his choice and his timing and it’s not my place to push him into anything. Instead I play along and grin right back. “Like you actually could handle Reenzie and me in the same dream.”
“Ew. Tell you what. You stop dreaming about me,” she says to Jack. “And
you
…,” she adds to me, “you can go ahead and remind Sean how hot I am anytime you want.”
“You don’t have to remind me how hot Carrie is,” J.J. says, smiling down at his girlfriend.
“Awww,” Carrie coos, “because you already know?”
“No,” he deadpans. “ ’Cause you keep reminding me yourself.”
Carrie gasps, offended, and stomps across the field. J.J. has to chase her down and beg her not to leave. “It was a joke, Carrie! It was a joke! I’m sorry! I love you! You’re gorgeous! You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen!”
I lean over to Amalita and speak softly. “You know she left her bag here.”
Amalita rolls her eyes. “She was never going anywhere. She just likes him to chase her.”
Ames takes a big swig from her water bottle.
At least, I think it’s a water bottle. It’s hot pink and I can’t see what’s inside it.
“Whatcha drinking?” I ask.
Ames grins. “Cosmopolitan. Want some?”
My jaw drops and I look around before I lean closer and hiss, “Amalita! The school has a zero tolerance policy! You could get expelled!”
“Relajese,”
Ames laughs. “It’s
agua.
You think I’m insane?”
J.J. and Carrie plop back into their spot, but this time Carrie uses J.J. as a human lounge chair, resting her back against his chest and her arms on his knees while J.J. wraps his arms around her.
“In case it wasn’t clear,” J.J. tells us all. “I was joking. Carrie never reminds me that she’s beautiful. I know it for myself.”
“Good boy,” Carrie says, like J.J.’s a well-behaved pooch.
“So here’s something interesting,” I say as lightly as possible. “I read this thing in the newspaper about underage drinking. Sobering stuff.”
“Why are we having this conversation?” Reenzie asks.
“Why are you reading a newspaper?” J.J. asks. “Who are you and what have you done with Autumn?”
His voice is playful, and my heart jumps a little. It’s been a long time since J.J.’s teased me about anything. We used to go back and forth all the time, and we knew each other so well we could say a million things with just a look. I catch his eye and he smiles, but it only lasts a second before Carrie senses his attention isn’t completely on her and leaps in with a subject change.
“So, Autumn, I saw you come out of Mr. Winthrop’s office this morning,” she says. “What’s up?”
Jack snorts. “Did you see the ‘aging toad goon’ on the wall?”
“I did,” I said. “Quite lovely.” Then I decide as long as I have the group here, I’ll get their help. “Here’s the deal. If I want a college to love me, I need a lifelong passion that I can suddenly discover, cram into the next three months, and make colleges believe I’ve been all about it forever. Extra points if it’s not wildly different from helping the elderly so I look all arrowy.”
“Pretty sure that’s not how it works,” Taylor says. “A passion is a
passion.
Like me and theater. Or Sean and football. Or Amalita and—”
“Zander,” Ames sighs as she sprawls out on the lawn. “The way that boy dances,
Dios mio.
I can’t believe none of you were there Saturday night.”
“That’s good,” J.J. says. “Colleges would love it if Autumn’s passion was some guy who cut all his classes and partied every night. She’d get in everywhere.”
“Don’t mess, J.J.,” Ames warns, jangling as she points a finger at him. “I’ve known you too long and there’s too much I could say.”
“Hey, back to me!” I say, breaking in before Ames blurts something hideous about J.J. and Carrie. “I’m serious. I need a stroke of extracurricular genius.”
“Join me on the Senior Social Committee!”
“Ew. Tell you what. You stop dreaming about me,” she says to Jack. “And
you
…,” she adds to me, “you can go ahead and remind Sean how hot I am anytime you want.”
“You don’t have to remind me how hot Carrie is,” J.J. says, smiling down at his girlfriend.
“Awww,” Carrie coos, “because you already know?”
“No,” he deadpans. “ ’Cause you keep reminding me yourself.”
Carrie gasps, offended, and stomps across the field. J.J. has to chase her down and beg her not to leave. “It was a joke, Carrie! It was a joke! I’m sorry! I love you! You’re gorgeous! You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen!”
I lean over to Amalita and speak softly. “You know she left her bag here.”
Amalita rolls her eyes. “She was never going anywhere. She just likes him to chase her.”
Ames takes a big swig from her water bottle.
At least, I think it’s a water bottle. It’s hot pink and I can’t see what’s inside it.
“Whatcha drinking?” I ask.
Ames grins. “Cosmopolitan. Want some?”
My jaw drops and I look around before I lean closer and hiss, “Amalita! The school has a zero tolerance policy! You could get expelled!”
“Relajese,”
Ames laughs. “It’s
agua.
You think I’m insane?”
J.J. and Carrie plop back into their spot, but this time Carrie uses J.J. as a human lounge chair, resting her back against his chest and her arms on his knees while J.J. wraps his arms around her.
“In case it wasn’t clear,” J.J. tells us all. “I was joking. Carrie never reminds me that she’s beautiful. I know it for myself.”
“Good boy,” Carrie says, like J.J.’s a well-behaved pooch.
“So here’s something interesting,” I say as lightly as possible. “I read this thing in the newspaper about underage drinking. Sobering stuff.”
“Why are we having this conversation?” Reenzie asks.
“Why are you reading a newspaper?” J.J. asks. “Who are you and what have you done with Autumn?”
His voice is playful, and my heart jumps a little. It’s been a long time since J.J.’s teased me about anything. We used to go back and forth all the time, and we knew each other so well we could say a million things with just a look. I catch his eye and he smiles, but it only lasts a second before Carrie senses his attention isn’t completely on her and leaps in with a subject change.
“So, Autumn, I saw you come out of Mr. Winthrop’s office this morning,” she says. “What’s up?”
Jack snorts. “Did you see the ‘aging toad goon’ on the wall?”
“I did,” I said. “Quite lovely.” Then I decide as long as I have the group here, I’ll get their help. “Here’s the deal. If I want a college to love me, I need a lifelong passion that I can suddenly discover, cram into the next three months, and make colleges believe I’ve been all about it forever. Extra points if it’s not wildly different from helping the elderly so I look all arrowy.”
“Pretty sure that’s not how it works,” Taylor says. “A passion is a
passion.
Like me and theater. Or Sean and football. Or Amalita and—”
“Zander,” Ames sighs as she sprawls out on the lawn. “The way that boy dances,
Dios mio.
I can’t believe none of you were there Saturday night.”
“That’s good,” J.J. says. “Colleges would love it if Autumn’s passion was some guy who cut all his classes and partied every night. She’d get in everywhere.”
“Don’t mess, J.J.,” Ames warns, jangling as she points a finger at him. “I’ve known you too long and there’s too much I could say.”
“Hey, back to me!” I say, breaking in before Ames blurts something hideous about J.J. and Carrie. “I’m serious. I need a stroke of extracurricular genius.”
“Join me on the Senior Social Committee!”
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