You Win
Thirty-two
I didn’t want to sound pessimistic, but my date with Andy was probably the worst I’d ever been on. Which, I suppose didn’t say much if you looked at my dating stats, but really. It was the worst I’d experienced so far in my life, and would probably remain the worst for many, many years.
It was terrible. We went to some diner that he supposedly was quite the regular at, and I did 99% of the talking, because I blabbed on about stupid things that nobody would ever care about. It was all so extremely forced that I nearly fainted from the effort. My mouth would get dry from all the excessive talking I was doing, and then I’d take a drink of water and have to endure three seconds of agonizing silence.
The worst part was, when he dropped me off, no one else was home and he somehow ended up in my house, even though that was the last thing I wanted. He didn’t know how to take a hint either, so we watched a movie and then, the worst thing imaginable happened.
“He did?” Maggie asked incredulously over the phone when I told her all about my evening.
I did a nose-dive into my pillow and groaned.
She laughed. “What was it like?”
“Do you have to ask?”
“Not good?” she asked, like it wasn’t obvious.
“Hm, let me see. His breath smelled like old coffee, I was squished between him and the corner of the couch, and oh, did I forget to mention? I don’t like him. It was like kissing a leaking water balloon.”
“A leaking water balloon! Oh my God, I’m writing that one down.”
“That was pretty good,” I said, admiring my own word choice. Then I shook my head. “But that’s beside the point. What am I supposed to do? I still can’t stop thinking about Luke, but now there’s this knot in my stomach and nothing feels right anymore and I think I threw the entire universe out of whack.”
Maggie made some kind of thinking noise on the other side of the phone. “Right now, you do nothing, because there is nothing you can do, and I don’t have time to think of a plan because I’m seeing Jonah tonight in—Jesus, I’m late! Goddammit, I have to go. I’ll call you later, try not to kiss any more water balloons!”
And then she was gone and I was stuck with my thoughts again. I tried to keep my mind blank, but it just wasn’t possible for me. Thoughts crowded in, one after another.
Luke, what would I do about him? Would I be plagued with the ever inconvenient magnetic pull toward him for the rest of my life?
Andy, he was under the impression that I actually liked him. I had given him a chance, like Maggie instructed, but I regretted it because it meant I’d have to let him down and basically crush his entire soul.
It only continued to get worse until Carter broke the chain of my thoughts, walking into my room like he owned it.
“Do you have change for ten dollars?” he asked.
“No.”
“Yes you do,” he said, walking toward my closet and searching through all the clothes for the box of singles I kept stashed there. When he finally found it, he grabbed ten of the dollar bills and threw his crumpled ten dollar bill at me, though it only landed a few feet away from him. “It’s weird that you have all these singles, you know. People could assume things.”
I scoffed. “Because so many people go digging through my closet.”
Maggie and I had saved as many singles as we possibly could over the years, because it was one of our joint life goals to buy a 55” TV in cash. With all singles.
“Who was that guy?” Carter asked, shutting my closet and stuffing the bills in his pocket.
“What guy?”
“The guy that was pulling out of our driveway when I got home.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The guy who left the empty can of Mountain Dew on the counter? Because I didn’t do it and I know you don’t drink that shit.”
“Ooh,” I said, pretending to be impressed. “Looks like we’ve got another sleuthing Nancy Drew in the family. I’ll have to tell Aunt Michelle.”
He rolled his eyes and started to leave.
“Wait. Just wait a second,” I said.
“What?” he asked, turning to face me and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Can you—”
“No.”
“Carter.”
He sighed. “What?”
“Do you think… I mean, does Luke—”
“No,” he said, like I was the same old annoying little sister again.
“Come on, just help me out. I just want to know. You have to know something. Tell me.”
He shook his head.
“Please.”
He seemed to consider something in his mind. “What will you give me?”
This was always his question in situations like this, but I never had anything that he wanted, so it usually ended there. But this time I had a different response. “What do you want?” I asked.
He raised a thick eyebrow, and I knew I had given the right answer. Finally. I started to get a little giddy. If Carter knew something about Luke that I didn’t know, he would tell me if there was something in it for him. And then I could do something. And something was better than nothing.
“Since you asked…” Carter trailed off, looking down at his feet. He almost looked… dare I say, bashful?
“What?” I asked.
“Could you…” He trailed off again and started to crack his knuckles. “I don’t know… somehow…” He suddenly shook his head. “No, nevermind, this is stupid. Forget it.”
Well there was no way I’d let him get away after that. “Come on, come on,” I urged. “Are you scared?”
He scoffed, obviously stupid enough to fall for the trick. “Fine. I’ll give you information about Luke if you get Maggie to go out on a date with me.”
I stared at him for a second, sure I had misheard him. “What?”
“Just one.”
“Carter, I’m trying to be serious here—”
“I am being serious.”
He was. There wasn’t the smallest trace of sarcasm in his voice, none of the brotherly condescension in his facial expression that I had grown accustomed to.
