Page 110 of The Surprise Play
“But you said you took her out on a date.”
“Shit, you really do think I’m a full-blown manwhore.”
“Okay, let me rephrase,” Blake comes back, annoyingly calm. “When was the last time you took a girl out and didn’t end up in bed with her?”
I open my mouth to respond… and I’ve got nothing.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Shut up,” I mutter. “She’s different.”
“Obviously.”
“I mean it, Blakey. She’s really different.”
My sister can sense the shift in my tone, and the teasing lilt drops from her voice. “What makes her so special?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, a smile tugging at my lips. “She’s sweet and funny and smart. She listens when I talk, you know? Like, she really listens. There’s no ulterior motive—she just seems genuinely interested in what I have to say. And she doesn’t look at me like I’m some dumb jock who’s only good at football and sex.”
“Wow,” Blake murmurs. “Is this freaking you out?”
“No.” I tap my finger on the wheel as I wait for a father and his son to cross the road, then pause again for the chick with bouncing tits to dart across behind them.She waves a thank-you at me, and I lift my chin in acknowledgment before easing over those zebra lines.
“It’s got to be freaking you out a little bit.”
“It’s not.”
“It is,” she singsongs.
“It’s—” I huff. “Okay, fine, it is. I don’t know what to do with this. I haven’t had a serious girlfriend since high school.”
“Whoa. One date and she’s your girlfriend already?”
“I don’t know.” My voice pitches. “But she’s something, and?—”
“Don’t tell Mom and Dad you have a girlfriend. They’ll lose their shit and go off about how you can’t get distractedthis close to getting drafted.” Blake puts on a voice that sounds nothing like either of our parents.
“Exactly.” I nod. “And they’re right. I should be throwing all my time and attention into the game, but all I can think about is my next tutoring session or when I’ll get to see her again. She’s taking up serious headspace that I can’t afford to lose, but when I went to tell her that the other night, I just couldn’t do it, and we ended up making out.”
“Making out.” Blake snickers at me like I’m some blushing grade-schooler.
“I mean, what am I supposed to do here? I really like her. Likelikeher. She’s not some one-and-done. I want to keep hanging out with her, but what if things get all serious? How am I supposed to leave her and?—”
“Okay, dude. Take a breath.” Blake’s voice is sharp down the line. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself here. One date and you’re scrawling her initials all over your brain? Just chill. For all you know, she’ll be totally sick ofyou by the time you graduate, and it won’t even be a thing.”
The thought’s a punch to the ball sack, and I grunt in response.
“I’m just saying to slow the hell down and take it one date at a time.”
“But should I keep hanging out with her or cut ties now to avoid heartache later?” I groan, hating the idea of cutting ties. I love hanging out with Satch. That’s where I’m headed right now. I don’t want to face the rest of the year trying to avoid her. That would suck.
My sister goes quiet for a beat, and I hold my breath, waiting for one of her usually wise responses.
She’s a pain in the ass, but she’s got some smarts on her, and she’s often the first person I go to for life advice.
But instead of giving me any, she tuts and says, “Look, I don’t know, man.”
“Come on, butt face,” I whine. “Help a brother out here.”
