Little Divas by Philana Marie Boles Page B

Why?”
    “You like Starburst, Skittles, or Snickers?”
    “I don’t know. Why?”
    “For your birthday,” he suggested. “How about I’ll buy you a new fish, something purple, and some candy. Cool?”
    That all sounded pretty nice, but wait a minute. If I said okay, did that mean I was his girlfriend? Just in case, I didn’t say anything.
    He asked, “What else?”
    “Travis, look.” I sighed.
    “S’up?”
    “You don’t have to buy me another fish. That was never the point.”
    “Okay.” He shrugged. “So now what?”
    “Are you really serious?”
    “T. Money don’t play,” he said.
    I gave him a look. “Yeah. Right.”
    He laughed. “Well, not like I used to. On the real, though. On everything, you gonna let me get those seven, or what?”
    I smacked my lips, reminding myself of Rikki. “I’m not even sure if I can
have
phone calls from boys.” This was true. Daddy and I had never talked about it.
    “Oh.” He sounded disappointed.
    “Well, I just need to ask my dad,” I said.
    His face brightened a bit, and he shrugged. “All right then. Cool. How ’bout I’ll just give you mine?”
    “I guess,” I said.
    “So what time you gonna call?”
    “I don’t know,” I said. I couldn’t believe it. Was I actually going to pick up the phone and
call
Travis Jones?
    He thought for a minute. “Better call before ten. After that, you have to let the phone ring once, then call back five minutes later. I’ll hurry up and call somebody and be on the other line so the phone won’t ring. Cool?”
    I was so nervous that my voice came out shaky. “All right.”
    He squinted his eyes. “So, do you think I’m cute?”
    “Travis…” I managed to say through my giggles.
    He put on a playful face, and kept waiting, and waiting.
    I smiled. “I guess.” I let the
s
sound linger for a moment. “But only now, since you’re nicer.”
    “Come here,” he said, trying to pull me closer.
    But I plastered myself right where I was. “For what?” I asked.
    “Just to chill,” he said. “Come on.”
    I waited for a long time, so long that his smile dissolved and he started biting his bottom lip. “What? What’s wrong now, Cassidy?”
    I swallowed real hard, and I still couldn’t move. Travis’s eyes were so hopeful, and his hair was still glistening with pool water. He really did look harmless.
And
cute.
    “Cassidy.” He reached out and held my hand again. “I really do like you.” Then, very gently, he pulled me toward him. This time, I let him.
    With his face close to mine, he put his hand on my waist. I tried to reposition myself so that his arm would fall off me, but it didn’t. He grabbed tighter, and I looked around. I really was all alone with Travis.
    He said, “So, you coming to my games?”
    Amid the flutters, I felt myself smiling inside, but I didn’t answer. Was Travis going to be my very first boyfriend?
    He raised his eyebrows. “You gonna come?”
    I felt myself beaming, more comfortable now, and I was glad for that. “Maybe,” I teased. I barely recognized myself. I was behaving like Rikki.
    He feigned a sad expression.
“All right then.
Be like that. It’s cool….”
    I nudged him with my shoulder. “Travis, I didn’t say no,” I reminded him.
    A silly, dramatic wave of relief passed across his face, and then he grew quiet, more serious again. For a moment I could only hear low voices in the backyard as the music on the stereo changed from one song to a slower one.
    After the music started again, Travis said, “You never kissed nobody before, have you?”
    “I don’t do stuff like that,” I said.
    He pulled me closer into him.
    I pulled back a little. “Travis…”
    He smiled. “What? I’m not talking about doing the
grown up.”
    “Oh, I
really
don’t do stuff like
that.”
    He put his hand on the small of my back, but this time I didn’t push it away. It actually felt okay.
    “That’s what I like about you,” he said. “You’re