Daring the Bad Boy (Endless Summer)(63)

“Kaycee made sure that we’d have a table,” Hailey reassured me as we went to sit.

Nancy appeared before us a few minutes later, looking frazzled as usual, her hair everywhere and her skirt flowing about her legs as she paced back and forth. “So excited to show you guys how to make these. When I was a kid we called them fortune tellers, though I remember other kids calling them cootie catchers.”

We all laughed, as did she. She started passing out sheets of paper to each table and we took a piece, waiting for her to give us instructions.

“Now, when I was in hmm, the sixth grade? My friends and I would make these all the time. And usually we just used lined paper out of our notebooks. The key is that once you get the folds just right, you need to make sure the right things are written inside, you know?”

We nodded, but I could tell most of us didn’t know. I had no idea what she was even talking about.

“Here’s an example.” Once she returned to the front of the room, she held up the oddly folded piece of paper, then slipped her fingers into the bottom, splaying the paper wide one way, then another. “The numbers are chosen at random. So you open it up and choose, let’s say, five.” She moved the fortune teller with her fingers, counting off four beats. “Then you choose another number, say two.” She moved it twice. “Then you lift up the triangle-shaped paper to read your fortune.” She did just that and started to laugh. “‘You will marry Fozzie Bear.’ Heaven forbid.”

We all laughed. Then we started folding our pieces of paper as she walked between the tables, giving her usual gentle encouragement like she was so good at doing. She even dropped off example fortune tellers at every table and I picked ours up, examining it.

“You should play with it, Annie,” Bobbee encouraged.

“If anyone needs to hear their fortune, it’s you,” Kaycee said.

Shrugging, I slipped my fingers into it and opened it wide. “I’ll choose number four.” It was my favorite number. When I opened and closed it four times, I then chose the number five. “This is dumb,” I said as my fingers moved the paper back and forth.

“This is all they had to do back in the 80s,” Presley said solemnly. “They must’ve been so incredibly bored.”

Kelsey started to laugh, and I smiled, peeling back the fortune behind the number five. My breath lodged in my throat when I saw the words written inside.

You will kiss Jake Fazio by the end of the day.

“Okay, whose idea of a joke is this?” I asked, my voice trembling.

Gwen frowned. “What’s it say?”

I showed it to her, and her eyebrows shot up. “Do it again.”

I did it again, choosing different numbers this time. When I peeled back the paper and read the fortune, I gasped out loud.

You will fall madly in love with Jake Fazio…or maybe you’re already in love with him.

“Oh God,” I whispered, not knowing if I should laugh or cry. I stared at my friends’ faces, but none of them looked guilty. They didn’t even look too innocent, either, if you know what I mean. “Did one of you make this?”

They all shook their heads.

Blowing out an exasperated breath, I did it yet again and this time my fortune said:

You will collect your final swimming lesson tonight at eight o’clock.

“Says who?” I asked aloud, though no one answered me.

“Are you okay?” Gwen asked, nudging me with her elbow.

“I guess.” Shrugging, I tore open the last fortune that I hadn’t read, not bothering going through the pretense of choosing numbers.

You will be Jake’s date at the talent show on Friday.

I will, huh? “I just wish I knew who made this,” I said, my gaze roaming over my friends’ faces yet again. But they all ducked their heads, trying to hide their smiles.

An intricately folded paper airplane landed directly in front of me. Written across one wing were the words “I did.”

And on the other wing it said, “I’m sorry.”

Turning in my seat, I found Jake standing there as if he were waiting for me, a hopeful expression on his face.

I stood and went to him, the fortune teller still in my hand, my legs shaking as I approached. My heart ached at seeing his gorgeous face, how his gaze warmed as he watched me come closer. I stopped just before him and held the paper fortune teller toward him. “You made this?”

He nodded. “Nancy taught me how this morning.”

My heart melted. So did the bones that were in my legs. “Why?”

“It’s my way of saying I’m sorry. And I messed up. That I hope you can forgive me and we can make the most of this last week we have with each other.”

I threw myself at him, not caring if the entire room was watching. I just needed to touch him, to feel his arms come around me. And when they did, when they held me close and squeezed, his mouth at my temple in the softest kiss, I had to close my eyes against the new tidal wave of tears that threatened to fall. “I’m sorry, too,” I said as I pulled away so I could look up at him. “I shouldn’t have told your uncle—”

“I’m glad you did,” he said, cutting me off. “You telling Uncle Bob brought my dad here, and we had a good talk.”

I smiled, blinking away the tears. “So did we.”