I told him and zoomed out of the room like a spaz on steroids.
* * * * *
Once Trent finished clearing my hard drive, Seth and I taught him “Killer Uno.” It’s actually just normal Uno, but my family—being the game players that we are—added extra rules to make the game more exciting. Mom and Seth’s friend, Kevin, joined in as well. So, we had a little party—the Mormon kind—with Kool-Aid and cookies and green Jell-O. Though, I’m just kidding about the Jell-O. We had fish sticks.
When it was time for Trent to leave, I walked him to the door. “Thanks for clearing my hard drive.”
He grinned. “Yeah, well, thanks for stomping all over me in Uno.”
The way he said that made me laugh. “Hey, anytime.”
He stared at me a moment. “I like your laugh.”
“I like yours too.”
Doh!
His eyes twinkled, but he didn’t mention my dorkyness. Instead he grinned, saying he’d see me tomorrow.
I watched him drive away. Then I ran up to my room to do a little dance. He liked my laugh!
chapter 12
I work at the mall in a department store called Jordon’s. It’s a good job. I like it. I just don’t get a lot of money working there. It’s not that they don’t pay me well. They do, I guess. I just don’t get to put in a lot of hours. So, I can’t, of course, expect a big, fat paycheck. But I do get a thirty percent discount on everything in the store. That helps. Plus, the store has a petite section. So, it’s been nice. These days I actually fit in my clothes. And it’s made a difference. Seriously. I actually get compliments sometimes instead of “scrawny” jokes.
Tonight during a major lull at work, I tried on an elegant satin wrap from the morning’s shipment. I stood in front of the evening section’s full-length mirror, admiring myself in it, thinking how perfect it would be for the dance. It was just for fun, though. No way could I afford it. But wow, if I could.…
I posed.
Then I pretended I was Trent at the dance, admiring me in it. “You look stunning,” I/Trent told my image in the mirror.
But then—this is so embarrassing!—suddenly there was Trent, standing behind me. For real! I could see him in the mirror, grinning. My face turned so red, it was purple.
“You really do look stunning,” he agreed, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Thank you.” I did a little curtsy, trying to act as though I wasn’t about to die of embarrassment.
Finishing my performance, I swooped the wrap off in record speed, placing it back on the display. Then I tried to act calm. Composed. Semi-normal. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the mall,” he said. “I thought I’d drop by and say hi.”
I’m sure my face gave away how thrilled I was that he thought to do that. Maybe that’s why he said the next thing.
“Are you going to be off pretty soon?” he asked. “I want you to hear my band.”
“Uh, tonight?”
“Yeah. There’s no school tomorrow. Saturday, remember?”
“Yeah, but …”
“It’s not at a party,” he said quickly, seeming to understand my hesitation. “It’s at Flips. So no drinking or anything. Totally Mormon friendly.”
Flips was a new pizza place. But it was more than just a pizza place. It was our school’s hangout. Think Chuck E. Cheese, but for teenagers, and instead of mechanical animals on stage, think cool bands, that was Flips.
What was extra cool was the bands didn’t only play there, they worked there too. They waited tables and bused and, you know, “worked.” That’s how Flips paid them, for their work, not their performance. But we teens, we definitely came for the performances. Although the pizza was seriously good too.
“We’re dead tonight,” I told him. “I can get
* * * * *
Once Trent finished clearing my hard drive, Seth and I taught him “Killer Uno.” It’s actually just normal Uno, but my family—being the game players that we are—added extra rules to make the game more exciting. Mom and Seth’s friend, Kevin, joined in as well. So, we had a little party—the Mormon kind—with Kool-Aid and cookies and green Jell-O. Though, I’m just kidding about the Jell-O. We had fish sticks.
When it was time for Trent to leave, I walked him to the door. “Thanks for clearing my hard drive.”
He grinned. “Yeah, well, thanks for stomping all over me in Uno.”
The way he said that made me laugh. “Hey, anytime.”
He stared at me a moment. “I like your laugh.”
“I like yours too.”
Doh!
His eyes twinkled, but he didn’t mention my dorkyness. Instead he grinned, saying he’d see me tomorrow.
I watched him drive away. Then I ran up to my room to do a little dance. He liked my laugh!
chapter 12
I work at the mall in a department store called Jordon’s. It’s a good job. I like it. I just don’t get a lot of money working there. It’s not that they don’t pay me well. They do, I guess. I just don’t get to put in a lot of hours. So, I can’t, of course, expect a big, fat paycheck. But I do get a thirty percent discount on everything in the store. That helps. Plus, the store has a petite section. So, it’s been nice. These days I actually fit in my clothes. And it’s made a difference. Seriously. I actually get compliments sometimes instead of “scrawny” jokes.
Tonight during a major lull at work, I tried on an elegant satin wrap from the morning’s shipment. I stood in front of the evening section’s full-length mirror, admiring myself in it, thinking how perfect it would be for the dance. It was just for fun, though. No way could I afford it. But wow, if I could.…
I posed.
Then I pretended I was Trent at the dance, admiring me in it. “You look stunning,” I/Trent told my image in the mirror.
But then—this is so embarrassing!—suddenly there was Trent, standing behind me. For real! I could see him in the mirror, grinning. My face turned so red, it was purple.
“You really do look stunning,” he agreed, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Thank you.” I did a little curtsy, trying to act as though I wasn’t about to die of embarrassment.
Finishing my performance, I swooped the wrap off in record speed, placing it back on the display. Then I tried to act calm. Composed. Semi-normal. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the mall,” he said. “I thought I’d drop by and say hi.”
I’m sure my face gave away how thrilled I was that he thought to do that. Maybe that’s why he said the next thing.
“Are you going to be off pretty soon?” he asked. “I want you to hear my band.”
“Uh, tonight?”
“Yeah. There’s no school tomorrow. Saturday, remember?”
“Yeah, but …”
“It’s not at a party,” he said quickly, seeming to understand my hesitation. “It’s at Flips. So no drinking or anything. Totally Mormon friendly.”
Flips was a new pizza place. But it was more than just a pizza place. It was our school’s hangout. Think Chuck E. Cheese, but for teenagers, and instead of mechanical animals on stage, think cool bands, that was Flips.
What was extra cool was the bands didn’t only play there, they worked there too. They waited tables and bused and, you know, “worked.” That’s how Flips paid them, for their work, not their performance. But we teens, we definitely came for the performances. Although the pizza was seriously good too.
“We’re dead tonight,” I told him. “I can get
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