If My Heart Was a Compass Then You Would Be North

“Why do you always make that face?’ Nate asked as he walked over to me, the football in his hands.

“What face?” I asked, grabbing the football. We were outside playing catch. Nate had decided that I caught a football like a guy, which for some reason, meant I should throw it like one too. We had been playing catch for an hour now, and I had to say, I could really kick ass.

“When you close your eyes shut and open your mouth,” he imitated me. He looked ridiculous.

I rolled my eyes. “I do not.”

“You so do,” he grinned.

I threw the football at his legs. “Do not.”

He laughed. “It doesn’t look funny on you though, don’t worry,” he said, going to get the ball.

“What does that mean?” I demanded.

He cleared his throat. “Nothing.” He looked down the street past me. “Hey, look who it is.”

I followed his gaze and saw Josh’s car stopping by Nate’s house. I grinned. Joshy was always fun. He was two years older than us, but he was mad cool, and had started playing ball with Nate a lot in their high school. He got out and came over. “Yo man,” he clapped Nate’s hand and hugged me. “What’s up Britt? What are you guys doing?”

“Learning to throw like a man,” I grinned.

He looked at Nate then me, as if he didn’t believe us at first. Then he laughed. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised.

“And what exactly does that mean Mr. Josh?” I asked, pretending to glare at him.

“That you’re a man,” Nate suggested,

“Actually it’s that you’re a girl and I’m teaching you,” I corrected, hitting his arm.

Josh put his hands up defensively. “I just meant that you guys basically do everything together which means if Nate throws like a beast, Britt would have to too.”

“Who else would he play with?” I asked, smirking. “You?”

Josh laughed. “Sorry I don’t think I have anything on you Britt.”

“And don’t you forget it,” I grinned. “Anyways, what’s up? What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to the JCC to play ball with Frank and them. I was going to see if Nate wanted to come. But if you’re busy,” he drifted off, looking from Nate to me, a smirk on his face.

I rolled my eyes. I knew that look. Nate and I got it often enough. Josh, like basically everyone else, thought something was going on with Nate and I. As if we couldn’t just be best friends. No, they were determined to believe that something was going to happen with us. Nobody believed that a guy and girl as close as us could be just friends, no matter how much Nate and I tried to tell them otherwise.

“I’ll play ball,” Nate said. “You want to come Britt?”

“No it’s okay,” I said. “I think I’m going to go shopping.”

Nate and Josh exchanged a look before looking at me and cracking up.

“What?” I demanded, my face flushing slightly.

“You and shopping?” Nate asked. “You hate shopping.”

“No, I hate shopping for more than an hour,” I corrected. I knew I was probably the only girl that said that, but it was true. I hated shopping long. “Paige wanted to go.”

This made them laugh harder. “If you go with Paige, you won’t be done for at least 4 hours,” Josh said. “But damn, she’s hot. Can I come? I wouldn’t mind 4 hours with her.”

I glared at him, though his words sank it. It was true. My sister took forever. She could never decide, and she had to try everything on. Josh and basically every other guy alive had the hugest thing for her, because they all thought she was so hot. They should get to know her, I always thought. Then they’d see what a bitch she really was. Nate always said that beauty was wasted on such a jerk. “Okay so I think I’ll come to JCC,” I decided. No way was I spending 4 hours in a mall.

“Awesome, let’s go,” he said.

Nate went inside to change and get his gym stuff. I went to go tell my mom I was going.

“Who are you going with?” she asked.

“Nate and Josh,” I said, grabbing a water bottle.

“Are you playing?” she asked, making a face as if it were the most disturbing thought she’d ever had.

“I don’t know,” I said. My mom hated that I liked playing sports rather than doing more girly things. I always tried to remind her how much money she was saving since I wasn’t like Paige. That always shut her up.

“Aren’t you supposed to go shopping with Paige?” she asked.

“I don’t want to,” I said. “I hate shopping with her.”

“She was excited to go with you,” she pressed.

This made me laugh. Paige and I rarely got along. “Somehow, I think she’ll survive.”

She sighed, and shook her head. “Be careful.”

“Mom, I’m going to be with Nate,” I reminded her, before I left the house. That should calm her a bit. I knew she was uncomfortable with me hanging out with mostly guys all the time. But hey, guys were so much cooler than girls. And she loved Nate, absolutely loved him. He was, as she put it, the ideal son, or as she sometimes hinted, ‘son-in-law’. That’s when I always had to leave the room. But since I would be with him, I knew she would be lenient with timing. I climbed into Josh’s car, getting into the front seat before Nate even got out.

“I love that you get ready before a guy,” Josh commented.

I grinned. “I’m that cool.”

“So you coming to the barbeque at my house Friday?” he asked.

“Oh yeah, Nate told me about it,” I said. “I might.”

“Come,” he insisted. “It’ll be fun.”

I smiled. “Parties at your house tend to get – crazy Josh,” I reminded him. No one knew this better than I. Last time, someone had turned the lights off while we were dancing and I had gone home with the biggest hickey.

He rolled his eyes. “It’s not my fault you’re a little out there.”

I gasped, pretending to be offended. I knew he was kidding. I smacked his chest anyway. “Please, don’t even get me started on you.”

Nate came out then, and climbed into the back seat. I turned to look at him. “Nate, could you please tell Josh here he’s more of a slut than me,” I asked him.

Nate laughed. “You guys have the weirdest conversations,” he said. “But sorry man, I got to agree with her there.”

“That’s cause you don’t want your girlfriend to be labeled as a slut,” Josh smirked as he turned out of the development.

Nate and I both rolled our eyes at that. “Funny,” I stuck my tongue out at him. I turned back to look at Nate. “That reminds me though. My mom told me yesterday to ask you if you wanted to come to dinner tonight. We’re having the kids from the street over for some reason.”

“Oh is it a get to know the boyfriend thing?” Josh joked.

We ignored him. Nate shrugged. “I’ll come. Your mom makes good food.”

I laughed and turned back in my seat. “Awesome. Anyways, you guys will not guess what happened.”

“I’m guessing you’re going to tell us?” Nate asked, smirking.

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Obvi I am. I made the field hockey team.”

“You play field hockey?” Josh asked, turning into the JCC parking lot.

“Well not exactly,” I admitted. “Well not before. I tried out because my friend Laura asked me to try out with her.”

“Laura,” Josh said as he parked. “Isn’t that the girl who stalks Nate?”

“She does not,” I defended her. “Well – anymore.”

That made Nate flush slightly, and Josh laugh. We got out and started walking to the building.

“I’m playing,” I announced.

This surprised neither of them.