Ex-Rating by Natalie Standiford Page B

her aunt Lacey. And she goes nowhere
     without Bridget and Rachel. Right?”
    “Right,” Lina said. Flynn’s aunt Lacey was the famous film director Lacey Kittredge. And Flynn
was
always bragging about her. Lina didn’t know her well, but she was no fan of braggarts. Flynn rubbed her the wrong way.
    “You’re so lucky,” Bridget said. “I’ve got to give tennis lessons at the club again this summer. Yawn.”
    Lina unwrapped her cheese sandwich. She really didn’t care how Bridget and Flynn were spending their summer. She tried to
     ignore them, but it was hard because Ramona was busy listening and shushed Lina whenever she tried to talk.
    “I was really excited about working on the movie before,” Flynn said. “But now, I don’t know if I want to be gone all summer.
     What about Walker?”
    Lina’s ears perked up. Walker? Yes, what about Walker? Ramona caught her eye. Lina’s body tensed as she waited to hear more.
    “Maybe he can come visit you,” Rachel said. “Vancouver’s just a short flight away.”
    “It will be hard for him,” Flynn said. “He has to get a job here, although he doesn’t know what yet. … Things are just getting
     good with him, you know? I really like him.”
    Lina stifled a gasp. Ramona’s eyebrows nearly shot to the ceiling. Things were just getting good? Lina knew Ramona could read
     the question in her eyes: Were Walker and Flynn a couple?
    “And we’re in the beginning stages,” Flynn went on. “I don’t quite have him nailed down yet—know what I mean? If we’re not
     more settled by June, I’ll be afraid he might meet someone else over the summer.”
    “But he really likes you,” Bridget said. “That’s obvious.”
    “He’d wait for you, Flynn,” Rachel added.
    Lina pinched Ramona’s arm. “Walker and Flynn?” she whispered.
    “It can’t be,” Ramona said. “But Flynn sure seems to think so.”
    “I already told Aunt Lacey I’d do it,” Flynn said. “I can’t let her down. I wonder if she’d give Walker a job, too?”
    “Are you guys finished eating yet?” Bridget asked. “I’ve got to get out of here. This place smells like ammonia.”
    “Yeah, let’s go,” Rachel said. The three girls got up, bused their trays, and left.
    Now Lina and Ramona could talk freely. “How could Walker like her?” Lina asked. “She’s so superficial!”
    “I thought he was cooler than that,” Ramona agreed.
    “Maybe it’s only in her imagination,” Lina said. She knew she was clinging to a thread of hope, but it was all she had left.
     “Maybe she just
wishes
she was seeing Walker. How can we find out for sure if it’s true?”
    “Just look out there.” Ramona nodded toward the windows, which opened onto the courtyard. Flynn, Bridget, and Rachel bumped
     into Walker, who smiled and took Flynn’s hand. Lina felt like screaming.
He was holding Flynn’s hand!
    There was absolutely no question about it: Walker actually liked Flynn.
    “Ugh! I can’t look!” Lina dropped her head on the table. So that was why Walker couldn’t go out with her—and why he was so
     vague about the reason. He liked Flynn.
    “It is a horrible sight,” Ramona said. “Totally gross.”
    Lina felt like crying. “You know what kills me? I could have had him. I mean, I think I could have. If only I hadn’t wasted
     so much time mooning over Dan. If only I had realized what a great guy Walker is the first night I met him … we could be together
     now!”
    “Well, nobody can blame you for being obsessed with Dan,” Ramona said. “You’re only human.”
    “It was so stupid,” Lina said. “And now … I really like Walker. And I’m afraid I missed my chance.”
    “Timing,” Ramona said. “It’s the key to love. I’m beginning to see that now.”
    “It’s everything,” Lina said.
    “Like, if I’d only been born about seven years earlier, I’d be the right age for Dan,” Ramona said. “But on the other hand,
     I wouldn’t be in high school, so I