Chapter 7 #3
He gazes down. I fidget as I’m very aware of Reid quickly scanning my outfit and stopping at my feet. “Hey, I’m wearing the same pair.”
I meet his gaze at our feet and see he is wearing the exact same white high-top Converse.
His are more scuffed than mine, and he has little doodles on the toe caps.
I smile at the thought of him scribbling on them as he’s bored in class or just because he wants them to be different.
As I look up, I take the time to examine the rest of his outfit.
He wears dark wash jeans cuffed at the hem just above the top of the Converse.
On top, he has a blue and gray striped T-shirt that has a shallow V-neck at the collar.
It’s not tight, but it’s fitted so his shoulders and pecs are slightly defined through the fabric.
I try not to hold my gaze too long at his shoulders, but my mouth betrays me, and I say, “You’ve gotten bigger.”
Are you kidding me right now?
I immediately fly my hand up to my mouth, fearing what might come out of it next. I can feel my face getting hot. Reid’s eyes sparkle at this comment, and he laughs in response.
“Yahhh, I grew a few inches since eighth grade. Thank goodness, too. I always wanted to be taller than you.”
Which he is now, but only by a few inches. I don’t have to strain my neck to look up at him. He’s the perfect height. Not that I’d ever admit that to anyone.
“Hey, do you wanna get out of this kitchen and play ping-pong in the other room?” He throws his thumb behind him to an open room with fewer people.
“I would love nothing more,” I say, following him to the great room.
He grabs my hand as we swerve through the crowd, and it feels like my hand might burst into flames.
I feel tingles from the tips of my fingers through my arm.
I’m so confused right now. On the one hand, I want to follow Chloe’s advice and date around, but on the other hand, I don’t know if I’m ready for all of that.
Freshman year is kicking my butt. It’s so much harder than high school was, and I feel like I’m barely treading water to stay afloat.
We snake around the crowd, Reid’s hand grasped firmly around mine.
As soon as we make it past the herd of people, he releases my hand, and I miss the warmth.
We play three rounds of ping-pong, talking the entire time, catching up on memories from elementary and middle school. I also discover that Reid is alarmingly good at ping-pong. He beats me in almost every game, but I’m in the lead this time. Although he might be easing up a bit.
He tells me all the places he went after he left Ojai. From Ojai, he and his dad moved to Colorado, to Florida, and then to Northern California. I can’t help but imagine how exhausting that all sounds to move so many times before graduating high school.
When he was a senior in high school, he reconnected with Isaac online and found out they both got accepted to UCSD.
He studies biology and wants to work as a physical therapist one day.
He tells me how that’s what his uncle does and will intern during summers at the wellness center he runs, so it was a no-brainer.
It sounds like he’s pursuing a degree in something he actually wants to do in life. I wonder what that feels like.
I feel brave enough to admit something to him after making him lose a point because a guy knocked into the table, making Reid miss the shot, which means I finally win a game. I pump up my fists in victory.
I pause before starting a new game, looking at him. “Promise you won’t laugh.”
“I can never promise you that,” he says with a devilish grin.
I squint my eyes and proceed reluctantly, not sure what has gotten into me to admit this. “It’s just funny to run into you because I never thought I’d ever see you again, and I had a little crush on you in middle school.”
I try to say it casually, intentionally leaving out the fact that the crush actually started in fourth grade, resulting in a three-year-long infatuation.
His whole face curls up in a smile, and he says something that would make my seventh-grade self collapse on the floor.
“Well, maybe the feeling was mutual.”
I finally look him in the eyes and feel sick to my stomach from the constant flutters.
I look away and feel my cheeks get hot, preparing to serve to start the next game until Reid interrupts.
“Let’s make this next round a bit more interesting,” he says with a wicked smile. “If I win, you go on a date with me.”
My legs almost give out, but I pretend I’m cool as a cucumber and ponder his request as I put my finger on my chin like I’m thinking hard about his question.
“And what do I get if I win?”
“Whatever you want.” All I’ve ever wanted is you. Did I really just say that in my head? Or did I say that out loud? Oh god, he’s staring at me.
“Okay, if I win, you give me your sunglasses.” I noticed his pair of high-end aviators in his pocket earlier when I was scanning his body.
He gives me that wicked smirk again and says, “Deal.”