Still, I stared at him for a second before I could say anything. “But… I thought you hated her.”
“I do.” He let out a small laugh, then shook his head. “I mean, I do, but…”
I waited for him to continue, but he never did. I was still trying to wrap my head around it. They had always been an odd pair when they happened to be together, but this was something entirely different.
Carter and Maggie? No way! She’d never go for that. Would she? No. Right? It was so weird to think about. And since when had my brother developed feelings for my best friend? When exactly had that happened?
Carter looked at me for an answer, impatient. He must’ve been really desperate, asking me for help.
“But… she’s my best friend.”
He gave me a look.
Point taken.
Could I somehow convince Maggie to go out on a date with my brother? It didn’t seem very likely, especially with the new advancements about Jonah, and her being completely head-over-heels for him and all.
It was actually kind of funny, because this was Carter. My brother, who had always managed to get everything he’d ever wanted, including every girl he’d ever had his eye on, and he was asking me for help, in getting my best friend. Who was probably capturing the heart of another man as we spoke. It was just too good.
“Sorry, Carter, I don’t think Maggie would go for that.”
He only allowed himself to look disappointed for a millisecond, and then he shrugged. “Then I can’t tell you what I know.”
“What? What do you know? Carter! What?” I was practically begging at his feet.
“Sorry, I can’t seem to remember anymore.”
I glared at him. “I hate you.”
By the look on his face, he obviously didn’t care. Or maybe he was just pretending not to care? He did that quite a lot, but I could never tell for sure when he was and when he wasn’t.
I couldn’t believe Carter liked Maggie. It was just so… ridiculous. Him liking my best friend and me liking his best friend. I was sure that if a psychiatrist analyzed our lives they’d declare us both clinically insane. There had to be some kind of psychological damage in order for us to get to this point.
“We are in a really weird situation,” I said to Carter because he hadn’t left my room yet.
“I know.”
“I mean, couldn’t you like someone else? There are a billion other girls at school, ones who would actually consent to your advances. And what about that girl from Starbucks? And that Katie chick? And all the million other girls I’ve seen you with?”
He shrugged.
“And what about what you said to me at Tulip’s bonfire? About how Luke is going off to college next year and the last thing he’d want is to be tied down to some high school girl. Doesn’t that apply to you, too?”
“It’s different.”
I snorted. “No. It’s not. You little hypocrite.”
“It’s different!” he insisted.
“Sure, because now it’s you instead of someone else. The entire game changes when it’s you.”
He rolled his eyes and left the room without saying anything.
“You’ll be up all night tonight, thinking of my infinite wisdom!” I shouted after him.
It was terrible. We went to some diner that he supposedly was quite the regular at, and I did 99% of the talking, because I blabbed on about stupid things that nobody would ever care about. It was all so extremely forced that I nearly fainted from the effort. My mouth would get dry from all the excessive talking I was doing, and then I’d take a drink of water and have to endure three seconds of agonizing silence.
The worst part was, when he dropped me off, no one else was home and he somehow ended up in my house, even though that was the last thing I wanted. He didn’t know how to take a hint either, so we watched a movie and then, the worst thing imaginable happened.
“He did?” Maggie asked incredulously over the phone when I told her all about my evening.
I did a nose-dive into my pillow and groaned.
She laughed. “What was it like?”
“Do you have to ask?”
“Not good?” she asked, like it wasn’t obvious.
“Hm, let me see. His breath smelled like old coffee, I was squished between him and the corner of the couch, and oh, did I forget to mention? I don’t like him. It was like kissing a leaking water balloon.”
“A leaking water balloon! Oh my God, I’m writing that one down.”
“That was pretty good,” I said, admiring my own word choice. Then I shook my head. “But that’s beside the point. What am I supposed to do? I still can’t stop thinking about Luke, but now there’s this knot in my stomach and nothing feels right anymore and I think I threw the entire universe out of whack.”
Maggie made some kind of thinking noise on the other side of the phone. “Right now, you do nothing, because there is nothing you can do, and I don’t have time to think of a plan because I’m seeing Jonah tonight in—Jesus, I’m late! Goddammit, I have to go. I’ll call you later, try not to kiss any more water balloons!”
And then she was gone and I was stuck with my thoughts again. I tried to keep my mind blank, but it just wasn’t possible for me. Thoughts crowded in, one after another.
Luke, what would I do about him? Would I be plagued with the ever inconvenient magnetic pull toward him for the rest of my life?
Andy, he was under the impression that I actually liked him. I had given him a chance, like Maggie instructed, but I regretted it because it meant I’d have to let him down and basically crush his entire soul.
It only continued to get worse until Carter broke the chain of my thoughts, walking into my room like he owned it.
“Do you have change for ten dollars?” he asked.
“No.”
“Yes you do,” he said, walking toward my closet and searching through all the clothes for the box of singles I kept stashed there. When he finally found it, he grabbed ten of the dollar bills and threw his crumpled ten dollar bill at me, though it only landed a few feet away from him. “It’s weird that you have all these singles, you know. People could assume things.”
