suggested it, or did he just want to hang out and watch a show together?
Landry: Iâll have to see. My mom kind of sees through everything, so not sure.
Vladi: What if you told her you were going with Kendall and that Steve and I would be there, too? That way itâs not being shady, but youâre still letting her know youâre there with Kendall and not on a date. Be completely honest about it. Sheâs met me already and maybe sheâd be cool with it.
It was so thoughtful that he wanted to be open about it and not have me lie to my mom. I knew Kyle and Yasmin used to pretend they were going with friends and actually they would go and meet each other instead. Kyle would tell us in math how heâd make up some crazy backstories for them. Kinda sweet that Vladi wasnât like that and didnât want to lie. However, Iâm not sure that would win brownie points with my mother. Sheâd say, âBut youâre supposed to be truthful. How does that make him a better person? And youâre only fourteen. No dates, ever!â
And then ground me until I was thirty.
I wrote him back that Iâd ask her. He sent back a smiley face.
Vladi: Kendall said she already had plans for next weekend, but she wants to hang out so sheâll email you. Canât wait.
He added two more smiley faces and I could feel a dopey smile spread across my face.
âWhatâs with you? Are you smiling and up to something or constipated? I canât tell from here,â my unromantic mother asked, peering into the living room.
âNothing. Just got a text from Vladi.â
âWhat did Mr. Wonderful want?â she asked.
Tell her now and risk her shooting down the idea or take a chance? Hmm.
âHe said his friendâs sister likes me,â I said.
âOh?â
âYeah, that Kendall girl I met at the mall is his friendâs sister. I almost fainted when I found that out. But she told me Vladi talks about me a lot.â
âWait, that day you met her at the mall⦠was Vladi there, too?â she asked narrowing her eyes.
âNope, she and I just met to go shopping, but he wondered if youâd be cool with us all going to the movies together sometime.â
âLike a date?â
Leave it to my mother to get all technical about it and need to label it.
âIs that what it would be? I guess you could call it that. I was just thinking it would be four friends at the movies together.â
âLandry Lilyanne Albright, neither one of us is that dumb,â she said. âI donât know. Youâre awfully young for that. I always thought sixteen would be the age Iâd let you date.â
âBut to me a date is the guy coming to pick you up in his car and going on some romantic dinner thing. This would not be that at all and you know him. Heâs a nice guy. You said that yourself, Mom.â
She was twisting a piece of her straight blond hair, which was what she always did when she was unsure about something.
âThatâs true, but heâs a ninth grader and you are just in middle school,â she said.
âBut a lot of my friends go out with guys. Well, some do, and Vladi wanted me to ask you directly and not just meet up all shady-like and pretend weâre just hanging out with friends.â
âI donât know. I have to think about it.â
âAshantiâs parents let her have Jay over to study and stuff, and they watch TV together afterward,â I said.
âYes, but theyâre right there in the house with them.â
âSo can Vladi come over then?â
Mom sighed. âLet me think it over. I have to talk to your father about this.â
âHeâll say no. You know he will. He gets so uber-protective since heâs not here all the time because of his work.â
I hated the fact my dad still hadnât found a job at a hospital in town and was living back in Chicago in our old apartment. He
Matt Witten
T. Lynne Tolles
Nina Revoyr
Chris Ryan
Alex Marwood
Nora Ephron
Jaxson Kidman
Katherine Garbera
Edward D. Hoch
Stuart M. Kaminsky