Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
I’m not sure whether my heart is going to beat out of my chest or leap out of my throat, so I focus on pacing the short distance between the walls of Caleb’s garage.
He sits on the steps that lead up into the house, fidgeting with his hands. It’s been quiet in here for a while. Probably too long. “So—”
“Nope. Don’t say anything yet.”
My brain is scrambled. Nothing makes sense right now.
Going on a date with Caleb has never once crossed my mind, and never in a million years would I have guessed he was into me.
I mean, I’m a disaster. I don’t even like myself most of the time.
I’m quiet, and messy, and angry, and a million other things that drive people away from me.
I’ve fully accepted I’ll be single into my ripe old age, surrounding myself with dogs instead of people.
Still, despite all rational thinking, I find myself considering his offer because I don’t have any other choice at the moment. Would going on a couple of dates be so bad if it meant I could graduate?
I stop in the middle of the garage, pivoting to face him. “Me? I just—I’m sorry, but what’s wrong with you?” I gesture to myself. “I’m literally the definition of a walking red flag.”
The corners of Caleb’s mouth turn up, and he laughs softly.
“What?”
His gaze lifts from where it’s lingering on the floor. I’m not sure how I feel about his eyes roaming over me before meeting mine. “Oh, I know what I’m getting into.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I can’t believe I’m having this conversation in the first place.
He stands and strolls toward me, his hands tucked in his pockets.
“What are you doing?” I stagger back.
His back arches as he leans in to be at eye level with me. He stares directly into my eyes. “It means maybe I like a little trouble.”
He’s too close. I take another step back. And another. My back runs into the wall, and I catch my breath. I slam my eyes shut, expecting him to be gone when they reopen, but he’s still there—inches away. His eyes don’t falter.
I sidestep, breaking away. “You’re being weird.”
He laughs. “Would it really be so bad?”
I pull at my sleeves, but the wet fabric clings to my skin. “I’ve never thought about us like that.”
“Come on, just give me a chance. Think about it this way: I’m agreeing to drive you for the rest of the year, so you’ll get to school without jumping out of any more buses and you’ll graduate.
On top of all that, I’ll buy you dinner a few times.
Is it just me, or isn’t that a win-win situation?
I’ve already accepted the fact that you probably won’t change your mind, so if you don’t, I won’t be mad. ”
I throw my head back and groan. Why does this have to be my only option? “If you’ve liked me for a while, why did you wait until now to tell me?”
“Because now you might have a reason to say yes.”
I cross my arms and start pacing again, chewing at my bottom lip. “How many dates?”
“Ten.”
I laugh. “No way. Two.”
“Five.”
My eyes narrow again, and my face scrunches up while I weigh my options.
It might be awkward, but it also might be a nice distraction from Mom and Dad.
And the thought of a few free dinners is tempting.
Besides, he already told me that he knows I won’t change my mind.
So, I suffer through a few dinners, get away from my parents, and graduate high school.
Fine.
I let out a slow breath. “Okay.”
“Really?” His face lights up.
I nod.
“I want it in writing.”
I roll my eyes. “Really? This isn’t some rom-com movie, you know.”
“Yeah, really. That way you won’t change your mind.” He starts to open some of the boxes that line the shelves at the back of the garage. After a minute, he pulls out a notepad. It’s dusty and bent, but it’ll do the job. He rummages around a little more until he finds a marker. “Got it.”
He sits on the stairs again, resting the pad on his leg. “Bec Jacobs agrees to go on five dates with Caleb Park before the end of the semester in exchange for transportation to and from school for the rest of the school year.”
I cringe. “That sounds strange and formal.”
“Nah, it’s good.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever. But I want to add to it.”
“Go ahead.”
I sit next to him and take the pad and marker. “No texting while driving. No passing Lincoln St. And Caleb agrees to continue driving Becca to school even after the dates are finished—no matter what the result is.”
He takes it back. “She agrees to give Caleb a fair shot.”
I give him a look. “It won’t change anything.”
“I want you to go into this with an open mind, even if that means I only have a small chance,” he says.
“Fine. I most likely won’t change my mind.”
He nods. “I’ll take it.”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this. I’ve never even been on a date before.”
“What? No. I never would’ve guessed that. Your personality is so warm and inviting, and you’re always talking to guys. I figured you were going on a date with a different guy every weekend.”
I deadpan. Obviously, that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. “Ha-ha.”
He holds the pad out to me. “Anything else?”
“Not that I can think of.”
“Okay, do you want to sign it first?”
I scribble my name across the bottom and date it. Caleb does the same. Then he takes out his phone, holding it over the paper.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a picture just in case you try to rip it up tomorrow.”
I snatch the notepad away from him. “Wow, that’s mature,” I say with a click of my tongue.
“Says the girl that threw water balloons at my bedroom window.”
“Hey, I was eleven and you stuck gum in my hair,” I say.
He laughs. “That wasn’t my fault.”
“Oh really?”
“Mm-hmm.” He nods. “If you didn’t steal my seat, I wouldn’t have sat behind you.”
I roll my eyes, setting the notepad down. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Leaving already?”
I raise my hand, giving a weak wave as I walk toward the open garage door.
“Wait a second,” Caleb says. He jumps up and grabs the umbrella that’s lying on the floor. He opens it and holds it out to me. “I wouldn’t want my girl to catch a cold.”
My jaw hits the floor. “I'm not your girl.”