I scoffed. “Because so many people go digging through my closet.”
Maggie and I had saved as many singles as we possibly could over the years, because it was one of our joint life goals to buy a 55” TV in cash. With all singles.
“Who was that guy?” Carter asked, shutting my closet and stuffing the bills in his pocket.
“What guy?”
“The guy that was pulling out of our driveway when I got home.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The guy who left the empty can of Mountain Dew on the counter? Because I didn’t do it and I know you don’t drink that shit.”
“Ooh,” I said, pretending to be impressed. “Looks like we’ve got another sleuthing Nancy Drew in the family. I’ll have to tell Aunt Michelle.”
He rolled his eyes and started to leave.
“Wait. Just wait a second,” I said.
“What?” he asked, turning to face me and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Can you—”
“No.”
“Carter.”
He sighed. “What?”
“Do you think… I mean, does Luke—”
“No,” he said, like I was the same old annoying little sister again.
“Come on, just help me out. I just want to know. You have to know something. Tell me.”
He shook his head.
“Please.”
He seemed to consider something in his mind. “What will you give me?”
This was always his question in situations like this, but I never had anything that he wanted, so it usually ended there. But this time I had a different response. “What do you want?” I asked.
He raised a thick eyebrow, and I knew I had given the right answer. Finally. I started to get a little giddy. If Carter knew something about Luke that I didn’t know, he would tell me if there was something in it for him. And then I could do something. And something was better than nothing.
“Since you asked…” Carter trailed off, looking down at his feet. He almost looked… dare I say, bashful?
“What?” I asked.
“Could you…” He trailed off again and started to crack his knuckles. “I don’t know… somehow…” He suddenly shook his head. “No, nevermind, this is stupid. Forget it.”
Well there was no way I’d let him get away after that. “Come on, come on,” I urged. “Are you scared?”
He scoffed, obviously stupid enough to fall for the trick. “Fine. I’ll give you information about Luke if you get Maggie to go out on a date with me.”
I stared at him for a second, sure I had misheard him. “What?”
“Just one.”
“Carter, I’m trying to be serious here—”
“I am being serious.”
He was. There wasn’t the smallest trace of sarcasm in his voice, none of the brotherly condescension in his facial expression that I had grown accustomed to.
Still, I stared at him for a second before I could say anything. “But… I thought you hated her.”
“I do.” He let out a small laugh, then shook his head. “I mean, I do, but…”
I waited for him to continue, but he never did. I was still trying to wrap my head around it. They had always been an odd pair when they happened to be together, but this was something entirely different.
Carter and Maggie? No way! She’d never go for that. Would she? No. Right? It was so weird to think about. And since when had my brother developed feelings for my best friend? When exactly had that happened?
Carter looked at me for an answer, impatient. He must’ve been really desperate, asking me for help.
“But… she’s my best friend.”
He gave me a look.
Point taken.
Could I somehow convince Maggie to go out on a date with my brother? It didn’t seem very likely, especially with the new advancements about Jonah, and her being completely head-over-heels for him and all.
It was actually kind of funny, because this was Carter. My brother, who had always managed to get everything he’d ever wanted, including every girl he’d ever had his eye on, and he was asking me for help, in getting my best friend. Who was probably capturing the heart of another man as we spoke. It was just too good.
“Sorry, Carter, I don’t think Maggie would go for that.”
He only allowed himself to look disappointed for a millisecond, and then he shrugged. “Then I can’t tell you what I know.”
“What? What do you know? Carter! What?” I was practically begging at his feet.
“Sorry, I can’t seem to remember anymore.”
I glared at him. “I hate you.”
By the look on his face, he obviously didn’t care. Or maybe he was just pretending not to care? He did that quite a lot, but I could never tell for sure when he was and when he wasn’t.
I couldn’t believe Carter liked Maggie. It was just so… ridiculous. Him liking my best friend and me liking his best friend. I was sure that if a psychiatrist analyzed our lives they’d declare us both clinically insane. There had to be some kind of psychological damage in order for us to get to this point.
“We are in a really weird situation,” I said to Carter because he hadn’t left my room yet.
“I know.”
“I mean, couldn’t you like someone else? There are a billion other girls at school, ones who would actually consent to your advances. And what about that girl from Starbucks? And that Katie chick? And all the million other girls I’ve seen you with?”
He shrugged.
“And what about what you said to me at Tulip’s bonfire? About how Luke is going off to college next year and the last thing he’d want is to be tied down to some high school girl. Doesn’t that apply to you, too?”
“It’s different.”
I snorted. “No. It’s not. You little hypocrite.”
“It’s different!” he insisted.
“Sure, because now it’s you instead of someone else. The entire game changes when it’s you.”
He rolled his eyes and left the room without saying anything.
“You’ll be up all night tonight, thinking of my infinite wisdom!” I shouted after him.