Prologue #2
“Told you.” Her breathing slowed, and she sat on the lawn, stretching her legs before her. “We had a deal. Tell me what you want. Candies? Popsicles? Iced tea? I can even bake you banana bread.”
I dropped next to her, twisting blades of grass around my finger. “Do you have plans tonight?”
She seemed to hesitate for a second. “Huh…no. Mom said nothing about our having plans. She’s too busy unpacking.”
“Then we’ll have dinner and watch a movie in my backyard together.”
“Backyard?”
“Yes. Dad has an old projector we use sometimes to screen movies in the garden on a white sheet. It’s Saturday night, so you’re allowed to watch a movie, no? Isn’t that what you said earlier?”
“I guess. Mom said our family nights would start again next week because unpacking is the top priority before school starts.”
“Perfect. Do you like pizza?”
Her face flushed. “Duh, yes. Do you know anyone who doesn’t like pizza because I don’t.”
“No. That would be silly.” I chuckled. “Mom makes the best homemade pizza.”
“Huh…Mason… Are you sure it’s okay with your parents if I come over later?”
I nodded. “Yep. Mom says my friends are always welcome at our house.”
“I’ll ask my parents first, okay? They are super protective of me. Like a lot. My best friend Jolie, back in New Jersey, said it was a bit too much sometimes.”
“Wow, you moved from New Jersey? It’s like far far away”
She bobbed her head. “Super far. Three-day drive to be exact.” She moved to her feet. “Nice game, by the way.”
I stood and dusted myself off. “Can I walk you home?”
“You wanna walk me home? I live right next door.”
“I’m a gentleman. And we can ask your mom together.”
We walked side by side without a word. It felt weird to go to a girl’s house. I never really had a girl as a friend before.
Mr. Shepard opened the door when we climbed up the front porch steps. “Hi again,” he said when he noticed me. “Mel, I’m glad you made a friend on your first day.”
I stood next to her and held out a hand as I’d seen my father do many times. “Sir, my name is Mason Pierce. I live next door. Can Melinda come over and have dinner at my place tonight? We’ll have a picnic in my backyard and swim and watch a movie.”
Mr. Shepard studied me with a serious expression. “Will my daughter be home before nine, Mr. Pierce?”
“Yes, sir. I have an eight-thirty curfew.”
Mr. Shepard nodded. “I see. Will you keep her safe?”
“Always. I’ll watch over her. So, can she come?”
Mr. Shepard brought his attention to his daughter. “Mel, do you wanna go?”
She nodded fast. “I would love to, Daddy.”
“Okay.” He looked at me. “It’s settled then.” He turned around, picked up a notepad from one of the boxes stacked in the foyer and a pen from his pocket, and scribbled something before handing me the piece of paper. “Please ask your parents to call me to confirm, okay? This is our number.”
I took the note he offered. “Sure. Cool.” I tried to act unaffected, but inside my chest, my heart was pounding very fast. “Like five o’clock?”
Melinda nodded with a smile, and I hurried away, not sure what to do now that I had asked a girl over. I had never been on a date before. Was that what it was tonight? A date? My heart rate accelerated at the idea. Craig would be jealous because he had never invited a girl home before either.
I jumped down the stairs and watched her over my shoulder one last time. “I’ll see you around five.”
“Wow, you did this?” Melinda asked when she walked into my backyard later, her dad by her side, as she looked all around her.
I shrugged like it was no big deal when, in fact, I’d spent over an hour setting it all up with Dad.
I had laid a blanket and some pillows in one corner of the yard for our picnic.
Mom had made a pitcher of lemonade for us, and I’d helped her bake cookies.
I hoped Melinda loved cookies as much as I did.
I had added extra chocolate chips just in case.
Dad had installed the projector and put two chairs on the other side of the pool, with a white sheet pinned to the wooden fence in front of them.
We’d put a large float we could drift on while watching the movie in the pool, and my inflatable basketball pool game was ready, in case Melinda wanted a rematch in the water.
“Did you bring your swimsuit?” I asked, gesturing to the red shark-patterned swim trunk and sleeveless white shirt I was wearing.
“Yes.” She tugged at the sleeve of her purple dress to reveal the strap of her bathing suit. “I also made cupcakes. Here.” She handed me a plastic container.
“Cool.”
Mom joined us and started a conversation with our new neighbor while Melinda and I stood next to them in silence.
Feeling awkward, I rocked on my heels, wondering what to do or say next. “Huh…do you want lemonade? Mom made it for us.”
