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Sean solden in the sunlight He shouted over the noise of the boat h, I want you to be irlfriend” He didn’t even care the other boys could hear him
“I’ if not coy All the boys ate out of h?”
His blue eyes, lighter than the bright blue sky behind hi At least, I thought he answered me His lips moved
“I didn’t hear you What’d you say?” I kno to draw out a romantic moment
He spoke to h the boat otten any louder Maybe he was justsweet I couldn’t catch Boys were like that He’d just been teasing —
“You ass!” I sat straight up inaway the strands of my hair stuck to my wet face Then I realized what I’d said out loud “Sorry, Mom,” I told her photo on my bedside table ButChristina Aguilera, “Ain’t No Other Man”
Or maybe she’d understand I’d just had a closer encounter with Sean! Even if it was only in my dreams
Usually I didn’t remember my dreae, he told Dad and ht before Lindsay Lohan kicking his butt on the sidewalk after he tried to take her picture (pure fantasy) A hiive him a traffic ticket I was jealous I didn’t want to drea ht with Patrick De out on a very worthy third of ” and found out some people don’t re up at the sa and have plenty of time to complete the dream cycle
So why’d I re? It was the first day of summer vacation, that’s why To start work at thethe school year Lo and behold, here washt happen in ain Sean would be ave Monal for ready to go—before rolling out of bed
My dad and , ho ho They didn’t even notice what I earing Our conversation at breakfast was the saht years old and I was five
Dad to brother: “You take care of your sister today”
Brother, between bites of egg: “Roger that”
Dad to me: “And you watch out around those boys next door”
Me: (Eye roll)
Brother: “I had this rockin’ dream about Anne Hathaway”
Post-oatmeal, my brother and I trotted across our yard and the Vaders’ yard to the complex of showroo air was already thick with the heat and hurass that would last the entire Alabama summer I didn’t mind I liked the heat And I quivered in my flipflops at the prospect of another whole suh withdrawal
In past years, any one of the three Vader boys, including Sean, ht have shown up at aht let uilted theo to their house at any tio to their house If I’d walked in, they would have stopped what they were doing, looked up, and wondered what I was doing there They were my brother’s friends, not mine
Well, Adam was my friend He was probably h ere the sae, I didn’t have any classes with him at school, so you’d think he’d walk a hundred yards over to my house for a visit every once in a while But he didn’t And if I’d gone to visit hi for Sean out the corner of my eye the whole time
For the past nine e, my last tie to Sean had been severed He o years older than me, so I didn’t have any classes with hih school I saw hiame, and once in front of the movie theater when I’d ridden around with Tammy for a few minutes after a tenniswith Holly Chairl he ith at the ht of hooking up with e to the road at the sa s and acted like I was his best friend ever… for thirty heavenly seconds
It had been a long winter Finally ere back to the su the busy season from Memorial Day to Labor Day Just like last year, I had a job there—and an excuse to make Sean my captive audience I sped up my trek across the pine needles between the trees and found ainstsneakers, but I beat hith anyway
The Vader boys had gotten there before us and claiood jobs, so I wouldn’t have a chance to work side by side with Sean Ca the full-tie He wanted my brother to ith him so they could catch up on their lives at two different colleges Sean and Ada the boats to customers up and down the lake for Memorial Day weekend Sean wasn’t around to seeon this “new , I would have settled for a double take from Adam or Cameron
All I got was Mrs Vader Coood person to run the outfit by She wore stylish clothes, as far as I could tell Her blonde pinstriped hair was cut to flip up in the back She looked exactly like you’d want your mom to look so as not to embarrass you in public I found her in the office and hopped onto a stool behind her Looking over her shoulder as she typed on the co different?”
She tucked her pinstriped hair behind her ear and squinted at the screen “I’ font?”
“Notice anything different about my boobs?”
That got her attention She whirled around in her chair and peered at ed your boobs?”
“I’them on a TV commercial All this can be yours! Or, rather, your son’s