Page 45 of How We Fooled

She laughs out loud. “Really? They aren’t afraid that every guy is going to hit on you, thinking you’re their age?” she teases.

Memories of Mr. Wright—a teacher at my high school, who all the girls were gaga over—flash through my mind, and I cover my face with my hands, dying from embarrassment at the thought.

“Oh God, I didn’t even think about that.”

“I bet you get asked out to prom.” She laughs.

“Mom! You’re not helping!”

“You’re my beautiful mija. Of course all the boys are going to flirt with you.”

“I’ll be their teacher, Mom.”

“Their teacher who is only a few years older than them—that is, unless you’re teaching freshman English or something like that. Did they tell you the subject you’ll be teaching?”

I drop my head again, realizing now that Econ is only for seniors. “Mom, now, you have me worried. I’m teaching Econ!”

She laughs out loud. My mom has never been one to play it easy and always told me how it was, so I shouldn’t be surprised one bit that she’s teasing me.

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear how the boys are drooling over you.”

“Mom!”

“Hey, I can be proud of how pretty you are. I made you, remember?” She chuckles into the phone, making it hard for me to not do the same. “I’m just messing with you. Don’t worry about it. I think it’s amazing that you’ll be teaching older kids. They can connect with you more that way.”

“That’s what Mrs. Epperson said.”

“Besides, you have Eli, so you can honestly say you’re taken. How is that tall man you’re dating?”

I shake my head at how she describes Eli. I sent her a picture of us last week, and she thought it was funny how much bigger he is than me.

“He’s good. He’s flying back right now from his trip. They won the tournament!”

“That’s great. Hopefully, we’ll get to meet him one day.”

“I hope so too. You’re still planning on coming for Christmas, right?”

“Sure am. Your dad and I will be there. Hoping we can convince your sister too. We’ll see. You never know with that girl.”

We go on talking about my sister and the drama she brings into her life unnecessarily as I drive back to Mason Creek.

After I say goodbye to my mom, I look at my phone and see that my text to Eli has been delivered, but he still hasn’t responded, so I click the screen with his name on it and wait for him to answer, only to be bummed again when it goes to voice mail.

I don’t leave a message, knowing he’ll see that I called and also not wanting to sound like a fool on his voice mail as I tell him I got the job.

Instead, I put my phone in my pocket and head inside to tell my aunt and uncle the good news.

An hour later, I still don’t have a text from Eli, and he still hasn’t called.

I start to get worried until I hear my aunt singsong back to me, “Oh, Liza, you have a visitor.”

I jump off my bed and rush to the front of the house, only to see Eli standing there with a bouquet of flowers. I stop in my tracks and cover my face in surprise.

“Congratulations!” he says with the best smile I’ve ever seen on him.

I wrap my arms around him with probably a little too much enthusiasm, which makes him chuckle.

“How did you know I got the job?” I ask once I step back and take the flowers from him.

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