his left cheek. I had never noticed it before. I usually spent most of my time avoiding looking in any direction Theo Martin was in, but tonight, I was seeing a different side of him.
I thought that maybe, if he would put an end to his cocky, cool guy facade, we might be able to be friends. He took a sip of his water. “Maybe we’ll both end up there.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said quietly. I patted my lips with the napkin before placing it over my plate. I watched as he nodded. I sighed and placed my hands in front of me. “Theo, can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” he replied. “Anything.”
“Why don’t you act like this when we are at school? You’re always so… so… well… You’re kind of a jerk.” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest.
A slow smile crept across Theo’s face and he narrowed his eyes. He placed his hand over his chest as though I had just hit him. “Ouch, Violet. Kind of harsh, don’t you think?”
I chuckled lightly. “You have to admit it’s true. Which one is the real you?”
Theo ran his hands through his hair, and I saw a flicker of what I thought might be embarrassment. He said quietly, “This is me.”
I squinted, unsure if I believed him. “If this is the real you, then why do you do it? Why do you act so differently at school?”
He cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to his hands on the table. “I don’t know. I feel like I have to play a part, I guess. It’s not an excuse, and you probably don’t understand. I guess it’s just the way I’ve always been. It’s hard trying to fit in, you know?” He halted before continuing, “Who am I kidding? I’m sure you have no idea what I’m talking about.”
My voice was hushed. “Yeah, no, I do understand,” I replied.
His eyes raised up to meet mine. “You do?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I do.”
It seemed I may not have known anything about Theo after all.
THIRTY-ONE
TUCK
I paced aroundthe gazebo Sunday afternoon, my hands clammy, my brow sweating. My stomach was in knots and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. It had been almost a week since I had seen her, and I had tried my best to put together a piss-poor excuse for a letter, but I hadn’t yet sent it out.
I took off the baseball cap I was wearing and turned it backwards, rubbing my hands together. I was looking at the giant ceramic planters filled with flowers next to the gazebo when I felt two hands cover my eyes.
“Guess who?” Lettie’s voice was soft and playful.
“Umm… Let’s see… Cold fingers in the middle of summer and a hint of vanilla… Has to be Bridgit?” I teased.
Lettie pulled her hands down and jumped in front of me. “Sounds like Bridgit has good taste in body lotion, huh?”
“Seems she does.” I winked, and Lettie bit her lower lip, something I hadn’t seen her do yet, but the sight of it made my body feel as though it were on fire.
“I like her already,” she replied. She turned to the center of town and smiled. “Well, I have been here on a Saturday and on a Monday, but I have yet to see what the town has to offer on a Sunday afternoon, and can I just admit that I have been simply dying to find out?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, wow. Well, I hope that this little ole town doesn’t disappoint your high expectations for a Sunday afternoon.”
