Page 10 of Anyone But Her

I am too, but it's not my only reason for tagging along today. I do want to see the course, but I also want to check out the guys. This is a guys-only golf camp and I was hoping there'd be at least a few hot guys here. So far I haven't seen any. All the guys checking in are slightly less dorky versions of my brother. Some might even be dorkier, like the guy at the back of the line wearing pink-and-green plaid pants with a white golfer's cap. It looks like something my dad would wear.

Speaking of my dad, I hear him yelling from the car. "Taylor, get over here!"

I sigh. "We have to go back. I have to get my clubs."

"You guys are really golfing? I thought your dad was kidding."

"If he was kidding we wouldn't have brought the clubs. And we're not golfing. We're just hitting balls at the driving range. He wants me to work on my long game."

"Why here? Can't you do that when you get home?"

"He said it's good to try out new places. Gets me prepared for playing on different courses for when I'm in tournaments."

"Taylor!" he yells.

"We have to go. C'mon."

"I'll be there in a minute. I have to go talk to Mr. Hottie Check-in Guy." She smiles at him but he doesn't notice. He's too busy checking names off his sheet.

I roll my eyes. "You're crazy. But good luck!"

Walking back to the car I laugh as I think about Birdie and her relentless pursuit of guys. I have to give her credit. She's bold. She doesn't let the fear of rejection stop her like it would me. I'd never go up to a guy the way she does. I'm too embarrassed and too afraid the guy will tell me to get lost.

Birdie's confidence is what made me like her when I first met her back in third grade. At the time I was really shy. I didn't have a lot of friends. I was too afraid to go up and talk to people. But then Birdie showed up. Her family had just moved to town and she started at my school in the middle of the year. I'll never forget her first day. She sauntered into class like she owned the place and asked the girl sitting at the desk next to mine to move so she could have her seat. The girl was Katie Crimshaw, one of the most popular girls in school. I assumed she'd tell Birdie to get lost but instead she got up and moved. She almost seemed scared of Birdie, maybe because back then Birdie wore black all the time and drew fake tattoos on her arms with a black marker.

At lunch that day, Birdie sat next to me. She didn't say anything, which I thought was odd. She just sat there and ate her lunch, which consisted of a peanut butter and blackberry jam sandwich, barbecue chips, and a container of Key-lime flavored yogurt. It was an odd combination, but by then, I'd decided she was a little odd herself.

By the end of lunch I was so curious about her that I mustered up the courage to talk to her. I asked her why she was so insistent on having the desk next to mine and her answer was simply that she thought the boy at the desk in front of mine was cute. The desk she chose gave her the best view of him.

Birdie and I became friends that day and have been ever since. She's still as boy-crazy now as she was back then. Neither one of us are allowed to date yet but that doesn't stop her from trying to get a boyfriend.

"Where'd Birdie go?" my mom asks as she opens the cooler in the back of the SUV.

"She's flirting with one of the guys who works here."

My mom laughs. "Already? We've been here less than five minutes."

"That's all it takes with Birdie."

Birdie's name is another reason I instantly liked her. I thought it was a cool name, and since I'm the daughter of a former professional golfer, her name seemed like a sign we should be friends. If you're not familiar with golf, a birdie is one under par. Par is how many strokes it should take to get your ball in the hole, so if you get a birdie, or one under par, that's good.

Birdie is actually her middle name. Her first name is Agnes but she hates that name so she goes by Birdie. I have to agree, Agnes isn't the greatest name. Birdie is way better. Both names are from her grandmothers. Agnes was her mother's mom and Birdie was her dad's. Both women are gone now but their names live on.

"I'm checked in," Cal says as he walks up to my dad. "I'm gonna go check out my cabin."

Cal is my older brother. He just turned sixteen. Like me, he's been playing golf for as long as he can remember. My dad had both of us swinging a golf club as soon as we could walk. Cal's really good with his long game but struggles with his short game. I'm the opposite. I'm great at my short game but have trouble getting the ball down the fairway.

"Meet us down at the driving range," my dad says. "I want to get video of your swing before we go."

"Dad, you have plenty of video."

"I want a before and after. I want to see how much you improve after camp."

My mom sighs. "Lou, just let him have fun."

"He can have fun when he gets home. He's here to learn and perfect his swing. He won't get a scholarship if he doesn't get his score down."

"He's right, Mom," Cal says. "I'm here to learn. If I want to go pro I need to work harder."

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