Page 14 of Chasing Chase London: Part 8-Valentines Day
“Ooh, ‘Love, Todd,’ That’s big.”
“He didn’t say he loves me,” I point out. “Wait, did he?”
“No, but it’s like, the step before telling you.” She pauses and rummages through her purse. “I got something like that from Brandon.”
She hands me a card. I take it out and read it. Brandon actually writes “I love you” at the end of his.
“Are you guys back together?” I ask, suddenly annoyed with myself for getting sick and missing school. “What else have I missed?”
“Nah, he’s still hung up on me though,” she says, looking quite pleased with herself. “Actually, I’m thinking about going out with Oliver.”
“What?” I squeak.
“What?” she asks back, widening her eyes.
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “Just, you won’t sleep with someone your friend has slept with, but you’ll date Colin’sbrother?”
I wonder briefly if it’s because he’s the closest thing to Colin she can get, or if it’s because of all the guys she could date, dating his brother would piss off Colin the most.
She shrugs. “He hasn’t slept with any of my friends. I asked around.”
“Okay, but you should know that Oliver is, um, saving himself.”
“For what?” she asks, checking her reflection in my mirror.
“Marriage?”
“Seriously?” she asks, wheeling around and gaping at me. “Wow, I am getting all kinds of good stuff from you today. You need to be sick more often if it makes you divulge all your secrets. Quick question, though. How doyouknow this?”
“Isn’t it common knowledge? I thought everyone knew. I kind of thought that’s why he didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“No,” she says slowly. “So why’d he tell you?”
“I don’t know, maybe because I haven’t done it either?”
“He told you because you both have your V-card?” she asks. “Like some sort of celibacy club?”
“I would not be surprised if he started one. He’s all gung-ho about it.”
She regards me with suspicion. “He just, like, told you this one day?”
I shrug, avoiding her gaze. “I guess he heard that I was too. Thanks to you.”
“Lame,” she says, tossing her hair back and turning to the mirror again, clearly bored with the subject. “Guess he wouldn’t date me then. If Colin keeps being a dick, though, I might get back together with Brandon. He got me these.” She leans over to show me a pair of diamond teardrop earrings.
“Oh, yeah, shit,” I say, sitting up straight. “It’s Valentines. Why aren’t you out with Colin?”
“We had our date early,” she says. “They have band practice tonight. You know how guys are about this stuff.”
“Actually I don’t,” I mutter.
“They never think about Valentines ahead of time,” she says. “None of the guys in the band can have dates tonight because they scheduled a practice. Besides, you’re sick and you need cheering up. Speaking of, I brought your candy grams. You got six!” She pulls a handful of boxes of candy hearts from her purse and drops them onto my lap, each one with a little red note attached.
“Thanks,” I say. “Is that a good amount, or is it pathetic? How many did Lindsey get?”
“Six is a respectable number,” she says. “And considering people can buy as many as they want, it’s not really that special, so I wouldn’t even worry about it as long as you get some. Now when it’s time for prom roses, that’s when it really gets interesting.”
“Spill.”
