Page 35 of Old Acquaintances

The insinuations between me and Tucker did not go away. They steadily got worse as the school year progressed, but we just pretended not to care. Tucker had a series of girlfriends, a new one every month, and we didn’t spend much time together, not even with Johnny. I had ballet for several hours every night, Johnny got a part-time job, and Tucker had baseball practice. On the weekends, I typically had rehearsals and they went on dates.

We didn’t meet in Johnny’s room or go hang out at the mall. I had a different lunch block than they did second-semester of junior year. We didn’t have any classes together. He stayed home sick for Easter brunch and we both didn’t make Friday night dinners anymore. I’d go weeks without seeing Tucker outside a pass in the hallway. On the cruise, however, I felt awkward hanging around with our siblings and their teasing commentary, so he and I took off on our own.

We didn’t plan it necessarily, but we ate breakfast together and usually would go hang out at the pool, then have lunch and maybe cv watch a movie. He taught me how to play pool in the teen room. He could pass for twenty-one, so he’d buy us drinks and charge it to his parents’ room. It was the first time in seventeen years that I’d spent a lot of alone time with Tucker, save for the room we shared at the beach. For those few days on the ship, we felt like friends.

We docked at the Bahamas on the last day. I sat on the beach next to Hattie. In the sand in front of us, the boys threw a football and wrestled, slamming each other into the ground.

“How does that not hurt?” I wondered.

“I think Tuck’s developed a thick skin because of your crazy ass,” Hattie commented. She opened her eyes to the sun and slid on her sunglasses. “You know, he’s very hot.”

“Seriously?”

I could see her eyes through the side of her glasses. “Do you know how many girls in Pine Place would kill to be in your shoes right now?”

I focused on Tucker’s tight stomach, his abs clenching as Gavin’s head landed in his chest, trying to knock him to the ground.

“You have the hottest guy in school following you around, completely obsessed with you.”

“He’s not following me around,” I argued.

Hattie laughed, and I shushed her.

She sat up. “You didn’t deny that he’s obsessed with you.”

As if on cue, Tucker brushed sand from his sticky chest and flickered his eyes at me. My stomach swooped for the first time in our friendship, heat rising to my cheeks, but I pushed it away quickly.

“He’s not obsessed with me,” I tried. “He’s just a teenage boy.”

Hattie laid back down. “All I’m saying is, I knew girls Gracie’s year who wanted a piece of him when he was just a freshman. You have very valuable property at your fingertips.”

“He’s not anobject, Hattie.”

She shrugged. “Maybe you should just kiss him. Because youcan. He wouldn’t push you away. See what all the fuss is about.”

“No,” I scoffed. “I would never do that with him.”

“Johnny doesn’t have to know about it.” She twisted her face to me. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

I didn’t respond.

She doubled down: “Tucker’s one of your best friends, he’sgorgeous, and he’s in love with you. I don’t know what the problem is.”

I swallowed, watching him step out of the water. “He’s not in love with me. That’s just a joke.”

Hattie muttered, “Sure it is.”

Tucker trudged through the sand and came up beside my beach chair, squinting until he ducked under our umbrella. He exhaled, hands on his waist. “My ears were burning.”

“Then you should put on some sunscreen,” I said.

The side of his mouth raised. He shook his wet head, flicking drops of water on my face. My legs bent and his wet hand landed on my left knee, his fingers plastered on the inside of my thigh.

He said, “I’m going to get some ice cream. What flavor do you want?”

“Strawberry.”

He nodded to Hattie. “Hat?”

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