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"Ahhhhh, okay Uh, I need to have a serious talk with you and Nate about scaringyou tear bells" I keep ht in step with ot it Won’t scare you Now spill it about lasses down on her nose to give me the full effect of her raised and suspicious eyebrows

"How did you even see hi in with Nate, and he saw you both across the street Then I stayed to watch for a while longer…pretty much because I’m super nosy, and I wanted to see what had hi Nate witnessed that I’ immediately, but still I wouldn’t be happy if it were Nate walking home with the female equivalent of Tucker There’s a small piece of me that likes that Nate is jealous We don’t talk about our feelings much, and I know that’s partly my fault We talk about h so many of them But we don’t talk about how he feels about me, and how I feel about him Not really

There was that brief moment, where he told me he loved me in the car on our way back from the airport, and when he said those words, my entire heart filled up with a joy I didn’t know existed But then it left me just as fast--when he said he didn’t ain Because I don’t kno to be in a relationship--when you’re not sixteen, and in high school, and going on dates that require you to be home before ten on weekends

I told Josh I loved hi out in my driveway But I knoe didn’t really mean the, when I realized how important and special he was to me But I must have said them a hundred times before, and every time they were empty I think that’s why I’m so afraid to say them to Nate, because I don’t want him to say them back just because he thinks he has to--like lines in a play, a reaction to my action I don’t want this to be like when I was sixteen

"So, I’ to have to deal with that conversation with mister hottie," Cass says to me as the elevator slides open, and she steps outside She sees Nate waiting outside our door first, and when I step out and see hith of et, the more he tries to force coolness, but I can see there’s so underneath He kisses s wrapped around either side, and his knees bouncing up and down, just teey

I toss my backpack onup next to it, getting outthe tension, just smiles at Nate with a nod and then leaves our roood

"What tiabout the atmosphere in our rooet there, so five-ish?" His knees are still bobbing I can see the motion froet ready, so we can still eat sory," he says

Oh

And noe have silence I’es of , just to avoid eye contact, and Nate’s knees are still ju, and his eyes are still on me, and there’s still this awful aardness And then suddenly they stop, and Nate stands

"All right, just co through the door The second it shuts behind him, I flop down on my back What the hell? Cass comes back in a few minutes later

"Girl, what did you do to that boy?" she asks

"Honestly, I have no idea He just sat here, silent, but edgy I y And then he left"

"Awe, jealousy is cute on hi her head next to mine I just look at her with et hie take over your body? Bring back Cass," I say, standing to change into a coaenetic," she winks