with us. I was beyond caring. “So you brought Russ his homework and then the two of you were just hanging out here, in Russ’s bedroom , talking?” She grinned and I wanted to tell her off, but I knew enough to ignore her. She loved to tease me and thought it was big fun. Not so fun on my end.
“We were just wrapping things up,” Mallory said. “Russ, if you’re feeling better tomorrow night give me a call and we can go out for wings.”
“Sounds good,” I said, following her out the door to the stairs. I pushed past Frank and Carly, who still lingered in the doorway like they had nothing better to do than intrude on my personal life.
When Mallory and I got to the front door, she stopped and turned to me, whispering, “Seriously, don’t breathe a word of any of this. There’s more. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” I got a warm little shiver from the feel of her lips so close to my ear.
“Tell me now,” I whispered back.
She laughed. “No way, I need more time to get it all out.”
“Are we really going out for wings?” I asked.
She pulled back and shrugged. “Might as well. We have to eat, right? I’ll pick you up at six?”
“Six is fine,” I said, holding the door open for her. I watched her walk down the driveway to a silver car parked across the street. She stopped to fish car keys out of her purse and beeped the door open. When she pulled away from the curb, she glanced back and gave me a wave, which I returned. A bunch of sophomores at my school already had their driver’s licenses, but I was young for my grade and wouldn’t turn sixteen until June. Watching her speed down the street, I couldn’t wait for my turn at the wheel. I was tired of walking and having my mom drive me everywhere.
I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked to turn and see Carly standing right behind me, but I was. Frank had already commandeered the PS3 up in my room; I could hear the sounds of a game above me. You always knew when Frank was over: the kid couldn’t keep quiet for anything. But my sister was another matter. She was a sneaky thing—quiet as a cat. Probably from years of practice as a teenager sneaking out of the house late at night and taking the family car without permission. I waited for her to make some snarky comment, but all she did was put her hand on my forehead. “Oh yeah,” she said, her face scrunched in concern. “I can see why you stayed home today. You’ve definitely got it.”
“Got what?”
“The looove disease.” Carly’s face lit up and she thrust a fist in the air, pleased with herself.
“Okay, enough already.” For once though, I wasn’t all that annoyed with her.
“And she drives too!” Carly punched me lightly on the arm. “An older woman, Russ! You dog, you!” She could barely contain her excitement.
“She’s just a friend.” I tried to hold back a smile without much luck.
“A friend? Just a friend, and she whispers in your ear like that?”
“A good friend.”
“Just a good friend?”
I grinned. “A very good friend.”
“That’s how it starts,” she said, twirling around with her arms stretched high. “Next thing you know, you’ll have moved to the next level and then—watch out! Fireworks! Trust me on this. I know these things.”
“Yes, because you’re the expert when it comes to relationships.” I meant it as a joke, but it came out wrong. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Her face fell, like a balloon deflating, and she stopped dancing. She’d been happy and we were getting along for once, and just like that, the mood shifted. I’d ruined the moment.
“That wasn’t nice, Russ,” she said. “In fact, it was kind of cruel.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know I’m not good at relationships. I try, but I’m just not.” Her voice was raw. She looked on the verge of tears. And suddenly I felt a kind of tenderness toward her I hadn’t felt since I was four
“We were just wrapping things up,” Mallory said. “Russ, if you’re feeling better tomorrow night give me a call and we can go out for wings.”
“Sounds good,” I said, following her out the door to the stairs. I pushed past Frank and Carly, who still lingered in the doorway like they had nothing better to do than intrude on my personal life.
When Mallory and I got to the front door, she stopped and turned to me, whispering, “Seriously, don’t breathe a word of any of this. There’s more. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” I got a warm little shiver from the feel of her lips so close to my ear.
“Tell me now,” I whispered back.
She laughed. “No way, I need more time to get it all out.”
“Are we really going out for wings?” I asked.
She pulled back and shrugged. “Might as well. We have to eat, right? I’ll pick you up at six?”
“Six is fine,” I said, holding the door open for her. I watched her walk down the driveway to a silver car parked across the street. She stopped to fish car keys out of her purse and beeped the door open. When she pulled away from the curb, she glanced back and gave me a wave, which I returned. A bunch of sophomores at my school already had their driver’s licenses, but I was young for my grade and wouldn’t turn sixteen until June. Watching her speed down the street, I couldn’t wait for my turn at the wheel. I was tired of walking and having my mom drive me everywhere.
I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked to turn and see Carly standing right behind me, but I was. Frank had already commandeered the PS3 up in my room; I could hear the sounds of a game above me. You always knew when Frank was over: the kid couldn’t keep quiet for anything. But my sister was another matter. She was a sneaky thing—quiet as a cat. Probably from years of practice as a teenager sneaking out of the house late at night and taking the family car without permission. I waited for her to make some snarky comment, but all she did was put her hand on my forehead. “Oh yeah,” she said, her face scrunched in concern. “I can see why you stayed home today. You’ve definitely got it.”
“Got what?”
“The looove disease.” Carly’s face lit up and she thrust a fist in the air, pleased with herself.
“Okay, enough already.” For once though, I wasn’t all that annoyed with her.
“And she drives too!” Carly punched me lightly on the arm. “An older woman, Russ! You dog, you!” She could barely contain her excitement.
“She’s just a friend.” I tried to hold back a smile without much luck.
“A friend? Just a friend, and she whispers in your ear like that?”
“A good friend.”
“Just a good friend?”
I grinned. “A very good friend.”
“That’s how it starts,” she said, twirling around with her arms stretched high. “Next thing you know, you’ll have moved to the next level and then—watch out! Fireworks! Trust me on this. I know these things.”
“Yes, because you’re the expert when it comes to relationships.” I meant it as a joke, but it came out wrong. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Her face fell, like a balloon deflating, and she stopped dancing. She’d been happy and we were getting along for once, and just like that, the mood shifted. I’d ruined the moment.
“That wasn’t nice, Russ,” she said. “In fact, it was kind of cruel.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know I’m not good at relationships. I try, but I’m just not.” Her voice was raw. She looked on the verge of tears. And suddenly I felt a kind of tenderness toward her I hadn’t felt since I was four
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