“Sure.” Melinda followed me to the small table. She looked around as if searching for something. “Is your brother home?”
“No. It’s just us.”
She nodded. Seconds later, her father said goodbye.
“Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Come get me if you need anything, or if you wanna go for a swim, I’ll send your dad to watch over you, okay?”
We both nodded as she returned inside.
Melinda offered me a small smile. “Your Mom looks nice.”
“Yeah. She’s the best.”
She fidgeted with her fingers while I scratched the back of my head as silence stretched between us.
After a few long minutes that seemed endless, I pointed to the front yard. “Do you think we should play a game?”
“Yes. I think I can beat you this time,” Melinda said, puffing her chest out.
“You think?”
“Yes.” She dropped her bag on the ground and bent down to retie her shoes. “Come on, Mason.”
We played for the next thirty minutes, both of us sweating, too invested in the game. The score was tied. Fifteen to fifteen.
“If you score, you win,” Melinda said. She stood before me, her hands on her knees as I dribbled the ball, her gaze following all my movements.
I stepped to the left, pivoted on myself, passed the ball through my legs, and aimed for the hoop.
Melinda’s eyes lit up. She raised her arms, blocking me.
I shifted my weight to my right, positioned my arms, and tossed the ball.
It spun around the rim, again and again.
We both watched, jaws hanging, eyes big.
Until it slid through the net.
I shot my arms up in victory. “I win,” I screamed before I noticed the defeated expression on Melinda’s face. “Huh…it was close. I thought it wouldn’t go in.”
“You did good.”
For a moment, I wondered if I was supposed to have let her win.
Maybe it was the gentlemanly thing to do on a date.
But would Melinda enjoy the victory if she knew I had cheated?
Nah. I know I wouldn’t love winning because my opponent tricked the game.
My belly growled. “Are you hungry? We could eat now. Dinner should be ready.”
“Sure.”
After we inhaled the pizza and desserts, I flipped on a switch, and dozens of garden lights illuminated the backyard.
“Wow, Mason, it’s beautiful,” Melinda said, her hands cupping her heart. “Like it’s a fairy garden.”
I high-fived myself in my head. She was pleased with the setup, and it filled me with joy. I had missed her smile when she’d lost the basketball match earlier, and I was happy I had done something that brought it back.
I peeled my shirt off, and Melinda removed her dress, both of us standing in nothing but our swimsuits.
Dad joined us. “Ready?”
“Yes,” we said at the same time.
While he put the movie on, Melinda and I climbed on the float, sitting next to each other.
Dad sat on one of the loungers with a newspaper, far enough to give us some privacy and not eavesdrop on our conversation, but close enough to keep an eye on us just in case we decided to get into the pool.
For the next hour, we glided on the water, engrossed in the action on the screen, paddling with our hands to keep the float facing forward.
Every few minutes, I glanced at Melinda, mesmerized by her smile and the way her hair swept her shoulders every time she laughed.
Having a girlfriend wasn’t too bad so far.
Sure, she didn’t crack jokes like Chase always did, and I didn’t wrestle with her like I would do with Craig, but I still loved her company.
It was different from hanging out with the boys, but a good different.
The movie was almost over when I took a deep breath and enveloped her hand in mine. My heart drummed in my chest so fast I believed it would escape.
Melinda turned slowly. “Mason? What are you doing?”
I shrugged, trying to look unaffected. So far, she hadn’t pulled her hand away from mine, so maybe she liked it as much as I did. “We’re on a date...”
She watched me with a funny expression like she had drunk sour milk.
“What?” I asked. “I won the game earlier, and you said I could choose anything if I won. So, I invited you on a date.”
She studied me with her turquoise eyes. “A date? You never said anything about a date before.”
“Huh, well… I thought it was obvious.”
She stared at me, not saying anything.
It felt like thousands of ants were marching through my stomach.
I thought girls liked to go on dates. Was I wrong all this time?
Before I chickened out, I spoke the words lingering on the tip of my tongue.
I spoke fast because I had never said something like that to a girl up until now.
“I think we should date for real. You love playing ball, and we’re friends now… It makes sense. Don’t you agree?”
She blinked a few times. “But we are too young to date. I’m only twelve.”
“My friend Lee, who used to live in your house, had a girlfriend last year. They dated for eleven days, and they were almost twelve. We are older. And…I think you are pretty. For a girl.”
She said nothing for the longest time. “You want us to date?”
I bobbed my head fast. “Yeah.”
“Okay. I will only date you on one condition.”