P.S. I Like You(14)

It didn’t matter. Why was I suddenly worried about how he would perceive me? I wished I hadn’t found out he was a guy. This had been fun until I learned that piece of information. I had actually been looking forward to Chemistry for the last week. Something that had never happened before. And I would continue to look forward to it. We still had anonymity on our side.





I opened another drawer of my dresser and flung several shirts onto my bed.

Where is it? I wondered in frustration.

I was the organized one in this room. I didn’t misplace my favorite shirt. Especially when I saved it specifically for nights like tonight—nights where I’d be hanging out with Isabel, her boyfriend, and a bunch of his friends I didn’t know.

I pulled the dirty laundry basket out of my closet and dumped it on the floor, then sifted through the pile of clothes. When I came up empty, I let out a growl. That’s when I spotted my sister’s laundry basket on the other side of the closet. I stormed over to it and after shifting a few clothes, found my favorite green shirt. I held it up. It was wrinkled and had a big dark stain on the right side.

“Ashley!” Anger made my eyes hot. I tore out of the room, taking my shirt and my anger with me.

Ashley was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of ice cream. Her eyes went wide when she saw me. “What?”

“This!” I held the shirt for her to see.

“I was going to wash it.”

“Why were you wearing it? You didn’t even ask. It probably doesn’t even fit you right, anyway.” Ashley was much taller than me.

She made a face. “You weren’t home to ask.”

“Ashley. Seriously.”

“Fine. Chill. I’ll ask next time.”

At this point, Mom walked in. “What’s going on, girls?”

“Nothing.” I started to walk away. There was nothing I could do about the shirt now. I was meeting Isabel in an hour. I’d have to find something else to wear.

“Where are you going?” Mom asked.

She must’ve noted my hair, which I had managed to tame into relative smoothness tonight. “To finish getting ready,” I said.

“Ready for what?”

Just then, Jonah came bouncing over, wearing a blue-and-red dinosaur costume. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” he yelled louder than necessary.

My mom put her hand on his shoulder and he stopped bouncing. She continued to look at me, waiting for an answer.

“I’m going out with Isabel,” I said.

“You didn’t tell me that,” Mom said.

I panicked, my mind rewinding through the week to try to pick out the conversation I could’ve sworn I had with my mom so I could reference it now. It didn’t exist.

“You said you’d take us trick-or-treating,” Jonah whined.

“Ashley can take you,” I said.

My sister shook her head. “Nope. I’m going to a Halloween party tonight.”

“Can’t Mom take you?” I asked Jonah, desperate now because I knew how he got when he had his mind set on something.

Mom gave me her disappointed look but to Jonah said, “Yes, I’ll take you.”

The dinosaur head tipped forward as he looked at the ground in a pout. It was a really pathetic sight. As I clung to my stained shirt, I knew neither it nor I would be going out tonight. I sighed. Oh well. It was going to be a group date that I would have to spend my last twenty bucks on, anyway. Might as well save the money for something I really wanted to do.

“I’ll take you, Jonah.”

Jonah cheered.

“Thank you, Lily,” Mom said, giving me a quick hug. “Tomorrow night is all yours.”

“Sounds good.”

I shuffled back to my room and called Isabel.

She answered on the second ring. “You better not be canceling on me.”

“I’m sorry. I promised Jonah I’d take him trick-or-treating.”

“What do you mean? We’ve been planning this all week. Why can’t Ashley take him?”

“She’s going to a party.” I took my shirt to the bathroom where I treated the stain with an old toothbrush and soap.

“Lily,” Isabel whined, sounding an awful lot like Jonah. “You promised.”

I turned off the sink. “I know, but unfortunately my family has reigning power over my life.”

“Didn’t you ask your mom about tonight earlier?”

“I thought I had, but I guess I didn’t.”

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up before waiting for me to say good-bye. I felt bad, but she had Gabriel. She’d be fine without me.

I glanced at my hair in the mirror. My waves were softer, straighter, tonight. When I put in the effort with a blow-dryer and a little bit of product, I could accomplish this look. I rarely did.

“How come you can’t look this good when I actually end up going out?”

“Stop talking to yourself,” Ashley sang out as she walked by the bathroom.

“I was on the phone,” I called after her. Then I gathered my hair into a ponytail and left to grab my hoodie.





When Isabel said she’d talk to me later, I hadn’t thought she meant that night, on my porch, with two guys flanking her.