was over. And so Lola quickly moved on to a succession of junior-high crushes, one virtually indistinguishable from the next.
Lola loved boys. She loved funny, straightforward, athletic, smart boys. She didn’t like the ones that acted overly cool, or dressed overly hip, or tried too hard to get noticed. Though she did like it when they fell to her feet. But pretty as she was, it was her smile that always reeled them in. From the moment she smiled, guys turned to putty, willing to do just about anything she asked.
But as much as she loved boys in general, she had never loved one in particular. Until this past summer, when everything changed.
They’d met before. But this time was different. And the girl who all her friends went to for advice (as though all that dating had made her more worldly, when the truth was she was just as much a virgin as they were) suddenly found herself completely clueless at how to proceed. So she’d spent the entire time concentrating on acting completely normal in front of her friends, even flirting with a couple other guys just out of habit. But her eyes followed him constantly. And if she wasn’t mistaken, she was sure he’d been watching her, too.
They’d met up again at the Ocean Ranch Golden Spoon, standing in line next to each other and both laughing when they ordered the exact same thing—a regular half pistachio—half vanilla with yogurt chips (she’d ordered first, so if anyone was copying, it was him ). Then they’d carried their cups outside and sat at one of the small round tables, talking until her plastic spoon scraped against the bottom of the cup, and there was nothing left.
The second time was not an accident. Although it was a secret. As had been every single date that followed. Until, slowly, Lola began to realize that the strange, sometimes painful feeling in the pit of her stomach, accompanied by her newfound obsession with hours and minutes and seconds (counting them until she’d get to see him again), was the exhilarating, thrilling, and somewhat scary feeling of being in love.
Too bad she couldn’t confide in her friends. Or her parents. Or anyone else, for that matter. It meant way too much to her to just put it out there for other people to judge. And she knew the only way to protect it was to keep it close, and quiet, and secret.
She feared that her friends, knowing what a big flirt she’d always been, wouldn’t take her seriously Not to mention how they’d totally freak at her choice. And there was no doubt that Ellie would be the first (and worst) to judge. And so Lola, being a total people pleaser, had even flirted with that guy in the Jeep just to keep up the appearance of her “normal” self. But all the while she’d been thinking about someone else.
And she couldn’t tell her parents because they, along with Abuela , would have a complete and total meltdown. Because for starters, he wasn’t Mexican. Or Spanish. Or Puerto Rican. Or Panamanian or Argentinean or any other form of Hispanic that her parents would have grudgingly accepted after Mexican. And he wasn’t interested in having the “right kind of job.” He was an athlete, an artist, an innovator—a true renaissance man—but she knew her parents would not be impressed.
Right now Lola felt so insanely, blissfully happy that she just couldn’t take any chances on having someone else wreck it.
“Lola?” her mother called, walking into the bathroom and leaning against the marble sink.
“Mom, I’m trying to take a bath here, jeez,” she said, sinking way down so she was covered up to her neck in bubbles.
“We’re leaving in an hour,” her mother said, turning toward the mirror and checking her makeup.
“Okay.” Lola picked up a bottle of body scrub and poured some into her palm. As far as she was concerned, the sooner they left, the better. She had lots of prepping to do for tonight, and it would all go a lot smoother if they weren’t around to supervise.
“Will you
Lola loved boys. She loved funny, straightforward, athletic, smart boys. She didn’t like the ones that acted overly cool, or dressed overly hip, or tried too hard to get noticed. Though she did like it when they fell to her feet. But pretty as she was, it was her smile that always reeled them in. From the moment she smiled, guys turned to putty, willing to do just about anything she asked.
But as much as she loved boys in general, she had never loved one in particular. Until this past summer, when everything changed.
They’d met before. But this time was different. And the girl who all her friends went to for advice (as though all that dating had made her more worldly, when the truth was she was just as much a virgin as they were) suddenly found herself completely clueless at how to proceed. So she’d spent the entire time concentrating on acting completely normal in front of her friends, even flirting with a couple other guys just out of habit. But her eyes followed him constantly. And if she wasn’t mistaken, she was sure he’d been watching her, too.
They’d met up again at the Ocean Ranch Golden Spoon, standing in line next to each other and both laughing when they ordered the exact same thing—a regular half pistachio—half vanilla with yogurt chips (she’d ordered first, so if anyone was copying, it was him ). Then they’d carried their cups outside and sat at one of the small round tables, talking until her plastic spoon scraped against the bottom of the cup, and there was nothing left.
The second time was not an accident. Although it was a secret. As had been every single date that followed. Until, slowly, Lola began to realize that the strange, sometimes painful feeling in the pit of her stomach, accompanied by her newfound obsession with hours and minutes and seconds (counting them until she’d get to see him again), was the exhilarating, thrilling, and somewhat scary feeling of being in love.
Too bad she couldn’t confide in her friends. Or her parents. Or anyone else, for that matter. It meant way too much to her to just put it out there for other people to judge. And she knew the only way to protect it was to keep it close, and quiet, and secret.
She feared that her friends, knowing what a big flirt she’d always been, wouldn’t take her seriously Not to mention how they’d totally freak at her choice. And there was no doubt that Ellie would be the first (and worst) to judge. And so Lola, being a total people pleaser, had even flirted with that guy in the Jeep just to keep up the appearance of her “normal” self. But all the while she’d been thinking about someone else.
And she couldn’t tell her parents because they, along with Abuela , would have a complete and total meltdown. Because for starters, he wasn’t Mexican. Or Spanish. Or Puerto Rican. Or Panamanian or Argentinean or any other form of Hispanic that her parents would have grudgingly accepted after Mexican. And he wasn’t interested in having the “right kind of job.” He was an athlete, an artist, an innovator—a true renaissance man—but she knew her parents would not be impressed.
Right now Lola felt so insanely, blissfully happy that she just couldn’t take any chances on having someone else wreck it.
“Lola?” her mother called, walking into the bathroom and leaning against the marble sink.
“Mom, I’m trying to take a bath here, jeez,” she said, sinking way down so she was covered up to her neck in bubbles.
“We’re leaving in an hour,” her mother said, turning toward the mirror and checking her makeup.
“Okay.” Lola picked up a bottle of body scrub and poured some into her palm. As far as she was concerned, the sooner they left, the better. She had lots of prepping to do for tonight, and it would all go a lot smoother if they weren’t around to supervise.
“Will you
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