How I Fly by Anne Eliot Page A

girls, you know? Are you in?”
    Laura glowers darkly, shooting daggers at Patrick as Harrison nods. “We’ve only just met and you’re already inviting me on our first European expedition? Hell yes!”
    Patrick laughs, seemingly calming down because Harrison’s taken his bait. I’m already determined to call Patrick out on this later. Didn’t he want me to have a friend with benefits? Isn’t it easier to kiss and then dump a flirty player over other guys? Maybe not today thanks to Europe, but for the rest of the summer, Patrick needs to back off my new almost-boyfriend.
    Well, two can play at this game. “Whatever, players ,” I add with a bored shrug. “Laura and I can do better without you jokers stalking us at the Welcome Social.”
    “I haven’t heard of that.” Patrick tosses Harrison a glance, as if he’s calling our bluff.
    I move my crutches out from under my arms and balance back on one of the tall dressers. “Hosted by the future engineers and environmental programs. You’re not invited. Right, Laura? They just aren’t. Sorry.”
    Laura catches my look and ramps in. “Yep. Apparently there aren’t many girls in those programs. They handed out free entry tickets to any girl who wanted one. I would expect half of your sexy Europe is going to be with us, anyhow…so…yeah. Have fun.”
    Harrison’s gaze is going slowly over my face like some sort of caress that captures my gaze right back until I can’t look away despite the fact that Laura and Patrick are staring at us. The endless, teasing warmth in his eyes that really does seem to be only for me is making my cheeks burn some. Finally, after a long pause, he says, “Who cares about later? I thought we were all going to lunch? I call sitting by beautiful Ellen. We’re going to talk about camera lenses and why my Canon is better than any Nikon. I’ll fight anyone off with my crutches who dares to try for the seat, too.”
    I grin, only slightly. “How can tell I’m a Nikon girl?”
    He blinks. “They listed what kind of camera took the winning photos on the website.”
    “Oh. Right.” Even though I know he’s completely full of it, I can’t help but sigh behind my heart that this cute boy openly called me beautiful and vowed to go to war over a seat next to me, and he likes to talk about cameras.
    I avoid Patrick’s snide-eye squint and the way he’s gripping his stomach, holding back the vomit-gag sound he’d make if he weren’t trying so hard to make me happy. I also avoid Laura’s wide, blue-eyed, gushing expression. She’s bought into Harrison hook, line, and sinker. I can tell by her face that she’s holding back a giant hug and a huge speech to me about the wee-leaps-and-bounds I’ve made in one short day, which I’m sure will come out of her mouth the second she gets me alone.
    And even though I see directly through what is obviously Harrison’s well-practiced girl-fishing act, I’m suddenly grinning ear to ear and almost willing to admit I’ve been hooked since the second he proposed.
    Because that was so cute. He is so cute. And somehow, in one day, this guy and all of his flirting have untied some of the huge knots I’d made of my heart that I thought could never be undone.
    It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with him or anything, because I think that’s pretty much out of the question for me at this point, but the flirting thing is harmless and really fun. As he and I crutch slowly behind Laura and Patrick down the long hallway that leads to the dorm common area and the front doors, I’m breathing deeply and smiling without having to force it for the first time in a long time. I’m searching for ideas to make this guy laugh so I can see his dimples again, because he is really cute. He also did call me beautiful, and even though I get he probably calls a ton of girls beautiful, I liked being the one he called beautiful today.
    He winks at me, and instead of busting on him and rolling my eyes like I’d