He raises his eyebrows and smiles while he taps the paper. “Not yet.”
I take a couple of deep, even breaths, trying not to regret my decision to agree to this. “Not ever.”
“Whatever you say, Bec,” he calls after me.
I know myself well enough to know that I’m too stubborn to change.
I slept oddly well and woke up without feeling groggy. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t have the dread of the bus hanging over me, or if I was too tired to worry about anything. Either way, I woke up two minutes before my alarm went off.
I change out of my pajama sweats and into my school sweats. Life is too short to wear jeans. Besides, I’m not about to start dressing up for Caleb. This is what I’m like. This is how I dress.
Last night, I managed to get a good amount of homework done. I shove the stack of assignments into my overfilled backpack. The pages crinkle as I push the ends down farther so I can zip it closed.
Then, I walk over to the window and peek through the blinds. I scan the Parks’ house for any sign of Caleb. Is he ready to go?
He isn’t outside yet, and the house seems to be quiet and dark. His window is cracked open, and there’s a clear shot into his room. The only thing visible is the dresser against the wall. Above it is a shelf with some books on it, all of them neatly stacked.
He comes into view, typing on his phone. His eyes flick up, meeting mine.
He winks.
I jerk away from my window, letting the blinds fall back into place. What was that? Why did he wink? Heats rises to my face, and my eyes dart all over my room, unable to focus on anything for very long.
What did I get myself into?
The doorbell rings, and I jump again.
There’s no way that Caleb got to my front door that fast. It’s not humanly possible.
Still, I sling my backpack over my shoulder and race down the hallway. I don’t want to deal with Mom this morning. We barely talked last night, and I’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding her since then. I don’t need the doorbell to get her attention and pull her out of hiding.
I swing the door open, fully expecting Caleb to have magically appeared, but I find my chin lowering to meet eyes with Jordy.
He stands in front of me with his backpack over both shoulders, and his thumbs are looped behind the straps.
His neck is wrapped in a big scarf, and his little face pokes through the top.
“We need to go. I don’t want to be late again.” His tone is so cold it could freeze over the desert.
“Who’s at the door?” Mom calls from down the hallway. I jerk into action, stepping toward Jordy.
“Bye! I’m heading out,” I say, fumbling with the door as I close it behind me.
Without another word, Jordy turns and walks off our porch.
It might not be much, but it’s probably the longest conversation he’s ever had with me.
Neither one of us tries to force the other to talk.
He stays inside most of the time so we rarely cross paths.
He’s a cute kid, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.
In some ways, he reminds me of myself a little too much—full of blunt words and hardened expressions.
As I follow Jordy across the yard, Caleb jogs out their front door. “Hey,” he says, falling into step with his brother. “I was going to get Bec. You beat me to it.” He ruffles his brother's hair.
Jordy pushes away, shaking his hair and running his fingers through it to straighten his bangs. “Stop it. You know I hate it when you do that.”
“You hate everything,” Caleb says, patting his shoulder.
“That’s not possible because I don’t know everything. To hate everything, I would have to have seen and heard everything.”
“Okay, Einstein.”
The corner of my lips turns up slightly. My brother used to tease me like this too, and for a moment, the memory doesn’t make me sad. If anything, it makes me jealous. I miss having someone push my buttons the way a sibling does.
Jordy sighs, closing his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. “That doesn’t even make any sense. Einstein was a scientist, and science is my worst subject.”
Caleb laughs. “Worst subject? You have a B-plus. That’s nothing.”
Jordy gives him a side-eye. “Don’t remind me.”
“If I told you what my grades were, you’d have a heart attack,” I mumble behind them.
Jordy peers over his shoulder. “What are they?”
I shrug. “I might have a few F’s.”
His eyes grow big. “How do you even do that?”
“It’s pretty easy, actually. I can give you some pointers if you want.”
Jordy’s hand flies up, flat palm facing me. “No, thank you. I’m done talking to you now.” He speeds up to round the side of the car and climbs in.
My feet slow, and I can’t help but laugh. “What?”
Caleb chuckles. “That’s Jordy for you.”
“Well, okay then.” I trudge closer to the passenger door.
As I reach for the handle, Caleb hurries after me. “Not so fast,” he says, jumping toward the door.
I stagger back. “What now?”
“Let me.” He grips the handle and pulls the door open for me.
I cross my arms, tilting my head and glaring. “Really?”
He gestures to the seat, smiling. “You know what they say. Chivalry isn’t dead.”
“Maybe not, but soon you will be.”
His smile widens. “Is that a threat?”
“Just a warning.”
He winks. “Consider me warned.”
I groan. “Don’t do . . .” I wave my hands in front of his face. “That.”
“You mean this?” He winks again.
My teeth grit together. “Yes.”
He sucks in a breath. “Sorry, but I—”
Jordy clears his throat, poking his head up by the front seats. “Let’s move, people. Time is ticking.” He points to the invisible watch on his wrist.
I climb into the passenger seat, reaching for the door. “I can close it.”
“I got it,” he says, winking . . . again.
My glare follows him as he closes the door, walks around the front of the car, and sits down next to me in the driver’s seat. I want my wrath to be overtly apparent. I want my gaze to be so heavy he melts under the pressure.
He starts the car and turns to me. “Careful. Your face might get stuck like that.”
I sink lower into the chair.
This is going to be one long semester.