Date Me, Bryson Keller(24)

I turn to the person beside me. Isaac is talking to someone else. I reach out and tap him. He fixes his blue eyes on me.

“Uh, you can fill in your slot first. I need to wait for Bryson.”

“Cool.” He accepts the sheet and looks around for a pen. His eyes land on the one in my hand. “Can I?” He offers me a thin-lipped smile.

    “Sure.” Our fingers touch as he takes the pen from me and I feel myself flush. Even though I know Isaac is straight, it doesn’t stop me from feeling some type of way about him. That’s why one-sided crushes exist.

“Thanks.” When he smiles this time, he shows teeth. One of Isaac’s front teeth overlaps the other, but instead of detracting from his looks, that small quirk only adds to them.

“No problem.” I watch as he leans forward and fills in the time he prefers. Unlike Bryson, Isaac does have good handwriting.

Isaac leans back and puts my pen against his lips. I watch every movement. He must feel the weight of my eyes because he looks up. His brow furrows as he does. I look away first.

“Here you go, Kai.” It’s the first time Isaac has spoken my name to me. And the sound of it from his lips thrills me. He holds out my pen and the sign-up sheet.

I reach for it slowly. Bryson sits down louder than necessary and plucks the pen and paper from Isaac’s hands. He’s studying me like I’m some math problem that he can’t figure out.

“What’s wrong?” Isaac asks.

“Nothing,” Bryson says. But it doesn’t sound that way, and before either of us can ask anything further, he turns to me. “When would you like to practice?”

I glance over his shoulder and meet Isaac’s eyes. He shrugs and smiles again. I feel heat coloring my cheeks. Bryson holds up the sheet of paper and waves it. Effectively breaking my eye contact with Isaac.

    “How about at lunch sometime?” I say, meeting his eyes instead.

“Tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

Bryson smiles as he scribbles in our chosen time. As he does, a small part of me wonders what just happened. A small part of me, the one that lives in fantasyland, can’t help but ask: Is Bryson Keller jealous?

It’s an absurd thought, so I choose to ignore it.



* * *



? ? ?

When the lunch bell chimes, Donny and I leave our math classroom and head toward the cafeteria. Already it’s filled with other students. Some stand in line waiting for their turn to be served, while others sit at the many rectangular tables that fill the space. Donny and I join the line. Soon I am greeted by the smell of grilled cheese sandwiches. Few things in this world are as pure and sweet as a well-done grilled cheese sandwich. Aside from pizza and books, it’s the thing the human race can be proudest of.

I order and pay for my lunch and turn to find Priya already seated at our regular table. Priya spots me first and waves me over excitedly. With Bryson being my ride this morning, this is the first time that I’m seeing her today.

I cross the cafeteria and take my seat. Donny slides into his place opposite his girlfriend. I take a bite and savor the taste. Few places manage to get the right amount of cheese on a grilled cheese sandwich, and surprisingly enough, the Fairvale cafeteria does it the best. Well, second best—not even this can compete with Dad’s.

    “There you are, Kai,” Shannon Flockhart says. I look up to meet Priya’s gaze, but she isn’t looking at me. She’s staring at the girl standing at my back.

Shannon and Priya have been mortal enemies since last year. And in this feud, I have never been Switzerland. I have picked a side and it isn’t Shannon’s.

She is public enemy number one, and she knows it.

“No,” Priya says.

“I’m not here for you,” Shannon starts.

“I don’t care.”

At last year’s Spring Carnival, Shannon wore a bindi. Priya tried to explain to her that it wasn’t just a fashion statement, that what Shannon was doing was cultural appropriation, but the other girl wouldn’t hear it. Instead, she started to cry and accused Priya of being a bully. In the end, both girls’ parents were called to the school, and it became a matter dealt with behind closed doors. Of course, Priya told us everything. She even showed us the apology letter that Shannon wrote. The insincerity and victim playing were hard to ignore. Since then, there’s been bad blood.

And once Priyanka Reddy has a grudge, she tends to it like a much-loved pet.

“I just—”

    “Bye.” Priyanka makes a show of chewing a grape—slowly. Her dark eyes bore into Shannon’s. Eventually the other girl spins on her heel and leaves with a huff.

“What did She Who Shall Not Be Named want?”

I shrug. “I think she wants to know who’s dating Bryson Keller this week.”

“Why would you know that?” Priya asks.

Instead of answering, I take a big bite of my sandwich.

“She’s so annoying,” Priya scoffs.

Donny eyes the blazer that’s between us. “Whose is this?”

I take a deep breath before lying to my best friends.

“Bryson’s. He forgot it after drama. I’ve been meaning to return it, but I keep forgetting.”

“Ah, no wonder Shannon thinks you’re close,” Donny says.