Chapter 3
Seventh Grade
I’m standing on the bleachers jumping up and down, screaming my head off like a crazy person. Ryder, Julien, Hailey, Brea, Jamie, and all of our parents are around me doing the same.
“Move Jayson! Go! Go! You can do it!”
I cup my hands around my mouth and yell as loud as I can. Holding his fingers between his lips, Ryder lets out a shrill whistle.
Jayson’s legs and arms are pumping rhythmically while his head tilts for a breath after every third stroke.
He’s neck-and-neck with one of the swimmers from the opposing team in the next lane, and it has come down to the final seconds.
Jayson seems to get a second burst of strength and plows ahead, touching the side of the pool an arm’s length before his opponent.
He rips off his goggles, looks up at the board to see his time, and then scans the stands before his eyes find our group.
The smile that lights up his face could power an entire city. I am so freakin’ proud of that boy
Jayson just demolished the district’s freestyle record for his age group. I grab a hold of Julien’s shoulders and shake him silly while continuing to scream my head off. Our families are cheering as Jayson gets out of the pool and towels off before his coach and teammates swarm him in a group hug.
“I think that calls for a celebration tonight,” Jayson and Julien’s dad, Mitch, says.
“Cookout in the backyard at our house,” Ryder’s dad, Randy, suggests.
Our families usually do cookouts or barbecues at each other’s houses.
It’s the middle of spring and we’ve been experiencing very warm weather recently, so instead of having the swim meet inside, the principal of our school decided to have it in the outdoor school pool complex.
Our middle school is way bigger than the building we were in for elementary, and it has a great athletics department for junior varsity sports.
Ryder lifts me away from Julien to save him from the spider-monkey grip I have on his upper arms as I continue to excitedly jump up and down.
Poor Ryder. I just grab on to him instead to resume my antics.
Ryder gets a reprieve from my mania as soon as Jayson comes over.
I jump off the bleachers and grab his face in both my hands.
He’s still shirtless and dripping water onto my sandals, but I couldn’t care less.
“I am so super, duper, awesomely proud of you!”
His hands come up to lie on top of mine that are cupping his face. “Thanks, Liz.”
His parents pull him away to dispense hugs and congratulations.
Jayson’s opponent, the one he just decimated in freestyle, walks over to where me, Ryder, and Julien are standing. He has short-cropped honey blond hair and goggles hanging around his neck. As boys go, he’s pretty cute.
“Hey.” He lifts his chin at us. “I just wanted to come over and congratulate the winner.”
Jayson hears him and pulls away from his parents.
“Thanks, man.”
“That was pretty epic dude. I thought I had you and then you shot away from me on the last lap. I didn’t stand a chance. I’m Elijah. I go to Highland Middle.” Elijah holds out his fist and Jayson bumps it with his own. What is it with guys and fist bumps?
“You were great too. I had to push myself hard just to stay even with you.”
Elijah looks at me. “This your sister?”
Is he asking about me? Like any teenage girl that gets the attention of a cute teenage boy, my face heats and I blush pink.
“No, I’m not his sister. I’m Elizabeth, the best friend,” I reply, pushing a loose strand of my long, pale hair behind my ear.
“My team’s about to head out. Our coach is treating us to pizza.”
Elijah looks like he's getting very nervous. I don’t blame him. He has become the sole focus of the three boys standing next to me.
“Um, so yeah. I was wondering if I can get your number or email or something and maybe text you or call you sometime?”
“Yeah, about that. The answer’s no,” Ryder tells him before I can even open my mouth to respond.
“Wait a minute.” I whack Ryder’s arm with the back of my hand.
“Oh, well, okay. It’s nice to meet you.”
Elijah turns around looking dejected and walks back toward his teammates.
I turn to face Ryder. “What the heck was that for?”
Ryder forcibly but gently grabs my upper arms and turns me toward the exit doors as our families follow.
“Who’s ready for some burgers?” he asks to no one in particular.
I try to tug myself free of Ryder, only to get snatched up by Jayson and pushed into Ryder’s mom’s minivan.
“That was really not nice, you know,” I say out loud. My words fall on deaf ears.
