Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys)(37)

I’m starting to think I might actually get away with touching her butt when there’s a siren and flashing lights, and I knew I was right that there are probably dealers or hookers here or something. But Madison starts laughing, and I realize the cops are coming up to us.

They ask how old we are, and Madison says she doesn’t know, which is funny but, holy crap, she shouldn’t be joking around with cops. Luckily, they laugh and tell us to go home, that it’s too late for us to be out. So we run to the car, and Madison says we should go get pie at House of Pies, and even if my mom wasn’t always warning me about the health code problems that place is always having, I’d say we should go home because, shit, the cops!

Madison doesn’t act like I’m being a nerd, so that’s good. She asks me who the last person I kissed was, so I tell her because it was that girl at my cousin’s birthday party which isn’t an embarrassing story, and she tells me for her it was Garrick Bell and I don’t say anything about Riley even when Madison says Garrick is “surprisingly good at stuff” which could be a direct quote from Riley. I just laugh and act like I’m cool with hearing her talk about kissing other guys, which I’m really not.

I take her home and we spend thirteen more minutes kissing before she gets out of the car. (I check the car’s clock.) It was a perfect night, but I’m sure by tomorrow she’ll have completely changed her mind.





CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR


Reid walks up alongside me as I’m on my way to chemistry the next day.

“Yo.”

“Stop that,” I say.

“Last night was fun,” he says. “Ted’s actually pretty cool.”

“I told you so.”

“So have you ended things with Milo—”

“Don’t say his name,” I say. “Someone could hear you.”

“You mean Ted could hear me.”

“Don’t say his name, either!”

“Riley,” he says. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not exclusive with anyone. I’m free and clear and an independent woman!”

“No, Riley. This isn’t about your independence, which, yes, you have in abundance.”

In abundance?

“What I’m saying is, remember what happened with Jane and me?”

“This is different.” I am positive it is. Jane has a boyfriend. Milo isn’t my boyfriend, and neither is Ted.

“How?” he asks. “Aren’t you leading them both on?”

I glare at him because he isn’t not making sense. Okay, I’m pretty sure I’m not leading anyone on. But also I know I am having Big Important feelings for Ted, and yet I still sent Milo a text about the show.

“I’m not, and everything’s fine,” I say, because we’ve reached my classroom and also because I am way the heck over this conversation. “See you later.”

*

After dinner that night with Mom and Dad and Ashley, I check my phone to find a multitude of text messages. Milo is just saying hey because that’s how he rolls, casual but thoughtful. Garrick wants to make sure I’ll check my email later because he sent me an “interesting science journal article.” Okay, Garrick, we’ll see about that. Reid has also texted, which is nothing exciting, just telling me he thinks the new Waxahatchee album is great—which it is, but I’m not feeling great about anything to do with Reid, so, whatever, I do not respond.

I’m sad to realize there’s no message from Ted. Ted doesn’t even have my phone number, but he’s smart. Ted, you’re smart! You can get it somehow. You can, and once you’ve procured my digits, reach out to me and say something clever that warms my heart and makes me laugh like there’s a wonderful private joke between us.

I realize if I talked this out with someone, I might be able to get good, solid advice. But there is no acceptable advice-giver in my whole life right now. Reid will probably just lecture me about dating multiple guys, Lucy and I are not that kind of friends anymore, and Nathan has never been that kind of friend to begin with.

It seriously sucks to feel super alone, even with a phone full of messages.

I think of something, and sit down at my computer and type without thinking. Sure, it’s a Friday night, and sure, we’ve seen each other a lot this week. But I just do it!


to: [email protected]

from: [email protected]

subject: hey

hi ted,

last night was fun. are you up to something awesome tonight? or are you deep-frying hot dogs?

—riley





I know it’s kind of lame, but he responds almost immediately, like magic I conjured up.


to: [email protected]

from: [email protected] subject: RE: hey

No, I can’t deep-fry anything because I’m not at work. I’m up to doing homework, which probably isn’t what you have in mind by “something awesome.”





to: [email protected]

from: [email protected]

subject: RE: hey

you should call me, it’s easier than email! 323-555-3764





The second I click on send I leap away from my computer and my phone and I pace the circumference of my room like it’s a geometry theorem I have to prove with my feet.