The Romantics(41)

Sammy pressed her lips together for the tiniest of seconds. Then she broke into a smile. “Oh yeah, of course. I guess I kind of forgot you guys were a thing—”

“We’re not really—”

“—and I forgot Friday is usually date night. I’ve been out of the game a little too long, I guess.”

“It’s not exactly—”

But Sammy didn’t let him finish.

“I really should be going. I still have to catch up on that French reading.” She walked away briskly.

Gael felt like a bit of an ass, but he didn’t have time to fully process what had just happened, because as soon as he got back inside, his mom and Piper were waiting eagerly.

“What was that about?” his mom asked.

“What?” he said.

Piper wiggled her shoulders and batted her eyelashes. “Ooh, Gael, can you show me something outside?”

She and his mom both burst into giggles.

Gael sighed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

His mom pursed her lips. “So what did you show her, then?”

“Nothing.” Gael pushed past them, nonplussed.

He didn’t want to talk about Sammy with them. He didn’t want his every move to be on display. Nothing was even happening between them, and yet his mom was already freaking out. Imagine if something did.

And then imagine if it didn’t work out? The whole thing would be a total disaster, Gael was sure of it.

It had been bad enough that his mom had become friendly with Anika. There would have been no surprise appearances at birthday dinners if he’d properly compartmentalized his life.

He thought about Cara, how safe she was. How his parents didn’t even so much as know her name.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Cara was the one he was going to see the movie with after all.





clueless: part two


“Any plans tonight, dude?” Danny asked at lunch on Friday.

Gael almost choked on his turkey sandwich. He hadn’t had “plans” with any of the old group since everything had so suddenly gone down.

Jenna didn’t wait for a response. “We’re going to a party at Amberleigh’s house. Apparently she’s, like, trying to befriend the rest of the band now”—Jenna rolled her eyes—“whatever, but it sounds like her parents’ house is sick, and they’re chill.” She raised a hand to stop any objection he might have. “Don’t worry. Anika and Mason aren’t going.”

Gael swallowed and took a sip of Dr Pepper. “I can’t. I have . . . err . . . plans.”

The shocked look on both Danny’s and Jenna’s faces was insulting, to say the least.

“I do have other friends, you know.”

They both laughed at that.

“I do,” Gael asserted. “It wasn’t a joke.”

“I know, I know,” Danny said. “But the way you said it was funny. So what are you doing?”

Jenna smirked, then turned to Danny, delighted. “He’s going out with a girl.”

Gael shook his head. “How in the world—”

She ticked off the points on her fingers. “Your face just got red. You’re acting totally weird about your quote-unquote plans. And I hate to break it to you, but we pretty much know all your friends. At least the ones good enough to have plans with.”

“Wait,” Danny said. “Is it your sister’s babysitter?”

And then Gael did choke on his sandwich.

(That one wasn’t even me, I’ll have you know.) Danny patted him on the back, but Gael held up his hand to stop him. “I’m fine.” He drank the rest of the Dr Pepper. “But where did you get that idea?”

“Mason says she’s hot,” Danny said. Jenna immediately smacked him on the arm.

“What?” he asked.

“Why are you talking about other girls being hot?” She pouted.

“So I’m not allowed to ever think another girl is hot again?”

“Guys,” Gael said, interrupting them. “It’s not her. It’s this girl I met on my birthday, and her name is Cara, and we’re not even dating, okay? We’re just friends.”

Jenna winked. “Whatever you say.”

Gael sighed.

They were just friends, though maybe they wouldn’t be much longer. November was less than a week away, which was great, because he really liked Cara. She was cool and pretty and in college, and yet somehow she still thought he was cool enough to spend time with.

She was the perfect girl.

She was just what he needed.

“Well, we’re happy for you, Gael,” Jenna said genuinely.

And he was happy, too.

Totally happy.

Pharrell-level happy.

And their pseudo-date at the movies was going to be great.





what would wes anderson do?


The movie was good. Really good. Like Rushmore and The Grand Budapest Hotel kind of good.

And the date or nondate or whatever it was—well, that was good, too.

Even though Gael and Cara hadn’t seen each other or spoken much since Sunday, suddenly it felt like all was back on track, like on Monday maybe Cara really had just had a last-minute group project, like maybe she did want to give it a shot with him come November.