Something Like Normal

Author:[email protected]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-03-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Harper is wearing a purple halter top thing that sparkles and she did that magic trick girls do to make her wavy hair straight, and as I walk her to my new Jeep I can’t stop staring. It’s not because she’s hot—I mean, she always is. But normally she’s girl-next-door- in- a-neighborhood-whereI-want-to- live hot. Tonight? She’s incredible and I’m glad I wore a button shirt.

“Is this yours?” she asks. When I woke up this morning I found a note on the counter telling me I am no longer allowed to drive my mom’s Suburban because I’m not covered by their insurance. Which is just my dad’s passive-aggressive way of punishing me. The note also said I need to patch the pinholes in my room before I go back to Lejeune. Like I actually will.

I took a cab up to Palm Beach Boulevard, which is lined with mom and pop–type car dealerships offering the cleanest cars, lowest prices, and onsite financing, and had the driver drop me off at the first place on the strip. I bought a black Jeep from a tired-looking salesman who gave me a couple hundred off the price for paying in cash. It’s nothing special, but it’s a set of wheels.

“Yep,” I say. “I bought it today. Just for you.” “Shut up.” She laughs and backhands me in the stomach. This is the girl I recognize.

“So, I was thinking, um—movie?” I have no idea what

I’m doing. Paige and I didn’t exactly go out on dates. We

hooked up. Her house. My house. In the car. On the beach.

At parties. With Harper, I’m treading new ground. “Sounds good.”

“Sorry about the top.” I’d taken the soft cover off the

Jeep when I got it home, but now I’m regretting it. “It’ll

probably—your hair looks really—good. I mean, not that it

doesn’t usually. Jesus, I suck at this.”

“At what?”

“This whole date thing.” I run my hand over my head.

“I should have left the top on.”

I’m embarrassed and I’m not sure why. Maybe because

she throws me off my game. Maybe because when it comes

to Harper Gray, I feel like I have no game.

She leans across the gear box and kisses my cheek. “It’s

only hair.”

“Play some music,” I say, starting the engine. Letting

Paige choose was always dicey because she has lousy taste.

But Harper picks Flogging Molly and soon we’re driving up

41, singing along as if this isn’t a first date, and we get to the

movie theater way too quick.

I pull into a parking spot and look over at her. “Your

hair is a mess.”

She sticks her tongue out at me, then turns my rearview

mirror in her direction and brushes her hair back into place. “What do you want to see?” she asks as we wait in the

ticket line.

“I have no idea what’s even playing,” I say. I don’t

remember the last time I saw a movie that wasn’t on the

tiny screen of Charlie’s iPod. “I’m up for anything, I guess.

Except a chick movie.”

“Action?”

One of the now playing posters advertises one about an

Army platoon in Iraq and I want to see it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.