Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys)(45)

OH MY GOD I ALMOST SAID “LOVE”!

Ted rounds the corner and smiles when he sees me. “Hi, Riley.”

“Mr. Callahan,” Mrs. Bullard says. “Miss Crowe-Ellerman was tampering with your locker.”

“No, it’s okay,” he says quickly. “She’s my—”

I hold my breath to see what I am. But Ted’s face just gets bright red, and he says nothing. In fact he is so quiet it’s like he is subtracting all the speech from the world.

“All right,” Mrs. Bullard says. “Miss Crowe-Ellerman, I suggest you review your student handbook.”

“I totally will,” I say.

“I have one in my locker she can borrow,” Ted says as Mrs. Bullard walks back into her classroom. “Wow, that was really dramatic.”

“I’m so sorry! I was just trying to leave you this.” I give him the CD, and he grins at it, then at me. “I wish you could have come.”

“Me too, but, thanks, Riley, this is great.” He leans in and OH MY GOD, IS TED GOING TO KISS ME IN THE SCHOOL HALLWAY RIGHT BY MRS. BULLARD’S ROOM, AND HOW MANY STUDENT HANDBOOK POLICIES WILL THAT VIOLATE?

But all he does is put his hand on my forearm.

“See you in world history,” I say, because as much as I want to stand here having my arm touched, I need to get to my locker.

“Okay.” Ted waves and heads off.

When I get to my locker, he has already tampered with it, because I have a fun-size Milky Way. This is a good day.

Reid catches up with me right as I’m about to walk into chemistry. “Ri, emergency.”

“What.” I try my best, but I can’t make it sound like a question. Everything in Reid’s life lately is an emergency.

“I wrote it in this.” He shoves the Passenger Manifest into my purse. “But I just have to say it. Last night I went over to Madison’s, and I guess things are okay.”

“Good!” I say. “Also that doesn’t sound like an emergency.”

“I haven’t gotten to the emergency part yet. So we were up in her room and started messing around, which is, as you know, way more than what’s happened so far. Like, things are moving along—”

“How far?” I ask.

“Like, second-and-a-half base,” he says.

I have no idea what that could even mean. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s, you know, it’s more than second,” Reid says.

“But what does that mean?”

“Ri, this is an emergency!” Reid clears his throat. “So, okay, if you were making out with a guy and it wasn’t good, would you let him know?”

“Dude,” I say, even though I’m not sure I’ve ever called Reid dude before. “Can you for once not assume that something awful is going on? I can tell things with you and Madison are great.”


“Would you stop and say, ‘Hey, Reid, that wasn’t good’?”

“No, I totally wouldn’t.” I stare at him. “Oh my god. Did she say that to you?”

“No! No. NO.” He musses up his hair a bunch. “Just, what if I wasn’t good at any of it? What if today she’s telling people that? Or deciding never to see me again?”

“Reid, I’m sure she’s not.”

“Ri, second-and-a-half base is a big deal.”

“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU EVEN MEAN,” I say. “Sorry. Just, I know it is, but unless she was acting repulsed, you have nothing to worry about, I’m sure.”

“How would I know if she was acting repulsed?”

“Reid! You would Just Know.”

“Actually… I’ve been wondering something, Ri.”

I manage not to sigh really loudly and yell WHAT? “Yes?”

“Not that we’ve put any requirements on it, but do you realize you’ve never mentioned anything to do with Milo—”

“Don’t say his name aloud.”

“Whatever. You’ve never mentioned anything to do with him in the Passenger Manifest.”

“Obviously I have,” I say. “Meeting him at Amoeba, remember? And our first date or whatever at the Atwater farmers’ market, and my ID, and—”

“You know what I mean,” Reid says, and I don’t. “Have you even kissed him?”

“OF COURSE I HAVE,” I say. “A lot!”

“Really,” he says instead of asks.

“Have I actually not mentioned it?” I think about this for a moment, as those kisses creep into my brain. “I guess I haven’t. Ugh. Reid. It’s not good.”

“See?” Reid waves his arms around, and I think it’s supposed to look triumphant. “This is what I’m worried about.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him,” I say. “We just don’t have the right chemistry or something. I’m sure it’s different for you and Madison.”

“But you said I’d just know. Does Mi—does he Just Know?”

I think of how Milo always grins before he kisses me. It’s not his smooth cool rock-and-roll grin; it’s something purer and sweeter in those moments. “Fine. I guess he doesn’t.” I start backing into my classroom to get away from the conversation as well as thoughts of pure and sweet Milo. “But you guys aren’t the same, and this is not an emergency. Okay?”