Chapter 7 Daisy #3
I punch him in the arm. “Don’t get a big head.”
He laughs.
Just then, Georgia texts that she has to pick up Eden, and do I want a ride home now? I show the text to Mateo.
“Tell her we’ll pick up The Cousin ourselves. I don’t mind playing chauffeur. I love driving. It’s a Zen thing.”
“Okay,” I say, once again going along with his suggestion. Because it seems like he wants to spend more time with me. And
maybe I should give him a chance. He’s lonely, he needs friends, and I’m lucky. I have Eden and Georgia and my mom and even
Dave. And somewhere off in Europe backpacking around with his grampa, I have Owen.
Compared to Mateo, my life is pretty full.
“Let’s hit the road, then,” he says, picking up my backpack off the hook where I hung it and slinging it over his shoulder,
which strikes me as kind of gallant.
“What did the road ever do to you?” I say.
He just looks at me, not getting the joke. “Huh?”
I smile and shake my head. “Never mind.”
Mateo drops me and Eden off at the lake house, and Eden invites him to stay and hang out.
I’m already a little annoyed—on the way home, Eden got shotgun and I sat in the back.
And somehow in the fifteen minutes it took to drive back from the trailhead, Eden and Mateo talked more than I got out of him all afternoon.
Though to be fair, it was mostly Eden talking.
And cutely blowing her “hot bangs” out of her face.
But I could tell he’s smitten with her, like everyone is.
And even though I know we were just hanging out as friends, and he bought me that milkshake to be nice, and he’s two years older than me, it’s still disappointing.
I can’t help but feel a little sidelined as Eden makes Mateo laugh with her hiking horror stories.
Georgia is already back and showered from her day of lifeguard drills and sunbathing by the lake or whatever she’s been up
to. Now she’s throwing sticks into the firepit. Mateo and Eden and I join her and we all sit around the fire she makes, roasting
marshmallows before dinner as the sun starts to fall behind the trees. It’s fun, and I find myself laughing along with Eden’s
tales of woe in the woods and mortifying herself in front of her ex-boyfriend.
“You should just call a truce,” I tell her, “and put it behind you!”
Georgia shakes her head. “I still think there’s an opportunity for you to have it out. Talk about the past. Clear things up.
It might give you peace of mind.”
Eden rolls her eyes. “Nothing about Leo is going to give me any peace of mind, Georgia.”
Mateo chimes in. “I don’t know. He sounds like a douche. I say you sabotage him.”
We all turn to him. “What?” I ask. This guy is full of surprising opinions.
He shrugs. “Cut his fishing line, put a worm in his sleeping bag, whatever. Make his life hell. Have fun with it.”
Eden’s eyes light up and she throws her arms around Mateo, which makes my chest constrict. “You’re a genius,” she says.
Eventually, Mateo stands up and says he should get back for dinner. Georgia walks him to his car, asking him something about
whether he’s heard from Rhys. I’m bummed that he’s leaving—his presence has added an interesting new dynamic to everything—but
I’m also a little relieved. It hasn’t been great watching him and Eden flirt. Not that I should care. Not that I do care. What is wrong with me? Why would I care?
But then again, I don’t even know where I stand with Owen. And it’s not easy being the youngest person in our group. I thought
this summer was going to be so escapist and fun, but I’m already feeling left out even while I’m sitting right here. It’s
an itchy, yearning sensation I can’t quite pinpoint. I’m used to feeling a tiny bit behind when it comes to Georgia and Eden.
But this is something else.
As I watch the fire flicker and burn down, it occurs to me that it’s more than feeling too young or left out. I want that feeling of being in love. Or at least in lust.
I want the feeling of being in something.
Georgia comes over and nudges my back with her knee.
“Mateo agreed to drive you home after work for the rest of the summer! This will be so great. Two birds with one stone. Rhys wanted me to make sure Mateo didn’t get too bored alone up here, and we know Mom and Dave will be glued to their laptops, type-type-typing all day, and this way, I don’t have to worry about rushing off to get you when my lifeguarding shifts start! ”
A mix of emotions washes through me—excitement, curiosity, embarrassment. On the one hand, I’ll be spending every single afternoon
driving home with Mateo. On the other hand, he’s doing it as a favor to my sister, and he’s clearly more interested in my
cousin than me.
“I don’t need babysitting, Georgia,” I inform her.
“So, you’re saying you’d rather ride your bike to work and back?” she asks.
“Fine, you win. He can drive me,” I say, staring back into the dying flames again. On the other side of the firepit, I notice
Eden’s eyebrows go up as she gives me a questioning look. But she’s not the only one with questions. I myself have to wonder
what in the world is going on with me right now. Because even though I’m annoyed at the whole situation, I’d be lying if I
didn’t say I’m also a little bit . . . curious. To see how this all plays out.