I Was Told It Would Get Easier(23)

EMILY


Well, that wasn’t awkward at all.

First my mom dragged me into this stupid café, although I was a bit hungry, and then Hot Boy and his dad showed up. And now I was sitting with him all alone and I had zero to talk about. What if he heard what Alice was saying about him? What if he asked me about it and I had to stab myself with a fork in order to cause a diversion?

The waitress showed up with my donut.

“You changed tables,” she said accusingly.

“Sorry about that,” I said.

“Will you be wanting a separate check?”

Oh, great, more awkward. “Yeah,” said Will calmly, “we’ll take separate checks, and can I get a coffee please?”

The waitress eyed him dubiously, but he smiled at her and she softened. He has a freaking dimple on one side of his face that I could honestly use for storage. It is so cute I can’t even.

The donut was huge, so I cut it into pieces, nudging the plate towards Will. He took a piece and said, “Do you really want to study engineering?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I chewed a segment of donut and swallowed. “You know, there’s a reason why donuts are usually fried and heavily sugared. My eyes were so happy to see a donut, but my mouth is now sorely disappointed.”

Will grinned at me—score—and nodded over to where our parents were sitting. “That’s funny,” he said. I turned and saw that they, too, had cut their donut into pieces and were sharing it. “I guess you and your mom are pretty alike.”

I shook my head. “Not really. Maybe we both have small appetites.”

“Or maybe you’re both nice and like to share?”

“Maybe. She’s nicer than I am.”

“Probably. Moms usually are, right?”

I made a face. “Do you read the news? Watch movies? Moms can be evil incarnate.”

Will laughed. “You have sugar on the side of your mouth.”

I licked it, but he smiled and said, “The other side,” so I licked that, too, and he nodded. “You got it.” He handed me a napkin. “My mom left when I was little, so I guess I should have a lower opinion of mothers, but I don’t. My dad’s fine, but he works all the time, so he can be pretty cranky. He also has this weird obsession with chores. What about yours?”

“Same.”

“Chores?”

“Not so much chores, but same working. She’s a lawyer and she works all the time. We have dinner together maybe twice a week.”

“And your dad?”

“I don’t know him very well. They weren’t even together when she found out she was pregnant. He lives in London now, he sends me Paddington Bear stuff every so often.” I smiled. “I think he thinks I’m still ten, but it’s reasonable seeing as he hasn’t actually seen me in years.” I looked at him. “Are you an only child?”

“No, there are four of us, but my older sister left home already.” He said it casually. “My grandma lives with us, so she’s watching my brothers while we’re here. My dad’s spending half his time on the phone, yelling at employees.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s a contractor.” He took another bite of donut. “What about you? Why are you on the tour if you don’t want to go to college?”

“What makes you think I don’t want to go to college?”

He waited. “Am I wrong?”

“Everyone goes to college.”

“Not everyone.”

“Well, everyone I know does.”

“And you have to do the same as everyone else?”

I shook my head and didn’t say anything. I suddenly can’t decide if I like this boy or not. He’s cute, but he asks a lot of questions I don’t have answers to. I looked over at my mom, but for once she wasn’t watching me like a hawk. I dug a dollar out of my pocket and started folding it into a butterfly for the waitress.

“That’s cool,” Will said. “Where did you learn that?”

“My grandma taught me. She taught herself origami after she quit smoking to give her something to do with her hands.”

“My dad used to smoke. He quit, too.”

“Does he do origami?”

“No, he cracks his knuckles.”

We both shuddered. I finished the butterfly and spread out its wings, balancing it on a sugar packet.

“Wait,” said Will. He took the sugar packet, tore the corner, tipped out a little sugar, and replaced the butterfly so it appeared to be eating the sugar.

“Funny,” I said.

“Amazing what a little scenery will do, am I right?”

He smiled at me and I felt a bit like a butterfly myself, not to be all gushy about it.





JESSICA


It turned out Chris and I got along very well, which was a pleasant surprise. In general he was a pleasant surprise, because it also turned out he was the most no-bullshit person I had met in a while.

“You’re much nicer than I thought you would be,” he said, for example.

I laughed. “Uh . . . thanks?”

Chris chewed a piece of donut and nodded. “You look like one of the moms at school, friendly but judgy at the same time. Do you know?”