Page 29 of With a Little Luck

You get the idea.

Of course, the weird thing is, IsawMaya at school. But that’s normal. I see Maya every day. I listen, enraptured, when she speaks in class, every day. I generally do my best to avoid making meaningful contact with her,everyday.

But a date? That’s new. That’s horrifying.

Wait—no. I mean awesome. And amazing. And … yeah, it’s possible that I’m going to be sick.

One might think that, with such a momentous evening approaching, Maya and I would have acted differently toward each other yesterday and today. We could have talked in the halls before class. Made plans to get dinner before the concert. Something.

But we didn’t. We both proceeded through the school day as if79nothing at all was different, with one small exception. During poli-sci, Maya passed me a note. When the folded piece of paper landed on my desk, Leah—who sits next to me—gave me a knowing smirk. Maya and I had become big gossip since Tuesday morning—a first for me, and not something I was relishing.

The note was simple. Maya’s phone number, along with the wordsCan’t wait for tonight! Text me!

I flushed as crimson as my dice and tucked the paper into my notebook.

For the rest of that period and all through art class, I thought about what I would say when I texted her, running over a thousand different possibilities. I imagined being witty, charming, romantic.

But let’s be real. I am none of those things.

In the end, I texted Maya only the most pertinent information about the concert and when I should pick her up.

She responded almost immediately.omg this is going to be amazing! I’m so excited!!

She followed it with her address.

Me too,I responded.See you tonight.

Then I agonized for forty straight minutes about whether I should say more.Can’t wait to see you.OrI’m glad you’re going with me.OrThis is literally the best thing that has ever happened to me and I’m sorry in advance if I screw everything up, because I probably will.!

But maybe I won’t screw everything up, I dare to consider as I stand in front of the bathroom mirror, applying actual product to my hair, something I usually only do for weddings and funerals. As far as first dates go, this one has the potential to be pretty epic, and besides—I’ve got luck on my side.

I’m not even sure what sort of things I would plan for a first date if it was up to me. I never let myself believe this could happen. Every time I was remotely tempted to ask Maya out—to a movie, or a school dance, or even just to study together—my palms would get clammy and hives would break out along my neck. So that just wasn’t going to happen.80Ever.But if it had? I probably would have taken her to … I don’t know, a comic book store, maybe? Or out on the boardwalk for a rousing game of Pokémon GO?

But it doesn’t matter. Tonight, all the planning has been done for me, and even better, it’s all stuff that I know Maya will like. Limousine rides and VIP tickets and meeting Sadashiv—freaking Sadashiv. I literally could not have planned a better first date if I’d tried.

“You’re not wearing that, are you?”

I freeze, catching Lucy’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. She’s got a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a sparkling water in the other.

I look down at my clothes, which Pru gave the thumbs-up to not ten minutes ago. Dark jeans, a black T-shirt, my favorite sneakers, because they have awesome dragons on them. (Not to humble brag, but I may have painted the dragons myself.) The soles are starting to fall off, but they’re still my favorite clothing item. Not that I have a lot of beloved clothing items.

“What’s wrong with it?” I ask.

Lucy sighs dramatically and leans against the door frame. “Oh, big brother. You helpless thing.”

My eyebrow twitches.

She knows about the date, of course.Everyoneknows about the date. We are the sort of family thatshares, often to everyone’s chagrin, and Pru had been delighted to tell the whole story at the dinner table Tuesday night, after we got home from the store. She laid it out in excruciating detail, even embellishing the parts she wasn’t actually there for. Fixing Maya’s car, being sent to the office on an errand, calling in to a radio station, and all of it culminating in one jaw-dropping moment in front of the whole class: when Jude dared to ask out his forever crush, Maya Livingstone, and she actually said yes!

Honestly, I think Pru is happy that, for once, the focus is on someone else’s dating life. Our family likes Quint a lot—Lucy commented once that if he and Pru ever broke up, she would petition to keep him in her place, which seems a little harsh, but I think she meant it as a compliment? Still,81it had to get old, especially my parents’ endless but well-meaning questions.What are you and Quint doing this weekend? Are you two going to the dance together? What are you getting him for his birthday?Et cetera.

But just because Pru was tired of talking about her love life didn’t make me excited to spill the details on mine … not that I even really have one.Yet.What am I supposed to say? Yes, I am taking Maya to the concert. No, we aren’tdating. Yes, Maya Livingstone. That Maya.TheMaya.

I couldn’t escape the dinner table fast enough.

“The shoes are cool,” says Lucy, in what I consider to be a most shocking revelation. Lucy wouldn’t say it if she didn’t mean it, so …cool. She takes a sip of her drink. “But the shirt makes you look like a beat poet.”

I frown. “Pru said it was fine.”

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