that
lecture.”
“ Exactly what I was
just thinking.” She must’ve known my dad pretty well. It felt kind
of strange then to know I shared him with so many other kids. I
always knew that, but never experienced it firsthand
before.
Dad sat back at his
desk, and I chose the opportune moment, as he reached for something
on the floor, to slink quietly past—sinking my neck into my
shoulders.
Emily, however,
shamelessly stopped in front of the desk just to tell Dad how great
his lecture was today. Never mind that she wasn’t even listening. I
really quite liked Emily.
“ Hi, David,” I
said.
He just smiled and
took my bag as we walked into the corridor.
“ Look, I’m so sorry.
What was my dad saying to you?”
He laughed once. “You
know, it’s okay, Ara. If I was your father and I saw some punk kid
look at you the way I’m sure I was, I wouldn't have used
words.”
We stopped walking,
and I groaned, slamming my back against a row of lockers as I tried
to rub the ache of mortification from my temples.
“ Of course,” David
continued after a short breath, “if I’d known he was your dad, I
might’ve thought twice about—”
“ Hanging out with
me?” I dropped my hands to my sides. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told
you.” And so, I lost my first friend. I was in no way offended,
though. I knew going to the same school as my dad would have its
pitfalls. I’d accepted that.
“ No—” He stepped closer to me, shaking his head. “No, Ara, I
would have thought twice about staring at you that way—in front of him.” His words
softened on the end.
“ Oh. Okay. Well, uh,
I’m sorry I didn’t mention it earlier.”
“ Well, a heads-up would’ve been nice,” he said.
“ Touché.” I smiled,
surprised he remembered me saying that in music class.
“ So?” We both said at
the same time, then laughed.
“ You go.”
“ No, ladies first.”
He bowed his head.
“ Um, about
before—”
“ Okay, wait.” His hand came up like a stop sign; I snapped my
mouth shut. “What I said before about dating?” He paused. “It was a
mistake. I’m so used to having to give that speech, it just came
out on auto. But I didn’t mean it for you . I was just illustrating how I
don’t—I mean—I’m just not that kinda guy.” David’s fists clenched
beside him. “What I meant was that I’d never date any of them —I didn’t mean that
to include yo—I mean, what I'm trying to say is—” He looked
directly into my eyes, and all the students in the hall seemed to
disappear. “You’re not just any girl, Ara, I—” he swallowed,
“—I… like you.”
Uh? What? My lungs
went tight, like a softball just got lodged in my chest. I looked
around, waiting for a group of kids to jump out from behind the
lockers and laugh at me, screaming April
Fools. Despite it not being
April.
David laughed to
himself then. “I’m sorry. That was very forward of me. You don’t
even know me yet, and I—”
“ Um, David?” I stopped him. Oh my God. I had no idea what to
say. I mean, for all I knew, I had merely imagined him saying that and, at any
minute, I’d wake up, still in Dad’s class, Emily beside me and a
piece of paper stuck to the drool on my chin. I hugged my arms
across my waist. “This is all a little bit
weird.”
“ I’m sorry.” He
scratched his thumb across his upper lip, clearing his throat. “I
get it.”
“ No, you don’t get
it.” I chased after him as he turned away.
“ No. Really.” His
smile radiated sincerity. “I really do. You don’t have to
explain.”
“ But—”
“ Come on, we’re
late.” He walked a little faster then, but slowed and turned back
to face me, pointing his thumb toward the stairs. “It’s uh—it’s
this way.”
I walked after him,
forcing my fingertips into my own brows. I wished I could scream it
out—tell him exactly what I was thinking. But I just didn’t want to
seem creepy or desperate. And it was creepy, and probably a
lecture.”
“ Exactly what I was
just thinking.” She must’ve known my dad pretty well. It felt kind
of strange then to know I shared him with so many other kids. I
always knew that, but never experienced it firsthand
before.
Dad sat back at his
desk, and I chose the opportune moment, as he reached for something
on the floor, to slink quietly past—sinking my neck into my
shoulders.
Emily, however,
shamelessly stopped in front of the desk just to tell Dad how great
his lecture was today. Never mind that she wasn’t even listening. I
really quite liked Emily.
“ Hi, David,” I
said.
He just smiled and
took my bag as we walked into the corridor.
“ Look, I’m so sorry.
What was my dad saying to you?”
He laughed once. “You
know, it’s okay, Ara. If I was your father and I saw some punk kid
look at you the way I’m sure I was, I wouldn't have used
words.”
We stopped walking,
and I groaned, slamming my back against a row of lockers as I tried
to rub the ache of mortification from my temples.
“ Of course,” David
continued after a short breath, “if I’d known he was your dad, I
might’ve thought twice about—”
“ Hanging out with
me?” I dropped my hands to my sides. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told
you.” And so, I lost my first friend. I was in no way offended,
though. I knew going to the same school as my dad would have its
pitfalls. I’d accepted that.
“ No—” He stepped closer to me, shaking his head. “No, Ara, I
would have thought twice about staring at you that way—in front of him.” His words
softened on the end.
“ Oh. Okay. Well, uh,
I’m sorry I didn’t mention it earlier.”
“ Well, a heads-up would’ve been nice,” he said.
“ Touché.” I smiled,
surprised he remembered me saying that in music class.
“ So?” We both said at
the same time, then laughed.
“ You go.”
“ No, ladies first.”
He bowed his head.
“ Um, about
before—”
“ Okay, wait.” His hand came up like a stop sign; I snapped my
mouth shut. “What I said before about dating?” He paused. “It was a
mistake. I’m so used to having to give that speech, it just came
out on auto. But I didn’t mean it for you . I was just illustrating how I
don’t—I mean—I’m just not that kinda guy.” David’s fists clenched
beside him. “What I meant was that I’d never date any of them —I didn’t mean that
to include yo—I mean, what I'm trying to say is—” He looked
directly into my eyes, and all the students in the hall seemed to
disappear. “You’re not just any girl, Ara, I—” he swallowed,
“—I… like you.”
Uh? What? My lungs
went tight, like a softball just got lodged in my chest. I looked
around, waiting for a group of kids to jump out from behind the
lockers and laugh at me, screaming April
Fools. Despite it not being
April.
David laughed to
himself then. “I’m sorry. That was very forward of me. You don’t
even know me yet, and I—”
“ Um, David?” I stopped him. Oh my God. I had no idea what to
say. I mean, for all I knew, I had merely imagined him saying that and, at any
minute, I’d wake up, still in Dad’s class, Emily beside me and a
piece of paper stuck to the drool on my chin. I hugged my arms
across my waist. “This is all a little bit
weird.”
“ I’m sorry.” He
scratched his thumb across his upper lip, clearing his throat. “I
get it.”
“ No, you don’t get
it.” I chased after him as he turned away.
“ No. Really.” His
smile radiated sincerity. “I really do. You don’t have to
explain.”
“ But—”
“ Come on, we’re
late.” He walked a little faster then, but slowed and turned back
to face me, pointing his thumb toward the stairs. “It’s uh—it’s
this way.”
I walked after him,
forcing my fingertips into my own brows. I wished I could scream it
out—tell him exactly what I was thinking. But I just didn’t want to
seem creepy or desperate. And it was creepy, and probably a
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