How We Began (Anthology) by Various Authors

Author:Various Authors
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2015-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Ash

After my breakup with Abbie, she starts having lunch with her theater crowd instead of me. The first couple of weeks, I feel her like a phantom limb. Kaycee goes with her—and because Jamie is Kaycee’s best friend, so does he, rubbing salt in the wound.

It stings.

I become fiercely protective of the time I have with him—prison knitting every Saturday, and the occasional afternoon where he’s not working at the yarn store and I’m not practicing with the band. The Monday after Thanksgiving, I think about purposefully making a mistake in the scarf I’m knitting for my mom just so I have an excuse to go see him at the yarn store. But I don’t have a car to drive over there, and I’m scared to mess it up so badly I’d need to start over.

This is ridiculous. I pull out my cell and tap out a text.

I need to see you.

I try to imagine Jamie at Mel’s store, pulling out his phone. I can see it perfectly—the way he moves his knitting needles to one hand so he can reach into his pocket. The expression on his face when he reads my message. Perplexed maybe? Will he do that cute thing where he rubs his eyebrows? I think he’ll blush. I hope he’ll blush. Most guys, I’d just ask if they liked me, or follow their body language cues. But he’s so hard to read—the way he looks away when he’s talking or flinches from physical contact. I don’t want to screw it up—or worse, scare him away—by moving too fast.

My phone buzzes.

I’m working. I can come over later? Are you okay?

Am I okay? I laugh. Now that he’s coming over? Yeah.

I’m fine. I miss seeing you at lunch every day.

His reply is almost immediate. I miss you too. I get off work at six. Mel can drop me off after. Can you drive me home?

I grin. Of course. Or you can spend the night. Dad won’t care, and you can ride to school with me.

No answer to that one. Not until almost seven, when he texts On my way.

Twenty minutes later, I hear a car pull up, idle for a moment, and then drive away. When I don’t hear a knock, and Jamie doesn’t come right upstairs, I head down, hoping he’s not standing outside the door. To my surprise, he’s in the kitchen, and my dad is…hugging him?

“…congratulations, that’s wonderful news.”

Jamie throws me a desperate “stop what’s happening, please” glance.

“Dad.”

My dad lets go and turns to me. “Jamie just got accepted to Duke. Isn’t that wonderful?” Sure it’s wonderful, but I know Jamie’s still waiting for the one he really wants to hear from: MIT. And until he hears from them? The other letters are just paper.

My eyes meet Jamie’s, and he’s blushing. “Congrats, J. Come on, let’s go upstairs.”

As he follows me toward my room, I whisper “What the hell did you do to my dad? He hasn’t hugged me in years.”

“I didn’t do anything.

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