sit in the car? Yeah, right. And next week I’m climbing Mount Everest dressed as Minnie Mouse. I couldn’t take my eyes off the field. And who was that girl bouncing up and down on her bench and screaming louder than anybody else? It was me! (Luckily Mom sometimes watches baseball on TV, so I had an idea of what was happening.) You know what else? I really did bring them luck. Connor scored two runs, and his team (the Smashers or the Crashers or the Bashers – something like that) won for the first time all season. You should’ve seen how happy Connor was. Afterwards we went with some of the team (Stu, JC, Albie and Milt) for pizza. I was the only girl, which was kind of weird because I just sat there smiling and nodding and acting like a silent echo. (It wouldn’t have been weird if they were my guys, because my guys think of me as a person. But these guys seemed to think of me as the girl with Connor, so they didn’t really talk to me. All they talked about was The Game, which is a lot less interesting than watching it.) Connor said he could tell they really liked me. I said, “Can you tell that I really like you?” I couldn’t believe I said that. Thank God we were sitting in the car and he couldn’t see me turn the colour of Farmer John’s tomatoes. I mean, where did that come from? I’ve never said anything like that before in my life. I’ve never even thought of saying anything like that. But you know what he said? He said: CAN
YOU
?
Went into the kitchen to get some water. Dad was fixing himself a snack. He wanted to know how the game went. I got a text while we were talking. Dad said, “Don’t tell me that’s
him
.” I said he just wanted to say goodnight. Dad said he thought we did that in the car. We were there long enough to say goodnight to the entire East Coast. I took the opportunity to beg him not to make dumb jokes when Connor comes to supper. He said he wouldn’t dream of it. Then he said the best thing about Connor coming to dinner is that at least that’ll be one night when he won’t be texting me all the time. Doom looms.
I always figured that if somebody stuck his tongue in my mouth it would be revolting. But it isn’t.
Because I changed my shift again, Farmer John wanted to know if I was playing musical chairs (only without the music and without the chairs). Ely said, “So what’s going on? You’re jumping around like a rabbit.” So I broke down and told him about Connor. “First boyfriend,” said Ely. “No wonder you keep dropping the vegetables and giving people the wrong change.” He wanted to know all about him. How we met. Where he lives. What he’s like. I said, “What are you, an honorary girl? I thought boys didn’t get into that stuff.” He said he wanted to make sure Connor’s good enough for me. He thinks of me as his kid sister. I said maybe he should think of me as somebody else’s kid sister.
Nomi came by the stand today with the two little kids she babysits. She was hoping to see Ely dressed as a carrot but he was just dressed as a boy. She said everybody wanted to know where I was last night. I was where I told them I’d be. I couldn’t very well not go to Connor’s game, could I? Nomi said wait till you’ve sat through half a dozen of them and the three-hour instant replay that happens after the game when the guys all hang out together. Then you’ll jump at any excuse – hang-gliding for charity, a kangaroo hunt, plastic surgery, absolutely anything – to avoid having to sit through another one. I pointed out that there are millions of people in the world who are crazy about ball games. Nomi said, “Yeah, but you’re not one of them.” I said it’s all right for her to be jaded and cynical but this is all new to me. And anyway how does she know? Jax is the guy they invented bleachers for. She said, “But he’s a guitar freak, isn’t he? It boils down to the same thing.” She used to go with him every time he was having a musical
YOU
?
Went into the kitchen to get some water. Dad was fixing himself a snack. He wanted to know how the game went. I got a text while we were talking. Dad said, “Don’t tell me that’s
him
.” I said he just wanted to say goodnight. Dad said he thought we did that in the car. We were there long enough to say goodnight to the entire East Coast. I took the opportunity to beg him not to make dumb jokes when Connor comes to supper. He said he wouldn’t dream of it. Then he said the best thing about Connor coming to dinner is that at least that’ll be one night when he won’t be texting me all the time. Doom looms.
I always figured that if somebody stuck his tongue in my mouth it would be revolting. But it isn’t.
Because I changed my shift again, Farmer John wanted to know if I was playing musical chairs (only without the music and without the chairs). Ely said, “So what’s going on? You’re jumping around like a rabbit.” So I broke down and told him about Connor. “First boyfriend,” said Ely. “No wonder you keep dropping the vegetables and giving people the wrong change.” He wanted to know all about him. How we met. Where he lives. What he’s like. I said, “What are you, an honorary girl? I thought boys didn’t get into that stuff.” He said he wanted to make sure Connor’s good enough for me. He thinks of me as his kid sister. I said maybe he should think of me as somebody else’s kid sister.
Nomi came by the stand today with the two little kids she babysits. She was hoping to see Ely dressed as a carrot but he was just dressed as a boy. She said everybody wanted to know where I was last night. I was where I told them I’d be. I couldn’t very well not go to Connor’s game, could I? Nomi said wait till you’ve sat through half a dozen of them and the three-hour instant replay that happens after the game when the guys all hang out together. Then you’ll jump at any excuse – hang-gliding for charity, a kangaroo hunt, plastic surgery, absolutely anything – to avoid having to sit through another one. I pointed out that there are millions of people in the world who are crazy about ball games. Nomi said, “Yeah, but you’re not one of them.” I said it’s all right for her to be jaded and cynical but this is all new to me. And anyway how does she know? Jax is the guy they invented bleachers for. She said, “But he’s a guitar freak, isn’t he? It boils down to the same thing.” She used to go with him every time he was having a musical
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