“Not happening, Liz,” Jayson says as he pulls on a hoodie that has our school’s mascot emblazoned across the front and takes the seat next to me while Ryder and Julien take the back row.
“Okay, kids, buckle up,” Ryder’s mom, Faith, tells us from the front seat while Randy, Ryder’s dad, gets behind the wheel to drive us back to their house.
We all automatically do as she says, but I’m not done with our conversation.
“He was really nice. He even came over to congratulate you, Jayson. Maybe I wanted him to call me.” I huff out and cross my arms over my chest to show my displeasure.
Apparently, I’m invisible now because the boys start talking about the swim meet and about the new dirt bike Ryder got. I take out my phone to text my friend Maria. She’ll listen to me.
Me: Ugh! Boys!
It doesn’t take long for Maria to reply.
Maria: Who?
Me: Who do you think? The three idiots I’m being forced to share a car ride with right now.
Maria: What they’d do?
Me: What is it Jamie’s boyfriend says all the time when Brea hangs around and won’t leave them alone? Cockblock? That’s me. I was cockblocked, whatever that means, but I’m using it.
Maria: LOL!
Maria: Wait. One of them ask you out?!!!!
Me: NO! This cute boy from another school who was swimming against Jayson kind of did.
Maria: OMG!!! Tell me!!
Me: Nothing to tell. Like I said. Cockblocked!
Maria: They like you.
Me: Of course they like me. We’re best friends.
Maria: Nooooooo. They LIKE U, like u.
Me: ?? Are you high?
Maria: Trust me.
Me: Who likes me? Jayson? Julien? Ryder?
Maria: All 3! Duh!
Yeah, right. No. Just no. Well, maybe. Ugh!
Now I'm blushing for a whole different reason. Do they? I look around the car at each of them. Jayson is turned around in his seat so he can talk with Ryder and Julien, but his right hand is resting above my knee. How did that get there? Julien is sitting right behind me but is leaning forward so that both his hands are hanging over my seat and on top of my shoulders. And Ryder. Well, Ryder is talking to Jay and Julien, but he’s looking right at me.
I snap back to face forward. My cell phone has been pinging, so I know Maria is still texting me.
Maria: Where’d u go?
Maria: Hellooooooo
Maria: Answer your texts!
Me: I’ll talk to you later.
Maria: Don’t u dare leave me hanging.
Maria: Fine! But we’re talking later.
Me: Parents having a cookout to celebrate Jay’s win. He was awesome BTW. Sigh. I’ll call u 2nite.
I push my phone back into my short’s pocket.
Now I feel weird. I’m a teenage girl, for Pete’s sake.
Yes, I notice boys. Yes, I have noticed a certain three boys in particular for a while.
But we’re friends. Just friends. Right? What happens if I decide to like one more than the other two?
I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. We’re a unit, a team, inseparable.
Life sucks, I decide. I sit quietly the rest of the car ride to Ryder’s house.
My parents and sister, and Freda, Mitch, and Brea, all pull in behind us.
Ryder’s older sister, Jamie, left the swim meet with her boyfriend and they’ll arrive later.
Hopping out of the minivan, Jayson announces he’s going to take a quick shower to rinse off the chlorine.
Hailey and Brea run off together, while Ryder, Julien, and I head into the backyard.
Ryder’s dad built a huge firepit out there and placed Adirondack chairs all around it.
It’s one of our favorite places to hang out at night.
We light a fire, roast some marshmallows, and watch the night sky.
Tonight, there’s supposed to be a meteor shower that starts around midnight.
Mom said I could stay up for it. I’m hoping that the boys will be allowed to stay up with me.
The sun is hanging low on the horizon, casting pink hues mixed with orange against the puffy cumulus clouds.
The sun won’t set until around half past seven, so we have about an hour before it gets dark.
We decide to go ahead and light the fire in the pit even though it’s warm out because it helps keep the mosquitoes away.
The back screened door bangs open and then closes.
Jayson strolls out and drops into the seat next to Julien.
I can hear Randy getting the grill ready on the back patio, and the rest of the adults’ voices carry out of the kitchen through the open window.
“Coach told me before I left that they would do an assembly on Friday to celebrate my record-beating time.”
“That’s awesome, Jay. You really did good today,” Ryder says.